Christmas Holiday Break
February 15, 2017
The primary focus of work over the Christmas break was the Library that included major repairs to all the plaster on the walls, ceiling, and moldings, plus repairs to the cabinets and doors in that room. The room will be painted when the plaster dries. The attached picture file documents some of that work.
Other work included completing the restoration of the women’s bathroom, construction and installation of additional windows and sashes, and removal and repair of door and frames in the basement.
Remaining work we expect to complete this summer includes major projects to restore the Party Room, the downstairs bedrooms, floor repairs and refinishing, reconstruction of the whole area behind the house including leveling and expanding the existing concrete patio, building a retaining wall, some new walkways, major tree removal, and architectural work to enhance the downstairs party room door to the outside and additional windows to bring light into that space.
Cost of the work to date is $725,000. An estimate of the cost to compete the planned restoration is currently $600,000. This estimate contains a significant contingency as there are some large unknowns at the moment that include the potential extent and cost of the work downstairs and outside. Once we have architectural plans for this work, and determine what the University will approve (they own the land and need to approve our plans), we should have a better idea about costs. The other significant uncertainty relates to what we will find when we dig up the existing concrete patio in order to level and expand that whole area behind the house.