2025 Foundation Repair Projects
The Cohen Bray House foundation is made of brick and was built in 1882. The kitchen foundation and under the expanded kitchen porch was replaced in 1992.
Our mission is to continue to repair or replace some of the sections of the original, now failing brick foundation. Luckily, with help from our members and a bequeathment, we raised the funding and have completed the repairs in two very bad sections 3a and 3c (see below).
The structure ( shown as 3 in the plans) is now framed in but the bricks below the reframing still need to be repointed.
Photo's show recent work first, scroll down to see the beginning of the projects from March.
We need your help to raise the additional funding for the repair of 3b -the foundation under the sun porch. We need to rebuild those walls and windows, repair the sliding glass barn door and upgrade the restroom for ADA in 2026. We are on a roll and need your help.
3c
3b
3a
Next steps
Cut bricks will be added to the exterior to conceal the concrete along here.
We need to continue the foundation sections under the sunporch, restroom and under the breakfast room. Please donate now, help us continue with this project.
3
Recently completed leveling at these two points, The rebuilt 1907 wooden windows were replaced here.
Under craftsman rooms
We were able to get both corners of the craftsman room and sunporch levelled.
This is the "newer 1907" addition, It is one story and finished in craftsman style with redwood paneling, not lath and plaster which might have cracked off. Leveling allowed us to fix windows on the North side and West facing windows and wall in the sunporch.
Before-Nov. 2025
John Schofield our carpenter, discovered that the mud sill and corner post were rotten in the corner of the sunporch and were not holding up the roof. The windows and exterior decorative stick work were being pushed out by the weight of the roof. John replaced the mud sill and post with redwood lumber found on site. He was able to repair the wall and the stick work without taking it all apart. Amazing!
During
John also reframed the interior wall to strengthen it and the roof to prepare it for the installation of the rebuilt 1907 wooden windows.
Dec. 2025
Mark our caretaker, was able to rebuild and install some of the windows on the west side of the house, just in time for our December 2025, Tea and Tour. He replaced the plywood with bead board under the windows. We hope the stationary sidelight windows that were badly damaged will be repaired and replaced soon.
Mark is cutting the original bricks in half. We will use them to hide the concrete in the completed exterior areas of the house. 3a
The front of the house will look as it always has as required by our historical status.
Section 3a - Before
Section 3a - our biggest concern
This is where the sewer pipe comes down from the second story bathroom to the ground level. For 40 years the connection to the street lateral pipe was leaking. This has caused the soil to collapse and the mud sill and bricks to move. The pipe had been fixed but the damage had been done. The weight of the building has caused almost a 3" subsidence. We have researched leveling the building up 3" and learned that that process will damage the plaster and the historic wallpapers and it could also possibly pop out the windows. This will not comply with our mission to do no harm. Therefore, we replaced the failing wood and bricks with cement to re-support the building as it is, in place.
The bricks from the foundation are being reused to cover the exposed concrete on the exterior and to line the paths in the garden.
Here is our foreman Saul, tamping the wet concrete down around the sewer line this corrects the main cause of the foundation failure in this location.
Section 3a foundation
is completed.
July 2025
This part of the foundation project cost us $53,220.00. The funding is from the trust of Mary Israel and through memberships and donations. Thank you all.
Section 3 - Before
In March 2025 we replaced the 40-year- old jacks under the laundry room (indicated as #3 on the plan) with wood framing, drilled the sill plate and inserted a threaded rod which is epoxied in place. The mud sill on the right was water-damaged and had to be replaced.
Section 3 - During
Below is the not quite completed "during" picture.
The 6"X 6" corner support was repaired with the exact piece (found on the floor) that had been cut out 40 years ago. The epoxied bolts have been tightened and inspected.
Now, we need to raise funding to replace and repair the crumbling bricks and repoint with lime-based mortar both here and the nearby chimney base under the kitchen and dining room. (Est. $9K)
