Restoration of the Sun Porch
The porch was added in 1898 and was remodeled along with the craftsman rooms after the 1906 earthquake. It is the warmest room in the house with the best views of the lovely back garden.
Since 2023, the window frames on the west side have been covered in plastic. The installation of the repaired windows needs to wait because of the condition of the walls and foundation. We need to replace the post and beam supports under the floor, reframe two walls and windows, repair the sliding glass barn door and make the restroom larger to be more accessible.
This porch is where our "Hands on" education programs happen, where our little homemade gift shop brings in additional funding, and most importantly it has the only public restroom.
We need your help funding this project.
Replace the posts, piers and brick foundation.
Under the craftsman room and the short wall of the sun porch, we are pouring concrete to replace the failing brick foundation. The wall and windows over this 1907 add on were removed and are being rebuilt.
In 2026, we will need to replace the other windows, walls and continue the foundation. Over time, water has damaged the walls and the flooring underneath. To fix this problem we need to rebuild the rest of the windows, the walls, and replace the flooring under the windows.
Rebuild the sliding glass barn door
Unfortunately in 2021, water from the leaking gutters, finally destroyed the wood mintons that held the wavy glass panes in the sliding door. We saved many of the panes and will be rebuilding this door. Meanwhile, the plywood helps the door keep its shape so we can continue to enter the house and to use the restroom located in this room. with your help, we will raise the funding to have this door rebuilt.
Rebuilding the walls to support the rebuilt side windows
This photo is from 2023, when our caretaker Mark removed the windows on the West side. Later, he discovered that he could not put the windows back because the wall that supports the roof and window frames was failing. Not any more! The wall has been rebuilt by John, and Mark is rebuilding the windows to put back in!
Replacement of the public restroom
This restroom was added to the house in 1896. Emma needed a restroom on the main floor as she got older. This is the only restroom on the main floor. Now that we have a handicap lift to enable people to enter the first floor, we would like to have a restroom to accommodate their needs.