So as not to lose track, we keep a list of projects completed at the Elizabeth Murphy House since late 2016.
- Removed faux brick from kitchen alcove and re-plastered and painted
- Leveled concrete walk slabs and replaced front steps
- Removed secondary walk and steps and planted grass
- Removed and replaced wrought iron with red cedar railing
- Removed carpet and parquet floor from sleeping porch, repaired, conducted forensics on materials and paints, and repainted in original color
- Removed carpet from bedroom floors and refinished
- Removed linoleum from kitchen floor, hallway floor and basement steps and refinished
- Replaced kitchen appliances (stove, fridge, dishwasher)
- Repainted basement room floor, doors and walls
- Removed out-of-code wiring on walls and in closets and removed ceiling fans in bedrooms
- Removed two window air conditioners, repaired window frames and replaced glass
- Removed 1970s front door and screen and replaced with restored original (interior) door and new wood screen
- Removed window air condition from entry way ceiling and converted to glass/screen window
- Repaired Pebble-Dash damaged by air conditioner installation (1990s)
- Removed and replaced warped kitchen and breakfast-nook cabinet shelves
- Removed all galvanized supply plumbing in the house and re-plumbed with copper
- Patched and repainted every interior wall
- Repaired cracked basement floor
- Removed over-sized radiator in kitchen
- Gutted bathroom to the studs and joists, completed period-appropriate renovation including re-framing, plumbing, electrical, ventilation, plaster, fixtures, trim, finishes, medicine cabinet, lights, tile, and heated floor
- Replicated interior finishing technique to refinished
- Reversed WC door
- Repaired, restored and replaced shoe trim as required
- Added floor drain, shower stall, toilet and exhaust fan in basement utility room
- Added hanging cabinets in basement utility room
- Removed faux eyebrow roof over garage, replaced trim and parged concrete
- Ground off ornate white stucco decoration on foundation and parged in unpainted concrete all around
- Removed exterior electric outlets
- Replaced driveway lights
- Replaced damaged garage door
- Added accent lighting for sleeping room ceiling
- Replaced all ungrounded outlets with grounded devices
- Add ground-fault protection as required by code and best practices
- Replaced breakfast nook light fixture
- Replaced kitchen light fixtures
- Added drain tile, repaired foundation and improved grading around crawl-space
- Removed overgrown vegetation and invasive weeks and trees and replanted front and back gardens
- Repaired and replaced exterior trim in cypress
- Added flower-box cantilevers
- Added light grid American System-Built ornamentation on front facade
- Repaired glazing in all exterior windows
- Replaced missing lead work on front windows
- Reroofed (tore off and replaced.)
- Built replica breakfast nook table
- Removed aluminum soffit and fascia covers, restored, replaced and repainted 1930s wood bead-board and trim
- Removed warped gutters and downspouts and replaced with period-appropriate, Wright-specified hanging gutters
- Added drain tiles and grading to protect sleeping porch foundation
- Repainted and re-stained exterior: from gray with white trim to goldenrod with brown trim
- Removed weathered cedar shake from chimney and replaced with new and re-stained
- Removed all foundational shrubbery and reseeded
- Added exterior lighting
- Added accent and interior lighting to breakfast-nook cabinets
- Returned breakfast nook light fixture to original (specified and constructed) position
- Replaced missing lead work on breakfast nook windows
- Designed and installed built-in for under counter refrigeration to replace the improperly placed free standing appliance, returning the kitchen to intended layout/duty.
- Replaced bathroom wash-basin with vintage model.
- Removed laminate countertops and replaced with wood, upgraded appliance and restored prairie banding and finishes in kitchen
What would you do next?
5 thoughts on “Tracking the restoration and preservation of a 104-year-old Frank Lloyd Wright house”