Early estimates to renovate the house to a serviceable
condition ranged from $200,000 to $250,000.
However, as design began and work proceeded, the scope of the renovation
was repeatedly revised upward as major new elements were found to need
updating. To contain costs wherever
possible, multiple day-long work sessions were scheduled which brought alumni
(and later undergraduates) to
Chapter house renovation floor
plans
The first major project was to replace the roofs on both the
Old and New houses, followed by the rebuilding of the porches and painting of
the house exterior. As mandated by the
City of
With the house’s exterior stabilized, work moved inside. Front stairs were rebuilt, new hardwood and tile floors installed, an ADA-compliant restroom added. Infrastructure including plumbing, wiring, sprinkling system and boiler all had to be replaced with new, code compliant elements. The house was wired for cable and Internet access. The Old House first floor was decorated and furnished in a style consistent with the house’s historical status.
Living spaces were next. Second Floor renovation included the gutting, partial teardown and reconfiguration of the Old House resident rooms; Second Floor New was updated and furnished. All bathroom fixtures and tiles were completely replaced and re-plumbed. Third Floor New was brought on line and furnished in 2008.
Other external work included a new patio to solve drainage problems, parking lot repair, and a new ADA-mandated, wheelchair-accessible entrance on the north side of the house. The last phase of work – reconfiguration and build-out of Third Floor Old residence rooms (replacing the Rack Room) – began in summer 2009.
The renovation and reconfiguration brings the chapter’s official live-in capacity to 42 men, all in single and double rooms (comparable to University housing). In August 2007, the first undergraduates moved in. At Homecoming 2007 in October the renovated house was officially rededicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by dozens of alumni and undergraduates.
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