After having been vacant for several years, a 100-year-old house in California is in the process of being remodeled. When the work is completed, the "new" house will become home to Bobby Roll, Phillips Funeral Home, California, funeral director and managing partner.
The house, believed to have been built in 1904, was once the parsonage or "manse" of the California Presbyterian Church. That church building is now home to the California Church of Christ congregation. The house was used by the pastor for several years, but since it was no longer needed, it was sold.
Several major tasks are part of the remodeling work, such as reducing a five bedroom house to three bedrooms. Although the work involved is significant, the decision to make the change was not. "One of the bedrooms will be made a walk-in closet, since it was so small," said Roll. "We've taken the wall out from between the downstairs bedroom and the living room to increase the living space."
Houses of a century ago generally did not have closets and the rooms were often smaller to make them easier to heat in the winter. The bathroom is being completely redone and new flooring is being installed in the downstairs. Upstairs, the wood flooring looked very good once the carpeting was removed. A bit of work should make those floors a focal point of the rooms.
The original fireplace has been non-functional since the church which owned the house removed the chimney. Roll plans to put in a gas log, which should restore some of the original ambiance.
Roll found that the single-unit air conditioner was not sufficient to cool the two story house. A second unit has been installed. The old coal furnace was replaced long ago with a more modern forced-air natural gas furnace. The basement coal bunker under the front porch has long been empty.
The old front porch is being restored, with new tongue and groove flooring and rebuilt pillars. One change which will be noticeable following the remodeling work will be the porch railings. The original railings were solid The new porch will be bounded by spindle-style railings, which should go well with the new corner fence in the front of the house.
The lawn south of the house is in the process of being landscaped. An old building was demolished from the site, and several truckloads of soil brought in and the areas leveled. With the help of neighbor Ilene Matheny, the area will be filled with flowers.