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STAFF REPORT CONCERNING THE LANDMARK FARMHOUSE 68286 MIAMI ROAD, UNION TOWNSHIP THE GEORGE SEIFER HOUSE Meeting Date: Thursday, February 17, 2004 @ 9:00 am Those Attending: Wendy Roeder, owner Joann Sporleder Don Sporleder Julie Schutte Purpose: To discuss the possibility of an addition to the rear of the house to fulfill the desires of the owners and to retain as much of the form and structural elements of the historic house as possible. The addition: Owners would like a more accessible first floor bath/utility room with shower, especially after a long day of work on their farm. They would also like it to be accessible for elderly family members. The current first floor bath is small and the farthest room from the entrance of the house. They would also like to expand the kitchen for holiday gatherings and cooking projects; and may want to attach a garage. Proposal: Bathroom: Adapt the small, enclosed porch on the south side of house into the entryway -mud room -utility room - bathroom combination. Assessment: the bathroom/utility room would be much more accessible and tailored to the needs of the family; a two-story structural wall would not need to be touched on the northeast side of the building to expand the existing bath and therefore the cross gable form would not be obscured by the addition and window openings would not be lost; new wall could be placed between existing window and door to provide another operable window for the dining room. This would expose the historic and original form of the cross -gable house, and distinguish the historic portion of the house from the new addition. Kitchen: Expanding the kitchen would require the removal of the shed roof appendage, which is possibly the summer kitchen or portion of an older structure. Staff has not positively identified the date and original use of this portion of the house. The new kitchen could be built extending east from the eastern wing of the cross gable, one story the width of the wing (— 16 feet) with a gabled roof. Two pitches could be used for the roof of the addition: a slope to match the gable of the house or a gentler slope to retain the long second story windows. The interior of the existing kitchen has lovely oak moldings. Staff would recommend reusing this and any other architectural features: stone from the rubble foundation, siding in good condition, windows, etc. Assessment: The house would lose the shed addition but the cross -shaped form of the house would remain intact, and may even be more visible and understandable to the eye. Many more original window openings would remain than in the previous proposal. The addition might also provide the owners with better access to their basement/crawl spaces. Porch: Porch is in need of repair. Rotting rails and spindles could be repaired and strengthened with wood consolidants and epoxies: Abatron was recommended to the owner. Water damage seems to be due to gutters sloping away from the downspouts. Drainase: The house has half -round gutters and in some portions, the drainage systems seem much too complex and drains in the wrong direction. This should be adjusted and then the moisture issues that are causing the peeling paint would be on the way to being solved.