Based on what we found in the walls and the materials used, the first addition to the house was done some time between 1920-1930. During this time period the kitchen and the lower roof were added. It is very likely also the time when the Kenwood street side open porch was built.

Here is where the shortcuts and poor workmanship started.

The roof framing was toe-nailed into the wood siding, instead of bolting a ledger board/beam into the studs and nailing the roof framing into the ledger board. This was done on both the kitchen roof as well as the kenwood street side porch.

For the porch this had bigger consequences, because the porch’s foundation was based on four pillars (two on the corners and two distributed in between). This minimal foundation has been subject to freeze/thawing of the ground and that has pulled the toe-nailing right out of the siding.

The roof connection to the walls was done without an overhang, like we have on the original house.

Over the years that causes water to make it from the roof into the wall, causing the wall to rot.

Plumbing came likely not much later into this home.