The front porch never looked so good! So happy to host the team from WGN-TV’s Daytime Chicago on their trip to Galena! Host Amy Rutledge interviews Lisa Kerpan who owns The Inn at Felt Manor with her husband Patrick.

Front porch progress! Out with the rot, in with the new handrails, spindles and posts.

Increased comfort and increased efficiency. That’s a win-win!

We have new steps!!!

Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better.

Steam heat was state-of-the-art in the mid-19th century.

The masonry supports for the front porch are all completely rebuilt to match the original.

The Stable Studio is (finally!) ready for guests.

The scaffolding that has wrapped the house for the better part of 9 months is — finally — coming down.

Major restoration milestone: the mansard roof is now completely restored!

It was time to take the main cornice back to bare wood to prepare it for a coat of Classical White. And the masons were busy with tuck-pointing and repairs. Love the white trim with the gorgeous red Galena brick!

Historical restoration is all abut embracing the details. We’re not in off-the-shelf big box territory when it comes to the mansard dormer window brackets.

Our other project is coming together: the ADA-accessible Stable Studio.

The roofers pitch a tent on the roof and keep working even in the coldest February weather.

Roofing tiles start going up. The challenge is to come as close to the original design as possible.

The weather holds, and the first coat of paint goes up on the exterior trim — Classical White.

Work on the exterior continues, and one of the main features of the house — the front porch with THAT view — gets some much-needed attention.

Scaffolding now wraps the entire house and roofing work begins.

It’s a good news/bad news story when it comes to the mansard roof.

Lisa and Patrick Kerpan become the new owners of Felt Manor, and the main house is closed for restoration.