Preservation work to begin at Eppington Plantation later this year

Chesterfield Countys parks and recreation department and the Eppington Foundation have identified several structural issues at the Eppington Plantation house that will be addressed by repairs that could begin later this year.

The goal of the work is to take care of the exterior and preserve the building.

A new roof, gutters, front-porch supports and structural repairs to flooring near three chimneys on the first floor are among whats needed.

The plantation house, where two of Thomas Jeffersons daughters lived while he served in France, will also be weather-proofed.

The siding and painting are the final portions of our work to make the building weather-tight and would be a highly visible improvement to the home, Stuart Connock, chief of design and construction for parks and recreation, said in an email.

The work is budgeted for $200,000, half of which will be covered by the Eppington Foundation, Connock said.

Included in this scope of work is the manufacture of a set of knife blades that will match the profile of the original siding on the building, he said. This will ensure historical accuracy and will allow consistent replacement of siding in the future.

Michael S. Golden, Chesterfields director of parks and recreation, said the county and foundation worked with several organizations to make sure the work maintained the historical integrity of the home.

Working on a historic home, weve got to go through a lot of vetting to make sure everything fits with the house and the dcor, he said.

I think were most of the way through the vetting, and were not too long from putting it out to bid.

More here:
Preservation work to begin at Eppington Plantation later this year