Sikes Adobe Farmhouse Restoration

The Restoration Begins - April 2003!

The photos below were taken during April 2003.  The first step was for lead abatement specialists to remove any areas that were scheduled for demolition and had any remaining evidence of lead paint.   Areas that had evidence of lead paint that were not scheduled for demolition were "encapsulated."  Encapsulation involves coating the surface with a special, thick paint that keeps the lead from contaminating or combining with the new layers of paint that will be applied.

The photo below shows the cementitious plaster on the adobe wall being removed.  The plaster was added sometime in the early 20th century, and was probably intended to help preserve the adobe brick.  In fact, the plaster keeps adobe from "breathing" and traps moisture, thereby leading to increased degradation of the adobe. 

The photo below also shows that most of the remaining veranda has been removed because it was in such bad condition.  However, it is historic to the 1881 period of significance, and will be replaced in this project.

Homes in this era frequently used "manta" or cloth ceilings.  The cloth was usually an unbleached muslin that was attached to the ceiling by battens and stretched tight.  It would receive an annual layer of whitewash.  Proof that the Sikes Adobe Farmhouse also used the manta ceiling can be seen in this photo of the interior roofline in the adobe kitchen.  What we're seeing are the tattered threads of the cloth, hanging down next to the cobwebs.  Mrs. Sikes appeared to have had a manta ceiling in the kitchen and in the sitting room.  The manta ceilings will be replaced, as part of the interior furnishings, by the San Diego County Committee of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.

After removal of non-period additions, we can see the actual original wood shingles.  It was common in the period  for shingles to be painted, but we have been unable so far to determine for sure whether the Sikes Adobe Farmhouse shingles were painted.  This shot also shows what appears to have been a cutout for a stove pipe.

Probate records had shown that Mrs. Sikes bought a lot of wallpaper.  But it wasn't until the restoration began that the architect and historic furnishings specialist were able to extensively explore, and discovered all the multiple layers of wallpaper in the house.  There was wallpaper in the sitting room, the enclosed porch and in the adobe kitchen.  Interestingly, no wallpaper evidence has been found in the bedrooms.  Typically, the family glued newspaper to the walls before applying the wallpaper.  This made for a smooth surface. 

At first, it was thought that there was not any wallpaper in the kitchen, but when the cementitious plaster began to be removed, it peeled off the wall with wallpaper adhered to it.  All work on that section stopped until the wallpaper conservator could take a look at it, study it and make recommendations as to the period and which layers should be re-applied as part of this project.

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