Chi Omega - University of North Carolina

The Perch 2 Restoration Summary An elevator was slowly dropped by a crane into the roof opening and lowered down through three floors of the Chapter House on March 13, 2025. Our new elevator helps us fulfill ADA compliance at the Chapter House. CT Wilson's installation of all new wiring and electrical boxes. The upgraded front porch. O ur Chapter House restoration is receiving positive recognition in historic Chapel Hill. We are making significant progress to bring our 16,000-square-foot house up to modern standards of safety, security, and functionality. Exterior improvements include a new roof, exterior siding (extensive rotting wood), windows, porches, foundation repair, and waterproofing. Interior improvements have been major: new HVAC system, plumbing, wiring, insulation, flooring, a redesign of the downstairs layout, etc. Much of the work has been replacing plumbing and wiring from the 1913 era. The house has new Wi-Fi, as the old system was slow and inadequate. We upgraded fire suppression, installed a new security system, installed new windows in the Woollen house, and refurbished the windows of the historic Patterson house. Restoration Highlights Include: • We discovered extensive foundation damage due to a broken cast iron water pipe that was pouring stormwater runoff from Rosemary Street underneath our home (now fixed). • New waterproofing around our parking lot due to decades of damage from the destructive stormwater pipe is complete. • The first floor will have two renovated and expanded bathrooms so no more long lines! • Our basement will also have a working bathroom with two toilets. Extensive work in the basement has transformed this space into attractive study rooms. • The dining room, kitchen, and Guion Johnson 1922 living room have been reconfigured to allow all our current membership to have meals together (not in shifts). The elevator that our 2023 Epsilon Beta Chapter GH, Riley Watkins, wanted to have available in our Chi Omega House was installed on Thursday, March 13, 2025. The Resolve Elevator was driven down the highway in one piece from its "North Carolina Made" location and was lifted gently with a crane to be installed through the roof—all in a few hours. It's a very exciting time for Chi Omega to start fulfilling Riley's dreams of ADA compliance in our sorority house. Our new ADA bathroom on the second floor will have three sinks, two toilets, and two showers to accommodate anyone with special physical needs, whether having just had a surgery, having had an accident, being ill and needing assistance, or having a lifelong disability.

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