Small house, big improvements
David Gerlach, left, from the Wenatchee Housing Rehabilitation Program, and Mark Wiser, Chelan PUD senior residential adviser, inspect new windows installed at a 1910 home on Kittitas Street.
Small improvements have added up to a big upgrade in comfort and efficiency in Francisca Martinez’s tiny home on Kittitas Street in Wenatchee.
With help from the city of Wenatchee’s Housing Rehabilitation Program, the 642-square-foot home has new ventilation fans and new energy-efficient windows and front door.
The house, built in 1910, had no ventilation. Wallboard in the bathroom and laundry room was falling apart from the humidity, said David Gerlach, housing program director. Dava Construction, a city contractor, installed fans, replaced the wallboard and extended pipes through the attic for improved ventilation. Energy-efficient vinyl-framed windows replaced single-pane, wood-framed glass. A new front door sealed the deal.
Francisca Martinez, center, with daughter Anna and son Mateo Lucero
Work was funded by a $5,000 housing program loan, with Chelan County PUD weatherization incentives covering a portion of the glass costs.
Martinez and her son, Mateo Lucero, said cold air in winter and warm air in summer used to come in around the windows and door. That’s gone now. The windows have also reduced street noise and made the home generally more comfortable, Martinez said.
Martinez is a fruit sorter at Northern Fruit. She has owned the home since 2005.
