The Kalamazoo Historic District Commission approved converting a rear deck into a four-season sunroom at 715 Wheaton, a 1905 Queen Anne in the South Street-Vine Area historic district.
The project calls for removing the property’s existing rear deck and replacing it with a modular four-season sunroom, built using a “Temo Modular” kit installed by Howe Patio & Windows, a Plainwell-based contractor.
Why it was approved
City staff evaluated the project against the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and found it met two applicable standards. Because the existing deck isn’t considered historic, its removal doesn’t affect materials that define the property’s historic character. Staff also noted the new sunroom, built from modern materials including vinyl slider windows and siding matching the home’s existing exterior, would be clearly differentiated from the historic structure while remaining reversible, meaning it could be removed in the future without impairing the essential form of the historic building.
The plans call for the sunroom to sit lower and narrower than the primary structure and to remain set back behind the rear wall of the house, consistent with the district’s guidelines for new additions.
What’s next
With the certificate of appropriateness approved, the property owner can proceed with permitting and construction under the approved plans.
