Renovations

In addition to the previously planned fixing of roofs, gutters and windows, exterior construction under the expanded schedule will include "rejoining" bricks and cement, cleaning the walls and waterproofing, said Roger J. Cayer, the project manager.

Interiors

Bids for the interior work--which will include replacing wiring, plumbing, adding electrical outlets and painting and refurbishing rooms--will go out just 7 with construction starting soon after, Coburn said.

She added that she expects bids for internal renovations to be move in line with College projections, compared with the $1 7 million price of the exterior renovations that cost about twice what consultants that cost about twice what consultants had anticipated for a slightly smaller amount of construction work.

In planning the project the College built in a "good deal of flexibility" to avoid severe time problems and the work will proceed so that portions of the work can be postponed in order not to inconvenience students. Coburn said

She added, "Given that this is the first round of this [multi-year project], we wanted to build in some safeguards so that we weren't unreasonably exposed financially and inconveniencing students."

The exterior work at Lowell and Winthrop will be undertaken by two local construction companies--Walsh and Carderelli, respectively --in order that the two firms can concentrate their efforts on one House each and that their work can be compared. Coburn said.

Cautious, Castious

Other officials also expressed cautious optimism that the first phase of a construction project proposed last spring would prove successful Lowell House Master William H. Bossert '59, however, while acknowledging that he still thinks the work would he completed, said, "We have bitten off a really big job," adding, "things have slipped, we have lost three weeks."

Officials stressed that summer's project was regarded as "a learning process", with delays like the one this month instructive in the long run because the renovations of the entire House system will span about seven years.

And Winthrop House Master James A. Davis noted that the delay won "a bit of blessing," saying, "it meant that we didn't have noise and construction during exams."