Page "Winchester Mystery House" Paragraph 11

Before the 1906 earthquake, the house had been seven stories high, but today it is only four stories.

The house is predominantly made of redwood, as Mrs. Winchester preferred the wood ; however, she disliked the look of it.

She therefore demanded that a faux grain and stain be applied.

This is why almost all the wood in the home is covered.

Approximately 20, 500 gallons ( 76, 000 liters ) of paint were required to paint the house.

The home itself is built using a floating foundation that is believed to have saved it from total collapse in the 1906 earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

This type of construction allows the home to shift freely, as it is not completely attached to its brick base.

There are roughly 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms, 2 ballrooms ( one completed and one unfinished ) as well as 47 fireplaces, 10, 000 window panes, 17 chimneys ( with evidence of two others ), two basements and three elevators.

Winchester's property was about 162 acres ( 650, 000 m² ) at one time, but the estate is now just 4. 5 acres ( 24, 000 m² ) – the minimum necessary to contain the house and nearby outbuildings.

It has gold and silver chandeliers and hand-inlaid parquet floors and trim.

There are doors and stairways that lead nowhere and a vast array of colors and materials.

Due to Mrs Winchester's debilitating arthritis, special " easy riser " stairways were installed as a replacement for her original steep construction.

This allowed her to move about her home freely as she was only able to raise her feet a few inches high.