A true 1930 wells-style home
Pre-fabricated at Mcallister Mill, Three Forks, B.C
49 Borland Street, Williams Lake
$800
Built Year
1941
Bedrooms
2
Bathrooms
1
Stories
3
Sq. ft.
530+
a pre-fab home built for 530 square feet
This 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom home has an estimated 530 square feet, not including the attic and basement square footage. On approximately 9,372 sq. ft of land, the integrity of the Quintella family’s thriving garden has been maintained by the Potato House Project staff ever since the house purchase from the Quintella family in 2010.
Extensive upgrades and thorough maintenance have kept this home in condition. Original hardwood floors were discovered after the damage of a flood 5 years ago.
a modest and Environmentally Conscious Living.
The Quintella family lead a peaceful and sustainable life, growing their garden and often offering large potatoes and cabbage to members of the community.
walls
The walls of the house are
The interior doors and windows of the house are framed with Douglas fir trim.
The insulation of the home has proven to have been several materials, including wood shavings, newspaper clippings, clothing, and children’s drawings dating back to the 1940’s.
Roof
The roofing of the potato house has changed once since the purchase of the home in 2010. The Potato House Society fundraised for a new metal roof in 2019.
windows
The window eves and and shape lend us a hint as to when and where The Potato House was built in the 1930’s. The expense, unavailability, and delicate nature of large pieces of glass in interior B.C meant that windows with several “lights” (meaning individual panes of glass) were the only option for many family homes; becoming a trademark of the days. The Potato house’s large paned glass windows hint that the manufacturers of the windows were not far from the site.
FLOORS
Constructed of dressed lumber, the fir flooring of the potato house has been treated with a linseed oil stain, maintaining the integrity of the home’s era.
basement
The basement of the potato house was made by the Quintella family after the home’s original build in 1941. The gradual construction of the basement can be seen physically in the consistancy of the cement pour; smooth well-mixed cement on the bottom half of the foundation, and rough, less mixed concrete on the upper half of the foundation. What an exhausting job! The basement boasts a proper cellar with a stone sink for connected to the home’s foundation for wine-making.
Attic
Once just an empty attic, the Borkowski family converted half of their upstairs space for a full bathroom. The bathtub was located under the left upstairs window eve of the home. Standing in the kitchen, you can see the water damage on the ceiling from their bath water splashing onto the floor.
During the maintenance of the home, staff have pulled clothing, children’s artwork, and many newspapers from the attic walls. We assume this was used as insulation in the cold winter months.
The Potato House Project 