UF Kappa Kappa Gamma’s summer renovations, which officially began Sunday, might displace its Fall residents temporarily.
The $1.7 million renovation will add 5,000 square feet to the sorority house, including a dining room extension, designated chapter room, additional bathroom, second laundry room and six additional double bedrooms, said Danielle Chase, the active house board member for the sorority.
Renovations began this week but are not expected to affect the women who live in the house this semester, she said.
The house, which was previously renovated in 2006, will be able to house 52 women as opposed to 40 when the work is complete.
The chapter is hoping construction will be done in time for Fall Recruitment Week, Chase said. Minor additions will be made the remainder of this semester. Most of the renovations will happen when the house is vacant this summer.
“We probably will (be able to recruit), but the rooms upstairs won’t be ready,” Chase said. She said the worst-case scenario is that 12 women will have to live in a hotel for a month.
The funds for the project came from contributions made by every active member, both past and present.
This is the third renovation the house will experience since its purchase by the Epsilon Phi chapter in the mid-1980s, said alumna and house board president Holly Vanture.
“Part of the reason for our growth is to allow us to keep up with the school’s growth,” she said. “We have over 200 members.”
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 3/25/2014 under the headline "Renovations begin on KKG house"]
Members of Kappa Kappa Gamma break ground on their new house expansion Sunday afternoon. The renovations, which include an additional laundry room, are scheduled to be completed by Fall.
