"The old concrete and terrazzo stair and front porch veranda had heaved considerably through the years with the settlement of the earth," Parker said. "We removed all of the original treads set on the ground and put in a new concrete foundation for the stairs. We also built a series of new landings in the India teak sandstone, which provided a perfect complement to the clinker brick foundations."
The cause for the drastic settling of the earth on which the house was built was later discovered while researching the history of the site. A small stream that fed the into the San Francisco Bay was originally located on this site, according to Parker. "The Native Americans in the area would wash their clams in the spring and deposit the shells in a huge pile measuring approximately 300 feet long by 40 feet high," he said. "This old Indian shell mound is now the site of the Oak Hill School." Therefore, the shifting of the building's foundation over time as the earth settled was unavoidable.