By The massive remodeling project at Morgan Manor, now going on 13 months and targeted for completion fall 2002, will involve dozens of workers and considerable expense before the work is done. There was a good full year of planning involved, according to project manager Gary Worth.

Plans call for updating all electrical, plumbing and heating and adding air conditioning.

“We’re renovating every inch of skin,” Worth said, pointing to the walls of the estate off Stonebrook Drive. Crews have already replaced several layers of decayed roofing with a brand-new layer. Other work ranges from rebuilding chimney pots to replacing sagging floors and seismic upgrades.

Notable additions to the house include a 3-car garage (”This place has never had a garage!” marveled Worth), expansion of the family room and a “breakfast nook.”

Worth said the net square footage will be reduced overall, but the total living area, not counting the 2,000-square-foot ballroom, will still be more than 11,000 square feet.

The house, through its succession of previous owners, suffered from neglect and some nooks and crannies offered surprises as workers went forward. Worth described finding woodpeckers and even the discovery of a beehive. “Honey was running out of here,” he said.