Mary Hills was not particularly fond of her wedding gift. First, Wright was not commissioned to design furniture for the Hills; according to their eldest of five sons, John Moore Hills, they felt that "it was their house and they would furnish it for their own taste and comfort." Sibling Nathan Grier further related that his mother found the entire house too "stern and austere" and she immediately hired neighborhood architect Henry Fiddelke to make alterations. Over the next eight years, the rear kitchen wing was extended with the addition of a pantry and breakfast room (c. 1912), the rear porch was enclosed with glass (c. 1917), a second bathroom was inserted above the kitchen, and a small second floor balcony was enlarged and covered to form a sleeping porch. The space under the rear porch was excavated to form a children's playroom and billiards room. Most notably, the second floor front (east) bay window – which was initially split between two bedrooms – was reconstructed as two separate bay windows in 1915. In later alterations, the cedar shingle roof was replaced by asphalt shingles which failed to replicate the distinctive tiered pattern. Also, the front porch was expanded and piers on either side of the front steps were replaced by simple iron handrails. "(see floor plans at right for details on the alterations)"