<P> Before the 1906 earthquake, the house had been seven stories high, but today it is only four stories . The house is predominantly made of redwood, as Mrs. Winchester preferred the wood; however, she disliked the look of it . She therefore demanded that a faux grain and stain be applied . This is why almost all the wood in the home is covered . Approximately 20,500 U.S. gallons (78,000 L) of paint were required to paint the house . The home itself is built using a floating foundation that is believed to have saved it from total collapse in the 1906 earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake . This type of construction allows the home to shift freely, as it is not completely attached to its brick base . There are roughly 161 rooms, including 40 bedrooms, 2 ballrooms (one completed and one unfinished) as well as 47 fireplaces, over 10,000 panes of glass, 17 chimneys (with evidence of two others), two basements and three elevators . Winchester's property was about 162 acres (66 ha) at one time, but the estate has since been reduced to 4.5 acres (1.8 ha)--the minimum necessary to contain the house and nearby outbuildings . It has gold and silver chandeliers, hand - inlaid parquet floors and trim, and a vast array of colors and materials . Due to Mrs. Winchester's debilitating arthritis, special "easy riser" stairways were installed as a replacement for her original steep construction . This allowed her to move about her home freely as she was only able to raise her feet a few inches high . There was only one working toilet for Winchester, but all other restrooms were decoys to confuse spirits . This is also the reason why she slept in a different room each night . The home's conveniences were rare at the time of its construction . These included steam and forced - air heating, modern indoor toilets and plumbing, push - button gas lights, and Mrs. Winchester's personal (and only) hot shower from indoor plumbing . There are also three elevators, including an Otis electric and one of which was powered by a rare horizontal hydraulic elevator piston . (Most elevator pistons are vertical to save space, but Winchester preferred the improved functionality of the horizontal configuration .) </P> <P> Mrs. Winchester never skimped on the many adornments that she believed contributed to its architectural beauty . Many of the stained glass windows were created by the Tiffany Company . Some were designed specifically for her, and others by her, including a "spider web" window that featured her favorite web design and the repetition of the number thirteen, another of her preoccupations . This window was never installed, but exists in the so - called "$25,000 storage room" - so named because its contents were originally appraised at a value of $25,000 . The value today is inestimable, but $25,000 would be equivalent to $366,000 in 2017 . A second window was designed by Tiffany himself, so that when sunlight strikes the prismatic crystals a rainbow is cast across the room . The window was installed in an interior wall in a room with no light exposure, preventing the effect from being seen . </P> <P> When Winchester died, all of her possessions (apart from the house) were bequeathed to her niece and personal secretary . Her niece then took everything she wanted and sold the rest in a private auction . It supposedly took six trucks working eight hours a day for six weeks to remove all of the furniture from the home, an account disputed by Winchester's biographer . Mrs. Winchester made no mention of the mansion in her will, and appraisers considered the house worthless due to damage caused by the earthquake, the unfinished design and the impractical nature of its construction . It was sold at auction to a local investor for over $135,000, and subsequently leased for 10 years to John and Mayme Brown, who eventually purchased the house . In February 1923, five months after Winchester's death, the house was opened to the public, with Mayme Brown serving as the first tour guide . </P> <P> Today the home is owned by Winchester Investments LLC, a privately held company representing the descendants of John and Mayme Brown . The home retains unique touches that reflect Mrs. Winchester's beliefs and her reported preoccupation with warding off malevolent spirits . These spirits are said to have directly inspired her as to the way the house should be built . The number thirteen and spider web motifs, which carried spiritual significance for her, occur throughout the house . </P>

When did the winchester house open to the public