by a Taliesin fellow. The home incorporated Wright's iconic precast concrete blocks. These were made using metal molds into which concrete was poured and then set. The Tonkens house is built using eleven block variations, which allowed for infinite modifications to the design. Masonry subcontractors were used to lay the foundation, while carpentry subcontractors were used to lay the blocks. Blocks were two feet wide by one foot high for walls, and two feet high by two feet wide for ceilings. Blocks were adhered to a reinforced concrete slab, unlike Wright's Californian homes, in which ceiling blocks were adhered to wooden slabs. Concrete blocks for the Tonkens House were made as a lightweight cinder block. Because cinder blocks are porous, a sand based sealer was applied to the exterior of the building to waterproof the house. By mid-1955 the total cost of construction, including Wright's 10 percent fee and additional costs for interior furnishings, was up to $59,000. The increase was due in part to rising values of materials such as steel, concrete and wood. Complications associated with casting concrete blocks also raised construction costs. Expenditure continued to increase throughout the duration of the construction and Cindy Damschroder estimates that the final cost of construction was likely to have been around $118,000. The Tonkens House was completed in late-July 1956. Frank Lloyd Wright died in 1959. Prior to his death he was in the midst of designing the Beth Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, as well as a number of residential homes. Therefore, he would never see the completed Tonkens House. He did however meet with the Tonkens soon after it was completed, presenting them with a hand signed, Cherokee red glazed tile to attest his approval of the home. The tile was permanently placed on the exterior wall, just outside the front entrance. Variations in design Over the eighteen month construction period, a number of minor changes were made to the original design. These included modifying the driveway, installing additional electrical outlets to the exterior of the house and increasing the size of the master bedroom. A pool was included in initial designs and registered by Taliesin. In late 1955, Eric Lloyd Wright proposed that the pool be relocated as it was positioned above solid ground, with only earth fill below. Although the pool was relocated and re-sized, it was never