New Boxy Babe gets and overhaul! 4132 Oleatha BEFORE.

The latest property to hit the market from Starke, Inc. has gone from drab to fab. This little Mid-Century Modern Bungalow needed a little TLC. Clearly, it was neglected and not loved like it should have been, but things happen and owners get busy. We had been scouting for a new property in Tower Grove South for a while now. The goal? Buy the ugliest house on the cutest and most stable block possible, and then turn it around for an affordable price. Too often people think that a renovater/rehabber buys a property and sticks a little bit of lipstick on the "pig". Often, people are right. That is not the case when Starke and his team (myself included) gets involved. The name of the game for many people in the renovation game is, get in and get out with as little updating as possible. While it is smart on the pocket book, it isn't great for the neighborhood. Starke focuses on one geographic area at a time and then attempts to help the whole hood by raising values. This is easily accomplished when the renovation appeals to a wide audience and has stellar updates. 

Here are the before pics:

Into Every 'Hab Some Water Must Fall, or SPEW

Today, the copper thieves struck. After gutting this bath and replacing bad lines, those jerks came and cut them. This newest acquisition is is one of my favorite hoods to renovate, Tower Grove South. A perfect bungalow with a garage, on a sleepy street with awesome neighbors has been robbed. Now, I know what you are going to say, "Leigh, doesn't that mean it is in a bad neighborhood?". The answer is, "NO". I don't like defining neighborhoods in those terms anyways. In fact, it is against the law and besides that, some of my best friends live there. Good and bad are subjective, unless you are a copper thieve. Then you are just bad for business. Copper jerks are everywhere, looking to pull of the most cowardly crime in the world. For a little bit of money, they damage thousands in property and YOUR property values. 

Have you ever wondered why that foreclosure next door has sat so long? More than likely, it can't be financed because lenders don't like to loan on properties that don't have working plumbing. No copper=no loan in most situations. So, the property sits until someone willing to take on a project like that comes along with CASH. 

Unfortunately for me, the owner was out of town. Which meant, I was in charge. GREAT, I know it sounds fun in theory, but it's not. I don't get to stand around and be bossy bossy. Besides that, a good crew won't respond to a leader that won't work with them. Luckily, Dan (the contractor man) was there early and called me to tell me they had stuck and the water needed to be shut off. Fabulous, they didn't turn off the water before snipping  away. He then called the cops and made a report. I showed up while the Crime Scene Unit was there taking pics ('cause that helps). They didn't get much, which means they more than likely will be back. We than shut off the water  and Dan pulled the stain glass (they love that too) , boarded up the windows, secured the doors and started to paint the copper. You paint it and it is worth less at the scrap yard.


The neighbors LOVE the board up look, let me tell you. Hey, it isn't our fault. Blame the thieves...


Bottom line: You see someone suspicious, call the COPS. Make noise, turn on your lights. Every single house that is sold more cheaply in your neighborhood due to crimes of destruction perpetuates low property values.  Good renovations, help to raise the values. A lot of projects are abandoned due to the fact the contractor/rehabber has ran out of money because of going over budget from these shenanigans.

It's a Jungle Out There

So, after switching companies ( I went to Re/MAX Results) and hiring an awesome new assistant (more to come on her), I am back to blogging. I fell off, not thinking anyone was reading them. I couldn't have been more wrong. Problem is, since I am not on the job site everyday, the fun hi jinxes the boys get themselves into seem to be less. Or maybe, they are reporting about them less? Or maybe, just maybe... the boys are not having anymore issues. Things are sailing along as smooth as a boat on a lake of glass, NOT! That couldn't be the answer.

True,  Stärke, Inc. has come a long way, and the guys who work there have set into a routine. Not to mention, they are able to handle much more work, and do it with more precision. However, rehabbing/renovation in itself is a HI-JINX. You never know what is behind the wall, what the previous owner had rigged himself, what lies beneath, what lies in the fridge, who has hidden what where (the things we have found, lemme tell you) and so on. So, here I am. Stuck between trying to be entertaining and provide real substance in these blogs.

The funniest "Incident"  I have to report right now is the winky-dink that the recent lawn person pulled. He was getting paid to do the lawns, twice a week. Which he was kind of doing. Sorta. OK, not really. Not thinking, we would drive by the properties and look at the lawns and make note. They looked OK, we knew he wasn't there as often as he said, we knew that. Guess what was happening? He was only  mowing the FRONT lawns. Mean while the backyards of properties we were trying to sell looked like a cougar could come out of the grass and snatch your face off. Lesson learned here? Supervision is a constant must in property management, rehabbing, renovations and the like. While the cat is away, the mice will play.

Next Blog: I will introduce you to the newest member of  Stärke's inventory, who is almost ready to hit the market....SHE'S a BRICK HOUSE. Mighty, Mighty in Tower Grove South.

Soon to be followed by our "NEW PROJECT"- Hopefully, I can get the guys to take more pics on that one as they go.

Meet Mini...A very affordable option in Tower Grove South

I am sure you all feel that naming the houses is a little "campy" or strange. I myself, find it to be not too much of a stretch. What I mean by that is this...Every house has a personality and person to fit each of its characteristics and flaws. Houses and neighborhoods can have a soul. Neighborhoods are given a soul by its residents, parks and businesses. Houses change over time and almost always carry traces of their previous tenants with them.

I decided to call this house Mini because  architecturally it's a Mini Castle bungalow. Mini Castles tend to be my favorite bungalow style. While they are not quite as intriguing as the Gingerbread from the outside, they are way sexier, to me on the inside. Minis have awesome floor plans, are usually more spacious and have rockin' ceiling height. The tall ceilings make them look VERY much LARGER and allow for more decorating options.

This mini, the Mini was part of an estate. The house was relatively in good shape but, a whole lot of ugly. On the interior it was 1970's glam.  She had mirrored walls with gold veins running through them, powder blue plastic bathroom, ugly carpet and the trim in some places had been removed. Not many buyers these days appreciate that kind of style. So, needles to say Stärke will be renovating this gal from top to bottom and then try to find her a new owner. Could it be you?

Monday Morning Meetings

Most of you who know me know that I am up really, REALLY late. I love the evening, it is when I am finally alone to jam on my work. However, construction and everything else happens in the morning sometimes before the sun comes all the way out. Monday is my Friday, but for the rehabbers and contractors it is the beginning of their work week. Rehabbing is a circus for sure. In this case, it is a three ring circus. Everyone has a role to play but we all have to be in communication. There is the Developer (Starke Group), the Contractor (Dan Carter) and Me (Real Estate Agent). What we realized after working together for quite a while now was that someone was mentioning something to someone else that was supposed to pass it on to the intended recipient and it wasn't happing. What a shocker, right? Another thing that was happening was we were discussing things WAY TOO much causing for annoyance and not enough time for action to be taken. What we came up with as a solution was Monday Morning Meetings. They start at 7:30 am and items of mention are discussed over hot coffee, that flows way faster than the stuff at Starbucks. Uncle Bills is the perfect location, it is close to the rehabs, close to my office, fast on service and accomodating. This is all very important since time is money in this game. Topics up for discussion today were coordinating installation of cabinets around the floor refinisher's schedule, organization, carpet, marketing, deadlines and many other topics (like they need to be taking more pictures for the blogs). Today there wasn't much to talk about because so much got done from last week's meeting. Very exciting, I think the meetings are working!

PS Due to having to rise so early and being close to work. Mondays have become my most efficient days in terms of getting work done. Just in time for wrapping up for my day off TUESDAY!

Floors from Start to Finish!

Finding hardwood floors is like hitting pay dirt. If you know they are there, it's a bonus. Just like paydirt though, you are going to have to work for them. Ginger is a perfect example...Yucky beige carpet in the living and dining rooms, more carpet in the bedrooms, hall and kitchen covered in layers and layers of vinyl and plywood tile. What has tp happen is all of that crap has to be removed and then, and only then do you know what you are working with.

Here are the "Before" pics of Ginger's floors:

The kictchen has LAYERS of pressed board laminate. Gross.












The living room and dining have YUCKY BEIGE carpet.











The Bedroom has blue indoor out-door carpet.

I can't say that I am a huge fan of any of these looks! Below are some of the during shots.

As you can see, the carpet glue didn't come up very easily or well on the bedroom floors.  That just means more work when they sand. :(

In the living room we found that they have removed a large section of the decorative inlay. We aren't sure why. One side of the fireplace was OK, this side was not. This fix was not easy but we got creative. We found a decorative medallion corner piece in the closet under carpet. Needless to say, the closet is now missing a medallion and the living room has a new one. The floor was then patched in the closet with scrap hardwood and refinished. :)

The kitchen had so much glue on the floor that the original floors could not be saved. No worries, we will be matching the hardwood from the house and installing it here. The tools are not included in the sale of this house.














Now, on to the finished product:

The hallway no longer has pressboard tile!

Bedroom floors refinished!

Dining redone!

Kitchen floors redone!

There you have it! Floors from start to finish!

The Great White Tile Debate, Crisis, Melodrama....

I am sure that everyone has caught on to the fact that I am NOT the rehabber. Actually, "the Rehabber" is an amalgamation of several people. Rehabbing itself is actually a catch all phrase for tons of different tasks and job positions. People that choose to be on a rehabbing team tend to wear tons of different hats. The complexities are insane, because what you end up with is a cast of characters who are constantly redefining their roles to fill in the gaps. The Investor is a Lender, Book Keeper, Task Master, List Maker and often a Personal Shopper. The Contractor is a Mr. Fix-It, Voice of Reason, The Check and Balance to the Designer, Demolition Man and Manager of Men. The Real Estate Agent is a Bird Dog, Historical Consultant, Advertising Guru, Blogger, Housing Stock Analyst and Default Designer. Real Estate and projects are a delicate dance where everyone begs not to have their toes stepped on. So, just try to imagine for me, what happens when these roles overlap, are in direct opposition, or a constant state of flux. It can be quite like dancing with a partner that doesn't know the steps. I know this because I have experienced this realestatic (I just made that up) phenomenon first hand and have caused many a gracious partner to politely excuse themselves during my brief time "dancing" salsa.


This week some seemingly simple decisions were to be finalized with Terracotta. In addition to selecting fixtures, a pedestal sink, what paint goes where and other odds and ends...We had to pick out a bathroom floor. Now, this may not seem like a big deal, right? WRONG. Originally, my big vision as the Designer was to preserve the small white hexagon tile that was on the floor. Dan the Contractor had meticulously removed the linoleum that was covering it to make my dream a reality. This idea also appealed to the Investor and Owner of Stärke, because it saved money while keeping some of the original historic charm of the house. The Plumber however, seemed to have different plans. While putting in new plumbing up to the second floor, he ripped a good deal of the floor, MY floor OUT. In my fury and disappointment I could have assigned the Plumber a myriad of different titles at that point in time, but never saw him after the incident.

What were we going to do? It is a disaster, a true drama that seemed to have no suitable solution. Dan, the Contractor was home sick or I am almost sure he could have soothed the situation with his words of wisdom in his role as, Worksite Sage. So, the Investor stepped in and put on the Designer hat that he took off of my head. Going to work, he began suggesting suitable replacements that would stick within the budget and be readily available. We needed that tile, pronto. Best laid plans...

I was so set on that white hex tile that nothing suited me. I was not in a good mood and retreated to the Circa Office. The Investor had more ideas for replacement tile that was very close to my original vision and kept with the vintage feel. I myself, was hoping I could convince him to replace it with the same tile. Needless to say, I wasn't very receptive to any of his ideas until I had a night to sleep on it. Poor guy, he had always been pretty receptive to my suggestions and I was throwing his on the ground and stomping on them. Waking up this morning I had a fresh pair eyes and clear mind to assess the situation. There were several choices swimming in my head. I didn't like any of them. It is the finishing touches that help sell a property and none of my choices seemed like a "right" fit. Late this afternoon I still had not come closer to a choice. While working on a new listing that is going to ROCK (4044 Shenandoah) I got an email with a picture attached. It was the Investor turned Designer emailing me with a perfect fit! I had wanted an all white bathroom, so I had only been looking at white tile selections. He had decided to break up the white theme with a vintage black/white pattern, an option I hadn't even entertained. I LOVED IT, and it was, "oh so vintage". It was then that I realized I had broken a cardinal rehab rule, "always remain flexible because Murphy's Law is always in full effect". I had also broken a design rule that called for you to, "think outside the box". I had over emphasized the importance of my vision of how things should be.

So, here in my role as Blogger I admit, in writing: Trading your hat for another or becoming the follow after being a lead can make for some of the best final products ever. Pride has little place in business, and with a little determination one can excel at a role completely foreign to them like the Investor did.



One thing I have failed to mention as a BIG BONUS was there is new plumbing and water lines from the basement all the way up to the second floor. Maybe a new bathroom floor isn’t so bad of a price to pay. I mean, I assume that a new owner will appreciate not having to deal with any of that in the foreseeable future.