Connecticut rehab - Week 15

We’re now entering the home stretch of the project. And it couldn’t come any sooner. We’re looking good on our overall budget and profit margins, but things have taken longer than we hoped. We won’t be done in a week’s time, but the only thing left will be minor finishing projects. At least I finished floating out the original plaster walls. Read more

Connecticut rehab - Week 13

We have finally gone to the next phase of the process on the Connecticut rehab. The tile has been laid, the hardwoods have been refinished, the drywall is completely done, the front porch is coming around, both the front and rear doors have been replaced and all the utilities are done. Its finally starting to feel like a house. Read more

Morganford continues to improve

Established businesses continue to expand, and new ones are just around the corner. That pretty much sums up the current Morganford experieince. With the exception of Manchester Avenue in Forest Park Southeast (The Grove), I can’t think of any other St. Louis commercial district that has seen a more significant turnaround that Morganford. I’ve touched on this strip in the Tower Grove South neighborhood in previous posts, but the news just seems to keep coming. Read more

Connecticut rehab - Week 7

It’s been over a month since I last posted about my rehab project. Not because things haven’t been progressing, but because I haven’t had time to post. Between work and this project, I’ve had my hands full. Despite the fact that I have done most of this work before, I’ve already learned a lot of lessons along the way. Unfortuneatly, I have been a little lax in sharing them. Looks like I have about five weeks of work to go over. Read more

Connecticut rehab - Week 2

Another week goes by and it’s been more of the same: ripping stuff out. Both inside and outside, nothing but demo and breaking stuff. Thankfully, by this upcoming weekend we should finally be to the point where we have actually started to add to the building rather than just tear it apart. Demo is fun for about 10 minutes, then you realize that its bad on the back and a disaster for your lungs. It will be nice to be past that stage. Its been going well so far and I still think we are still on track for a late June completion. Read more

Ice cream on South Grand

The former location of the florist shop Kabloom, at the intersection of Grand and Arsenal at 3101 South Grand, is about to take on a new tenant: Emack & Bolio’s. What in the world is Emack & Bolio’s you ask? Apparently, it is a Boston-based ice cream chain. Most of their locations appear to be in Massachusetts, but they have a few others scattered throughout the country including one in Springfield, Missouri. No word on when it’s set to open. Read more

More businesses on Morganford

Morganford Avenue, in the St. Louis neighborhood of Tower Grove South, has seen a lot of new business activity in recent years. The Tin Can, Stella Blues, Three Monkees, Grove Furnishings, and the Vintage Haberdashery come to mind. But as strong as the current business roster might be, things are about to get more interesting. Read more

Connecticut rehab underway

I’ve been a little irregular on posting this week because we finally closed on our rehab project on Connecticut Wednesday. It’s been nothing but work since and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is a part-time project for me and I don’t plan on keeping up this feverish pace for the entire project, but there are so many things to do. As with any project, my inital goals have been security and demo work. Although I’m not 100% satisfied with either, I’m getting close. Read more

Countdown to closing

Only four more days until we close on the single-family on Connecticut. I have arranged for the utilities to be switched over or turned on; the roof work, window replacement and hardwood refinishing have been setup; and I find myself growing impatient. I always look forward to closing deals (who doesn’t look forward to a paycheck), but this time things are different. My work is usually done when the deal is closed. In this case, at close, my work will only just be starting. Read more

Before pictures of Connecticut

Things are progressing nicely with my upcoming project. A few roof issues came up early in the week, but the seller took care of things to our satisfaction. The title work is complete, we have loan commitment and our line of credit for construction funds is in place. Other than meeting a few contractors at the property, its pretty much a “sit back and wait” kind of deal until the 23rd. Read more

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