It’s the time of year when parties and celebrations are happening all over the United States because July 4^th is upon us. Can your deck stand up to the weight, vibrations and movements of your guests? Has it deteriorated over the years from being exposed to the weather? Was it built with the correct engineering and in compliance with the code?

We strongly recommend you look into the condition of your deck. Not only the integrity of the wood, but its attachment to your house, the flashing, the size of the structural parts and the anchors. Many decks were built without checking into the proper engineering for the load and materials used. Building codes have been updated in some municipalities to consider the risks, but who built your deck and did they go through the correct process to obtain a building permit?

Did you know nearly 85% of homes in the United States have a deck, and it is estimated by the North American Deck and Railing Association (NADRA) that 20 million of these decks are in need of repair or rebuilding?

In the past 10 years, there have been more than 800 reported injuries and 20 deaths as a result of deck collapses, and this number increases at an average rate of 21% per year. In many cases, the failing decks were built incorrectly, not properly maintained or were beyond their lifespan of approximately 10-15 years.

St. Louis is one of the top ten cities in the nation that have reported one or more deck collapses in the last 10 years.  Our region’s latest deck collapse happened on June 11, 2009 in Wildwood, MO, and recently Scott Mosby was asked to contribute his views on proper deck maintenance to a West County Suburban Journal article on deck safety. Read the article here.

Previously, we identified the Top 10 Mistakes of Deck Building, and to that we add the 7 warning signs that a deck is unsafe:

1. Loose connections - are your railings, deck boards, or structure loose at the connections?

2. Missing connections - are all the fasteners still working and in place? Do you have the proper joist hangers? Are they the right size?

3. Corrosion - do you see any metal parts that show rust?

4. Rot - are any wood or metal parts showing decay?

5. Cracks - can you detect any horizontal or vertical pieces of wood breaking apart?

6. Fastener size & number - has your deck been attached to your house correctly?

7. Posts - are your posts right on the ground or do they have the proper footings, piers, and anchors?

According to a Morse Technologies, Inc. report, 90% of deck failures are due to how the deck is connected to the house. We recommend that you review your deck today to see if it is attached similar to the diagram shown above.

Caution for the upcoming weekend is the proactive decision because virtually all reported deck collapses occur while the deck is occupied, and most collapses take place between June and August. As we are in the heart of summer entertaining season, we strongly urge you to have your deck inspected now so you can avoid serious injury to people and damage to your home.

Mosby Building Arts has recently been called out to several homes for our paid consultation visit to evaluate deck conditions after deck owners heard of the collapse in the St. Louis area. We not only evaluate your deck, but also find other contributing factors that may be overlooked by a less experienced carpenter.

Shown above is a photo of a deck we inspected last week whose vertical supports had uniformly shifted off-center of their concrete footings. With further investigation through our consultation visit, we found the flashing was missing and there was water damage on the inside of the house. The bolts used to hold the deck on the house were insufficient and the safety of this deck has been compromised.

We also visited another deck that the owner thought he was taking care of his concerns by replacing some rotted deck boards. The carpenter replaced the boards but neglected to see the water damage, the insufficient connection to the house and the lack of stability in the structure for proper support. The entire deck was built incorrectly and needs to be replaced.

Know that we think differently and want you to have peace of mind during your celebrations. Let our deep bench of professionals discuss your concerns. Call for a deck evaluation at 314.909.1800 or contact us here.

L-R: Mosby Building Arts' Scott Mosby and Rich Layton with HGTV's Carter Oosterhouse worked together on the veteran's home job site.

Mosby Building Arts, Rebuilding Together St. Louis, and HGTV Change the World joined together to repair and remodel Hence Forland’s home. The retired 27-year veteran is dedicated to helping homeless veterans get back on their feet by giving them a temporary place to live and support their efforts in finding work. His home required extensive repairs and remodeling and the community came together to make his dream come true. His specific and meaningful goal was to create a home atmosphere of motivation and inspiration to those who deserve a better life after serving their country.

Our volunteer staff from Mosby Building Arts worked alongside nearly a hundred volunteers focused on making needed improvements to the 109-year old house. During the filming weekend of June 18 - 22, 2009 we shared in every task imaginable. Tune in to the HGTV broadcast on Veteran’s Day to see the added design features that will elevate and inspire the men Hence Forland is mentoring.

Rebuilding Together, a national organization, excels at rehabilitating the houses of low-income homeowners. It was a magical fit with HGTV as they were able to provide a large bank of committed volunteers to this project. The HGTV production crew was genuinely overwhelmed and impressed with the large numbers of people who worked tirelessly for 4 days in the higher than normal temperatures. There were times the heat index raised to over 105!

Members of the HGTV crew who made this such a successful and memorable project (L-R): Loren Ruch, Haven Wertz, Sandi Ionelli, Monica Pedersen and Rich Belz.

The HGTV crew was also delighted by enthusiastic citizens of St. Louis and their consistent contributions of services, food, materials and money to the project.

Scott Mosby hosted his show as a live KMOX broadcast from the job site. He interviewed multiple members of HGTV and Rebuilding Together St. Louis, as well as the stars, Monica Pederson and Carter Oosterhouse. You can listen to the interviews here. For 3 hours, the story of dedication and generosity unfolded. Some listeners were inspired by the work and contributions to drive to the site and donate to the cause. A sense of genuine compassion and action helped all of us create the reality of Hence Forland’s vision.

Although the HGTV event is complete, there are many veterans in the St. Louis area that would appreciate any help, from a job to a smile. If you are interested, contact the Veterans Affairs for ways you can help a veteran.

Please mark your calendar and tune in to see the results of this project when the episode of The Veteran’s Day special episode of Change the World. Start at Home airs on November 11, 2009 at 8 p.m. on HGTV. Stay connected through our newsletter to get more details as we draw closer to the broadcast date. We hope to share more stories and the ripple effects of the gifts of time and action.

Closer to the airing of the episode, we will share our own stories of the people who touched our hearts and made miracles happen. For now, we share with you:

HGTV St. Louis Event Photos

Focus on Vision of Helping Veterans

Rebuilding Hope. Restoring Dreams

You’re content with the size and existing layout of your kitchen, but you’re not happy with how out-dated and worn this hub of your home looks and feels. You may not need a complete kitchen remodel to give it a modern and inviting appearance. With just a few cosmetic enhancements to your kitchen, a transformation can be made without the duration and expense associated with a complete kitchen remodel.

We provide many ideas and suggestions to spruce up the look of a kitchen rather than a full remodel. These are the a few improvements we recommend that will substantially update and rejuvenate your kitchen:

1. Revitalize Cabinets

New doors on existing cabinets achieve an instant update. Re-staining, painting, or adding trim to flat panel doors are other options to revive the appearance of timeworn cabinets. New hardware will immediately enhance and distinctively update the look.

Reader Question: Can Formica cabinets be painted?

2. Replace Countertops

After cabinets, countertops are the most prominent focal point of the kitchen. Significant advances have been made in countertop materials. Choices are vast, including engineered and recycled alternatives to traditional granite, tile, and laminate.

Reader Question: Can we paint our white countertop to freshen it up?

3. Install New Faucets

New sink hardware instantly enriches the most functional and essential element of your kitchen. Faucet component style, operation, and task options are limitless.

4. Add Trim & Molding

One of the most effective methods of enhancing the quality of a kitchen is with the addition of trim and molding. Adorning the ceiling with crown molding, wainscoting crested with a chair rail, or the augmentation of existing trim around doors and windows are some of the artful options that add style, elegance and polish to a kitchen.

Reader Question: How do you install base trim over a stucco wall?

5. Refresh the Paint

The most fundamental and cost-effective facelift you can give your kitchen is a new paint color. Paint is the foremost procedure to freshen a kitchen’s appearance. Palette, style and personality options are limitless. Professional design and expertise culminated with skilled prep work and precision application will enhance and rejuvenate a kitchen.

6. Flooring

The floor is usually the largest surface in your kitchen, so changing this surface will make a big impact. Options include refinishing an existing wood floor and applying a new stain color, laying down new ceramic or stone tiles, or simply updating vinyl or laminate flooring by choosing from thousands of new designs available.

7. Lighting

Lighting is an important element of your kitchen that deserves special attention. Consider task lighting for your work areas, overhead light for illuminating the room and ambient lighting to create mood and atmosphere. Lighting also gives you the chance to express your style (some fixtures look like works of art) or harmonize the design elements of your kitchen.

We enjoy working with homeowners on transforming the look of their kitchen, because it’s a fun adventure with relatively quick results. Mosby designers shop with you and help coordinate your new palette of colors, textures and surfaces. Installation tends to be smooth because Mosby carpenters are replacing pieces rather than building new from scratch.

Here is an example of a kitchen update we did within the existing floor plan.

For ideas and help with your kitchen facelift, call Mosby Building Arts at 314.909.1800 or contact us here.

HGTV interior designer Monica Pedersen, homeowner Hence Forland, Jr., and Scott Mosby at the June 19th kick-off event.

Friday morning, June 19th at 8 a.m. was the kick-off event for the HGTV and Rebuilding Together St. Louis project to repair and remodel the Windsor Transitional House, a home dedicated to homeless veterans.

Featured speakers at the event included our own Scott Mosby, Missouri senator Claire McCaskill, and St. Louis City Board of Aldermen president Lewis Reed. At the conclusion of this event, nearly a hundred volunteers got straight to work, and it is a beehive of activity.

To see photos from all days of this event, click here.

For behind-the-scenes photos and reports during the project, follow Scott Mosby on Twitter.

RELATED

HGTV Is Coming To St. Louis

Rebuilding Hope. Restoring Dreams

Focus on Vision of Helping Veterans

At the Windsor Transitional Home, brick tuckpointing is now finished.

Mosby Building Arts is dedicated to more than enhancing homes. We enhance the way people live. Although each of our client’s home projects receives the highest priority of our attention, there has probably never been a house assignment more important than the Windsor Transitional Home which will serve the needs of honorable St. Louis veterans. Mosby professionals have been hard at work in preparation for the HGTV crew on June 19th to begin filming. The project is scheduled to be complete on June 21, 2009.

Click here for “before” photos” of the Windsor Transitional home so you can how far we’ve come already.

In the backyard, the fence has been removed and the old sidewalk and porch have been removed. Big plans for the backyard!

We take pride in the fact that our service approach is unique to our industry, and our “do-whatever-it-takes” attitude has helped us to quickly and accurately measure and photograph the Windsor Transitional Home to create floor plans that will assist Rebuilding Together St. Louis, as well as HGTV representatives and the volunteer trade partners participating in this important refurbishing and renovation project.

The painting of walls and trim in the first floor living room is done. Morning sunlight through the stained glass is a beautiful sight.

For over 60 years, people in the St. Louis area have turned to Mosby Building Arts for home enhancement answers. Now our own Scott Mosby has utilized his experience supervising remodeling jobs to create an organizational system on the veteran’s home job site that will enhance the productivity and efficiency of hundreds of volunteers.

The kitchen is now ready for paint, flooring, appliances and cabinetry. This room will magically transform over the weekend!

Scott defined the structure and responsibility so each room had a captain. Captains are responsible for monitoring progress in their rooms, from scheduling to construction to punch list. This organizational structure helps to create a sense of order and helps to divide this large project into manageable segments, while each Captain provides helpful guidance and direction to the volunteers within their room.

A Rebuilding Together volunteer installing wood paneling to one of the ground floor rooms.

All of the first- and second-floor interior walls have been patched and prepared for painting. Some rooms that have been without ceilings now have drywall installed, along with new connections for light fixtures.

A volunteer doing last minute prep work as the new flooring was being unloaded from the truck. The new floors will be protected while HGTV filming goes on this weekend.

As we took these photos of the progress at the home, volunteers were finishing up last-minute prep work as new flooring was unloaded from a delivery truck.

The second floor is patched and prepped for painting. Here you can see some of the new thermal windows already installed in every room of the veteran's home.

New thermal windows were donated for the project, and all of them are now installed. This will contribute greatly to the energy efficiency of this 109-year old home.

The second floor had been without a ceiling for some time, so it is gratifying to have this completed. Loving the original fireplace surround.

Even before the final construction push begins on Friday morning, the house is a beehive of activity, with a wide variety of tradespeople working concurrently.

Spirits are high on the job site and there is a very positive energy. Everyone we spoke with is intensely focused on doing their best work as a way of giving back to a man who has dedicated his home and life to helping homeless veterans.

Hence Forland, Jr., the man who has dedicated his home and life to helping homeless veterans. That smile is always on his face, and his spirit is infectious.

And the happiest man on the job site? That would be Hence Forland, Jr. He has been working side by side with us to realize his vision of helping those who have served our country. The feelings of joy and gratitude that radiate from him are both infectious and inspirational.

The Windsor Transitional Home has already come a long way in a short period of time. This weekend, hundreds of volunteers and the HGTV crew will work together with Mosby professionals to help Hence Forland realize his vision of helping worthy veterans to discover “the art of living” well.

Listen to The KMOX Home Improvement Show with Scott Mosby on Saturday, June 21^st, from 11 am - 2 pm. Scott will be broadcasting live from the job site and will interview the people who are helping to make the dream of the Windsor Transitional Home a reality.

And for regular updates and photos of the progress at the veteran’s home, follow Scott Mosby on Twitter.

RELATED

HGTV Is Coming To St. Louis

Rebuilding Hope. Restoring Dreams

HGTV St. Louis Event Photos

The Windsor Transitional Home being prepped for tuckpointing.

Mosby Building Arts has always been dedicated to the art of home enhancement and the positive effects it has on people’s lives. So when we had the unique opportunity to partner with Rebuilding Together St. Louis and HGTV to help repair and transform the Windsor Transitional Home to make it a first-class facility for some of our war veterans, we were honored to volunteer our time, plus our design and constructive expertise to this worthy endeavor.

You may have read in our earlier blog post that HGTV will be in town on Friday, June 19^th to begin the project. Let’s take a closer look at the work that we have completed thus far with Rebuilding Together St. Louis and HGTV in preparation for the renovation of the Windsor Transitional Home owned by retired First Sergeant Hence Forland, Jr.

Rear of the home at 3837 Windsor Place, before the rebuild begins.

When Forland purchased the 109-year-old house at 3837 Windsor Place nearly two decades ago, little did he know the positive impact it would create. Inspired by the homeless veterans he met through the nearby John Cochran VA Medical Center, Forland was determined to provide a safe haven for these honorable servicemen. In 2007, he opened his doors to veterans and officially created the Windsor Transitional Home.

The back stoop is in bad shape. Mosby Building Arts has designed a new porch and patio for this area.

Forland invested his time, energy and money into the home to make the house safe and inhabitable, but it is an ongoing struggle. In early 2009, Rebuilding Together St. Louis entered Forland’s home into HGTV’s “Change the World. Start at Home” competition, and with the support of an overwhelming number of St. Louisans voting online, this veteran’s home was selected to receive $40,000 for repairs and updates.

The proposed design for the Windsor Transitional Home's new back porch, designed by Mosby Building Arts.

In April, Mosby Building Arts was proud to partner with Rebuilding Together and HGTV to inspect and evaluate the challenges facing the home, and to develop floorplan drawings. We are excited to have been asked to design a new back porch and patio for the facility and look forward to working with HGTV and Carter Oosterhouse on completing this project during filming on July 19^th through the 21^st.

Through his dedication, Forland installed a new roof and upgraded furnace to provide a warm and cozy atmosphere for the deserving veterans, but virtually everything else in the home needs to be repaired, updated and remodeled.

The front hallway and the stairs leading to the 2nd floor.

In preparation for the filming of the HGTV show beginning on June 19^th, volunteer crews have already initiated work on the house. As a starting point, lead paint in the home has been completely encapsulated.

Electricity for the home has recently been re-wired. Patching, prepping and painting the walls takes place the weekend of June 12th.

Plumbers and Pipefitters Local #562 has donated its time and supplies to update all of the plumbing, and IBEW Local #1 has completely rewired the electricity in the home, bringing light to rooms that have been dark since 1983.

The veteran's home kitchen before the remodel begins.

Area businesses have generously donated appliances to help update the kitchen, and these items will be installed during HGTV filming.

A 2nd floor bedroom before HGTV and the Rebuilding Together volunteers transform it on the weekend of June 19, 2009.

To ensure efficient climate control - and a beautiful view - new thermal windows for the entire house have been donated, and soon Bike & Build will help to replace the subfloors.

To help maintain a strong foundation, tuckpointing is being completed on the home’s brick exterior.

The basement will get new support columns.

During the weekend of June 12^th, volunteer crews will patch walls, install trim, and prepare all surfaces for painting.

A Mosby Building Arts planner with owner Hence Forland, Jr. (right) discussing some needed repairs.

Hence Forland, Jr. understands the basic human need for shelter, and has created safety and order for the veterans in his home. With this wonderful gift of repair and remodeling comes the opportunity to demonstrate how a sound, healthy and attractive home elevates the spirits and lifestyle of the people who live in it. This is the core belief of Scott Mosby and Mosby Building Arts, and we are honored to be a part of this effort.

Here’s your chance to contribute! Rebuilding Together is seeking skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled volunteers to assist with this project on June 12^th, 13^th, 19^th, 20^th and 21^st, 2009. As a volunteer, you must be able to work a full-day or half-day shift and you can indicate your availability. We encourage you to help make a positive difference now in your own city by contacting Rebuilding Together’s Jessie Connor at 314.918.9918, ext. 24, or by email at jconner@rebuildingtogether-stl.org.

Scott Mosby of Mosby Building Arts (left) and Lynn Rajani of Rebuilding Together St. Louis (center) going over design and construction plans on the front steps of the Windsor Transitional Home.

Please join Scott Mosby, Rebuilding Together and HGTV on June 19^th at 8:00 a.m. for the official project Kick-Off at 3837 Windsor Place in St. Louis City, 63113. Also, be sure to tune into KMOX 1120 AM on Saturday, June 20th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for a live broadcast of The KMOX Home Improvement Show with Scott Mosby from the project site. Finally, you can read regular reports of events and progress on the home by following Scott Mosby on Twitter. Scott will “tweet” (provide online updates) regarding all phases of the project from its beginning through the finished project reveal on June 22^nd, plus provide details of when this project will be televised on HGTV. Follow Scott on Twitter now.

RELATED

HGTV Is Coming To St. Louis

Focus on Vision of Helping Veterans

HGTV St. Louis Event Photos

People of St. Louis: You voted in record numbers and, thanks to you, you’re helping to “Change the World” by starting in your own city! St. Louis, through its representation by Rebuilding Together St. Louis was recently announced as a winning city in HGTV’s Change the World. Start at Home program. This nationwide effort, which awards $40,000 toward renovation expenses, encourages Americans to become engaged in community projects, and the 2009 campaign highlights historic veterans’ group homes.

On Friday, June 19^th HGTV is coming to town and with the assistance of Rebuilding Together volunteers will help to transform the Windsor Transitional House into the facility owner Hence J. Forland, Jr. - a retired Army First Sergeant - can use to make a positive change in the lives of fellow servicemen. You can learn more about the cause here. Mosby Building Arts is very proud to participate in this worthy effort by lending our time and home enhancement expertise and encouraging fellow St. Louis citizens to become involved, as well.

Schedule of Events

Project Kick-Off, Friday, June 19^th at 8:00 a.m.

You’re invited to join KMOX Home Improvement Show expert Scott Mosby, HGTV’s Carter Oosterhouse and Monica Pedersen, Will Witherspoon of the St. Louis Rams and others for a spirited kick-off as HGTV begins filming the demolition and transformation of the Windsor Transitional Home at 3837 Windsor Place in St. Louis City.

After this event, the project site will be closed to the public until “the reveal” on Monday, June 22^nd, so this is your chance to join in and encourage and thank the volunteers who are giving of their time to make a positive change in the St. Louis community.

KMOX Live Broadcast, June 20^th, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Our own Scott Mosby and “The Voice of St. Louis” will broadcast live from the project site, so be sure to tune in for the latest backstage information, interviews, and progress reports, along with call-in questions from area listeners.

Follow the Project on Twitter

Twitter is one of the newest and most respected forms of social media that is used to provide quick updates (140 characters or less) of important happenings in the world around us. Beginning the week of June 15^th until the end of the project, Scott Mosby, spokesperson for Rebuilding Together St. Louis, will “tweet” (provide online updates) about the latest details of the project. While the actual work site will be closed, Scott will give you unique online access to all the latest happenings and progress of this very special event. Follow Scott on Twitter.

Please Help Us by Volunteering!

Rebuilding Together is seeking skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled volunteers to assist with this project on June 12^th, 13^th, 19^th, 20^th and 21^st, 2009. As a volunteer, you must be able to work a full-day or half-day shift and you can indicate your availability. We encourage you to help make a positive difference now in your own city by contacting Jessie Connor at 314.918.9918, ext. 24, or by email at jconner@rebuildingtogether-stl.org.

RELATED

Rebuilding Hope. Restoring Dreams

Focus on Vision of Helping Veterans

HGTV St. Louis Event Photos

This is a unique time for house hunting, because prices on existing homes are enticing.  So, you’ve been tempted to take advantage of the Buyer’s Market and you’ve found a nice place, and the price is right.  But is the house right for you?

When it comes to buying a house, help with making the right decision for you is available so that you can plan your future with confidence.

So Many Questions

There are so many questions to determine if a house is right for you.  Some answers seem obvious: do I like the price and location?  The asking price may fit your budget, but to make the house truly suit you, will there be future repair and remodeling costs to factor in?  Location considerations include amenities and convenience for your lifestyle, but how will the future alter these factors?  Will this home grow and change with you and your lifestyle?  Who can you ask, where can you turn?

Is the house in good condition or are there little money pits around the corner?  Are those cracks important? Can that family room be added to the rear to take advantage of that great view?  What about that dream patio for your entertaining?  We tend to believe that a home inspection will answer this question, but it’s important to understand the function and nature of a home inspection.

Home Inspections for houses are not required by state law.  The St. Louis Association of Realtors’ “Residential Sales Contract” simply states that a seller must allow a buyer to conduct a home inspection.  So, a home inspection typically concentrates on the issues that might affect financing and repairs, but will not look forward into the future to anticipate remodeling, enhancements and potential room additions.  For example, will the existing kitchen location lend itself to your future hearth room addition?  Why not find out now?

Avoid Surprises

A client of ours recently bought her dream home, and because it passed inspection, was happily concentrating on her dream of finishing the very spacious attic.  Soon, the roof displayed problems, and Mosby Building Arts, Ltd. was brought in to investigate.  Hidden structural problems with the roof were discovered that were not apparent to the untrained eye and had not been disclosed by the seller.  The Mosby Consultant further reported that the attic floor was not strong enough to structurally support the floor so the attic finish project was in jeopardy.

The homeowner was shocked to learn of this preexisting condition and the cost to repair it.  If she had known about this in advance she would not have purchased this home, and while the house met her current criteria, it was not well structured for the attic finish in her dreams.

So whether detecting the existing conditions or anticipating the future growth of the house, the Mosby Consulting experience is your peek into the future.  Our focus is more on the future of the house and less in the past. We look at the existing personality of the home, the style, layout and terrain.  Our interest is what the house can become and how it will serve your lifestyle.

The Emotional Aspect of Buying a Home

Mosby Building Arts offers a home evaluation service, where we will survey a home you are considering buying and give you honest answers that can help with your final decision and selection.

This service includes our trained eyes on the structure and condition of the house, pointing out both immediate and future issues, opportunities and a general cost estimate.  But there is another important consideration: will this house work with my lifestyle?

Each home that is purchased may bring with it the promise of being your Forever Home - the perfect place to spend the rest of our days. This is the emotional aspect of home buying that builds on those higher hopes that can sometimes cloud the reality.

A St. Charles couple, for whom we had previously done a remodeling project, asked us to take a look at a lakefront home they were considering purchasing.  Located 50 miles west of their current home, it was a beautiful home with spectacular views that spoke to their desire for rural nature and privacy.  They pictured their adult children and grandchildren coming out for weekends by the lake, and imagined how tranquil the place would be in their approaching retirement years.

The house itself was in good condition, and there was no denying the allure of the surroundings, but having worked with them, we knew their personalities and lifestyle, and were able to have a deep conversation about how the house would perform for them in the long term.

We helped them define what is most important to them.  The couple wants their family and friends around them as often as possible, enjoying their home as much as they do.  They are active in many social groups and love to partake in events and shopping.  This is the lifestyle that brings them the most satisfaction.

Now, how would those key elements of who they are work in the house they want to buy?  Living in a more remote location could make it difficult for friends and families to visit as often as they already do, turning their new place into an occasional event rather than a regular destination.  It would also require the couple to do a lot more driving just to get back to the amenities and people that are a normal part of their routine.  Is it possible that this house would alter their lifestyle in unanticipated ways, and will that affect their ultimate satisfaction with it?

Turns out the emotional lure of the lakefront house was disguising the realities of how they like to live. Lifestyle considerations were far more important to them than the price or quality of the house.  They let that house go and went back to the home buying drawing board.

Finding the Perfect Home

Several months later, our client asked us to meet them at another house they were considering for purchase. This was an older home in a historic South St. Louis City neighborhood, which was - in every way - the exact opposite of the lakefront home previously being considered.

The house itself was recently renovated while retaining its historical charm, and has wonderful floor plan flow for entertaining. It has a large backyard with lots of mature landscaping with a small pond, so they were getting the nature and the water they longed for, but at a more manageable scale.

With their family and friends scattered all over the St. Louis metropolitan area, this home (near a major interstate) was in a central location, making it easier for everyone to come to them.  And, of course, the city provides this adventurous couple with plenty of things to do and see, along with easy access to the entire region.

After much reflection on our previous conversations, they realized they were urban people with lakefront dreams. They were more suited to living in a private escape within a vibrant and busy city, and could treat themselves to weekends at a rental lake house.

With the important emotional aspect covered, we evaluated everything else and they signed off on the purchase price, soundness and investment potential of the house.  After several accessible and energy improvements to the home by the Mosby team, they happily moved into their dream home to live happily ever after.

Helping You Get The House of Your Dreams

The Mosby Building Arts Home Evaluation is a unique service that considers all the crucial aspects of buying another house - from the physical to the financial to the emotional.

We have over 60 years of experience with the repair, maintenance and remodeling of Greater St. Louis homes, so our trained eyes will give you the knowledge you need to assess the immediate and future costs of turning another house into your home.

Another benefit of our Home Evaluation is that we explore with you the emotional component of how well this house will work for you now and for the rest of your days.  We discuss the energy performance of the house, maintenance budgets and repair needs.  Even if every physical thing about the house is perfect, is it the house that fits you, your dreams, physical needs, and will it really compliment and enhance the way you want to live?

We advise you in a way that fully enhances the role of your Realtor.  Our voice advocates your marriage of the house, architecture, your physically accessibility, healthy living, energy sustainability and maintenance costs.  We assist you in your selecting the house of your dreams.  To evaluate a house you’re interested in buying, call us at 314.909.1800 or contact us here.