Sweet Flooring...

Cobbleblock™ & Cobblewood™ Flooring: fabricated from antique beams, sliced cross-grain, sanded & triple oiled. And, they come in Pine as well...Pretty amazing.

I'd Sure Have To Throw A Lot of Stuff Away...

"If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

-William Morris

Going Green: GreenFiber Insulation

If you are contemplating doing some insulating before the winter months hit, GreenFiber Insulation would be a great product to employ. It can be used in attics, floors, and walls of new construction or reinsulation. As with all insulation, it provides great thermal performance, fire-resistance, and sound control. And - the best part - it consists of 85% recycled content.

Recently, I did a "blow-in" insulation in some walls in a home I was rehabbing that had a room where there was no insulation in the walls - It was super cold in the winter, and lost a lot of the cool air being pumped in in the summer. It was super easy - you just drilled some holes in the drywall, stuck the hose in the hole, and "blew" the insulation in. GreenFiber was used, and it worked perfect.

Rumor Has It...

Word on the street is that Ruth's Chris will open a location at the Hyatt in Downtown Saint Louis...

Pi to Multiply?

Word on the street is that fairly new pizza place, Pi, might soon be opening another location in the Central West End. Sauce says that the plans calls for a two-story restaurant with space for private parties, seating for over 100 on the elevated terrace out front, and a menu full of Pi's signature cornmeal-crusted pizzas.

Innovate + Real Estate: Leviton Triplex Outlet

How cool is this? I think I might be spending a Saturday switching out all of our outlets soon....

Awesome Re-Use: Skateboards to Stairs

What an absolutely awesome idea for a set of stairs. Apparently, the Roarockit Skateboard Company runs a school in Leaside, Toronto teaching their method. I think this would be an awesome set of stairs leading to a contemporary finished basement.

White Lie? No - Green Lie

I've written about tankless water heaters before, and while my opinion is that the main benefit is "on-demand" hot water, the other benefit that is touted is always the Green concept that it is reducing energy consumption, thus lowering your bill.
However, the Los Angeles Times had an article that claimed energy bills aren't always reduced. You can read about it here.

Credit Unions: Good Source for Mortgages?

I generally refer my clients to a lender I have worked with since being in the business. I love working with them, know that things are going to happen in a timely manner, and that I will have control over the entire closing and period leading up to closing. The worst thing that can happen is to get a call the day before closing from a lender that says, "we can't fund this loan."

However, there was a great article in the New York Times about Credit Unions having some pretty solid deals on mortgages. Read the article here.

Posts to Resume...

My apologies this blog has been lacking lately. It is still your source for all things Real Estate in Saint Louis and beyond. Regular posts will resume!

If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to email me or call me!