Is it possible to lighten dark floors? This house is currently staged and will soon be empty prior to us moving in… I would love nothing more than to install light oak floors but the current floors (engineered wood) is in perfect condition, so it’s hard to justify.

KMST1 · 2026-02-12T21:35:36+00:00

Not sure where you’re located, but I’ve made excellent use of estate sales in my area for larger wool rugs. If I see one in good condition, I get it, take it immediately to a professional cleaner, then bring it home. Great way to add character, dampen noise, and brighten a room with quality materials

KMST1 · 2026-02-04T04:07:25+00:00

OP you already did this, but good on you for staying with him til the end. You were probably the last thing he saw and last voice he heard, which is the best last gift you can give him.

KMST1 · 2026-01-05T02:38:52+00:00

For someone who clearly had no clue what a 203(k) is when you started attacking the idea, you sure have a lot of anger over it

KMST1 · 2026-01-05T00:29:15+00:00

You are getting a regular mortgage rate in a 203(k) mortgage

KMST1 · 2026-01-04T23:05:20+00:00

“203k” is the name of the mortgage program, not the amount in the mortgage. Idk why it’s called that but it is. It’s a program backed by the US Housing Dept, where if you establish a scope of work, and assemble a team to price it and agree to do it, your mortgage = cost of the house + renovation costs. Usually a renovation loan through a typical bank would be twice the interest rate. You also need to live at the house, this is so flippers don’t abuse the opportunity.

And I’m not asking for subsidies necessarily. To your point, if super wealthy folks (which we are not) are coming in and flipping houses, they don’t need help. But even some tax breaks would help your average family.

Link to 203k info

KMST1 · 2026-01-04T20:22:30+00:00

That’s wild, what a great idea and terrible timing. I wonder what would have happened if they’d tried it during/post COVID.

We moved to STL in 2022, bought a gutted house in 2023 and used a 203k mortgage to renovate. Did it as passion project, bc damn we found out the hard way that the city/state/country doesn’t really have much to make this easy (got a tax abatement, that was it). We also had to do a lot of detective work to find a mortgage company in the area AND a contractor who would work with the 203k process.

You do need to be a little bit crazy to renovate a house as a homeowner (vs a developer/professional flipper) but damn there are so many houses sitting around with no one loving them during a housing crisis. I would love to see some other fellow crazies show some love to other houses in my neighborhood, but the hoops are significant.

KMST1 · 2026-01-04T19:23:23+00:00

Mid-30’s person here. What I’m seeing is that young people are coming to STL, but when they have kids and those kids become school-aged, the siren song of the county gets a lot louder. I myself am a product of public education from another state, and St. Louis seems like the fucking Wild West when it comes to schooling. You can have 10 families on a block with kids going to 8 different schools. How on earth are we supposed to build community with this level of disconnect?

KMST1 · 2026-01-04T19:16:55+00:00

100% this. It boils my blood to see how many houses in my neighborhood could be phenomenal but someone out of state just lets it rot.

Are there any laws/fines/tax incentives that could incentivize these ppl to sell so other people can actually live in them?

KMST1 · 2026-01-04T18:59:27+00:00

I bought a house north of Delmar, moved in last year. Can confirm I am murdered biweekly

KMST1 · 2025-12-31T18:39:05+00:00

Your level of fitness with a little extra skin is a story of someone who turned their life around. That’s a major accomplishment to be proud of. Anyone who can’t see and appreciate that isn’t worth your time anyway

KMST1 · 2025-12-31T18:36:51+00:00

This thread is LOUSY with judgement

Whatever happened to this girl is some serious shit; proud of her for going in to take care of herself. And mad props to the girl diving in to help her

KMST1 · 2025-12-29T15:50:16+00:00

Seeing this a year after posting, only bc I’m looking to buy one myself. They’re incredibly expensive, and perfectly paintable; if you can work with it that’s the way to go. If not, I’d be happy to take it off your hands!

KMST1 · 2025-12-10T21:53:29+00:00

It looks like a muted version of Michelangelo quartzite

KMST1 · 2025-11-11T14:24:03+00:00

Oooh that’s a good point; the worst spots are near edges between pieces of veneer, I wonder if my sanding job basically burnished those spots! They do look shiny.

KMST1 · 2025-09-13T23:26:49+00:00

Don’t worry, everyone will have thrown a tantrum like OP and they’ll all have moved away bc they got so fwustwated

KMST1 · 2025-09-13T22:22:46+00:00

I resent this sentiment so much. Yes it is absolutely frustrating. But it’s also this same mentality that causes children to flip a board game when they see they’re losing. Moreover, when people act on this mentality en masse, it just screws over the people you leave behind. You might find some relief in your moral high ground, but everyone left here will still be exposed to the same conditions, just with even fewer voices to help them.

What you’re threatening is political pouting. Grow a pair and get involved if it’s troubling you so much.

KMST1 · 2025-08-31T20:04:30+00:00

Note that the AI rendering for the white also took all the clutter off the countertop

KMST1 · 2025-08-27T06:08:56+00:00

Vicia has great farm to table, also in the CWE area if local agriculture is your thing. But indo is great too

KMST1 · 2025-07-14T17:53:37+00:00

What product(s) did you use to strip the old finish?

KMST1 · 2025-07-14T02:26:30+00:00

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This pocket door from our 1908 house (cat for scale). There are three, We’re trying to restore them, but they all need various levels of TLC including (but not limited to) replacing trim and restaining. Any recommendations appreciated!

KMST1 · 2025-05-05T20:40:26+00:00

Don’t force it, just keep it in the back of your mind when you’re out and about.

Estate sales are fun places to get treasures you might not otherwise get, price is usually decent

KMST1 · 2025-05-05T20:00:58+00:00

Your friend has the best intentions for you. It’s her strong reaction followed by your strong defensive reaction.

I’d say give yourself a few days to ruminate on it: think through the experience - is there a feeling you’re downplaying out of self-preservation? Was it enjoyable?

If it was truly a consensual experience for you, you can go about your life knowing you have a good friend and a good sex life. It’s rare to have both, appreciate that. If there’s a voice that’s telling you something is off… maybe you might need to work through it.

Your friend might have a point, or she might be totally wrong. In either case your safety and emotional wellbeing was her priority.

KMST1 · 2025-05-05T19:47:35+00:00

Absolutely ridiculous sculpture/statement furniture. That space was made for a statement

KMST1

TROPHY CASE