3514 Shenandoah Ave
The first home making the list is a special one - it used to be mine. For that reason alone, you can absolutely ignore my opinion on this house, but I do think it’s worth taking a look at for a great reference on where to modernize historic homes, and where to let them stay old.
Wood this good should ONLY be stained.
To all the flippers out there - for the love of Saint Louis himself, please STOP painting original woodwork. Taking the time to stain it will immediately increase sale value. I promise.
You’re allowed to replace unoriginal light fixtures.
Replacing outdated light fixtures is one of the simplest and least expensive ways to give a room a facelift and make an impact. The rule is simple with historic homes: if it’s not original, it can be replaced. If something IS original, you better put in all the effort in the world keeping it with the home and restoring it to it’s original beauty. I don’t make the rules, I just enforce them. And by enforce I mean ruthlessly shame people in my head.
For example, the dining room fixture that came with the house certainly seeeeemed like it was original but a closer look determined the stained glass was really plastic, and I found it cheap on overstock.com. So, not exactly original. The new light fixture had filigree matching the ceiling medallion, and it was sourced from The White Hare. Instantly gives the room a more updated feel and only cost about $350.
Bathrooms can be tricky.
Original bathrooms are 1. hard to come by, and 2. generally not practical for every day use. It’s much easier to keep an original half bath than a master bath just out of sheer practicality. The only time this doesn’t apply is if you have a clawfoot tub. That tub better not EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, leave the premises. It can find a new home in a less used bathroom, but unfortunately if you have a clawfoot tub in a main bathroom it absolutely must stay there and you have to work around it. And bathe in it with candles lit and a Kristen Hannah book. Again, I don’t make the rules I only share them with the intention to shame anyone who disobeys.