House Renovation Tracker

Golden Child Candles sells soy candles and wax melts and we use our profits to renovate and restore an historic 1899 Victorian brick house on the westside of Saint Louis city. The house is important to us because of its ties to Tyler’s family (Golden Child Candles’ founder) and because we want to bring awareness to the neighborhood and make it easier for others to renovate and revive the neighborhood before it completely disappears. 

During 2026, we are trying raise $24,000 to pay off debt Tyler took on when she first inherited the house. The debt comes from two major projects that she has completed for the house. In 2021, she had the back wall of the house torn down and rebuilt using the same brick because the back wall was collapsing and it was very important to stabilize the property. In 2022, Tyler also had the roof replaced to stop further water damage from occurring. While the roofers worked on the house, they discovered that the roof they were replacing was the original roof from the 1890s. 

These two projects were absolutely needed to stabilize the building and prevent further interior damage and exterior collapse. But they were very expensive. We are now preparing for a new chapter in the renovation journey but it requires paying off the debt Tyler has already acquired. Tyler is striving for a construction loan to complete the majority of the renovation portion of the project. The restoration will be paid for 100% by the sells of our candles and wax melts.

Below, you will find a tracker for the debt/fundraising efforts and a timeline for the renovation and restoration project. 

Stages of Renovation and Restoration

Stage 1: Stabilization

Timeline: 2021-2022

Goal: Keep the house from falling down or being torn down

  • 2021 Tyler acquired the house
  • 2021 General tuckpointing and back wall repair
  • 2022 Roof replacement

Stage 2: Planning

Timeline: 2026

Goal: Plan for the construction phase and payoff debt acquired while stabilizing the house

  • $24,000 Debt Repayment
  • $5,000 for permits, structural engineer, and architectural drawings
  • Build basic exterior staircase for the front of the house
  • Structural engineer inspection
  • Architectural drawings for the front porch, room addition, and deck
  • Construction project bidding and planning
  • Construction permits
  • Construction loan $100,000-130,000

Stage 3: Construction

Timeline: 2026/2027

Goal: Renovate the house enough for St. Louis city to issue a housing occupancy permit

  • Tree removal
  • Foundation repairs
  • Basement staircase repair
  • Replica historic front porch
  • Joist repair or support
  • Room addition
  • Small deck/staircase (backyard)
  • New gutter system
  • New backyard fencing
  • New plumbing system (including washer/dryer connect)
  • New HVAC system and hot water tank
  • Complete electrical rewire
  • Fireplace and chimney repairs
  • Insulation installation (rock wool or fiberglass)
  • Drywall/wall repair
  • Hardwood floor repair
  • New kitchen (kitchen was completely water damaged)
  • 3 full bathrooms
  • Enclosing the balcony (for heating and cooling efficiency and future project)

Stage 4: Restoration and Garden Projects

Timeline: 2027/2028

  • Re-installing pocket doors
  • Adding the interior transom windows back to the house
  • Original window repair
  • Paint
  • Stained glass window project
  • Original doors and hardware repair
  • Fireplace repair continued
  • Built in bookshelves for home library
  • Customizing current closets
  • Grand staircase repair
  • Enclosed balcony original window repair and custom built-in bench
  • Greenhouse and garden (backyard)
  • Garden (front yard)
  • Fence (front yard)
  • Creating a community archive

Stage 5: Community and energy

Timeline: 2029

Goal: Build a stronger community and use the house as an example for future neighborhood revitalization efforts

  • Solar panels (on or around the greenhouse with the power going to the house)
  • Community building activities such as creating a community garden or community space
  • Community archiving continued
  • Possible future community fundraising for other home repair projects in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood.