Strength in Numbers

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CHALLENGE: To update and renovate the 104-year-old Windsor Transitional House in downtown St. Louis, which provides emergency shelter and transitional housing for returning veterans as part of HGTV's “Change the World: American Heroes” community revitalization and environmental awareness initiative.

SOLUTION: HGTV's Carter Oosterhouse and Monica Pedersen brought their home design expertise to St. Louis in June, partnering with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Rebuilding Together and more than 350 local volunteers.

In keeping with the original style of the two-story, four-bedroom house – purchased in 1994 by Hence J. Foreland, a Desert Storm veteran with a vision of creating The Windsor Transitional House – Monica chose historical colors and flooring that would blend well with the building's history-rich aesthetic.

“The structure of the home is loaded with architecture and charm reflective of Old St. Louis,” says Monica.

To preserve the house's historic integrity, architectural details were made to match its original look, all while improving energy efficiency with updates such as new windows and doors. Volunteers painted time-worn walls, installed bead board to cover old plastered walls, replaced the back porch, created custom cedar benches, installed better ceilings, and improved the house's light fixtures. To complete the stellar renovation, decorative star accents were added to the interior and exterior to give the house a fitting patriotic touch.

The community donated 3,000 hours of time to the renovation, and nearly 40 local businesses sponsored the heartfelt hometown project.