Casa Lovett Upgrades!

I purchased a rental house just over a year ago in downtown St Augustine. While old homes can be a money pit, I also think they represent the uniqueness and charm of St. Augustine better than a newer home. Being a visitor destination where people come to experience the history, these historic homes will always be attractive to guests, if done right.

I’ve posted about this before but managing Casa Lovett has been a true journey for me. As the property earns money, I have slowly been fine tuning and adding to the experience to represent the glamor of the 1920s. It has been a successful rental over the past year and the reviews have been really great.

While my list is long for upgrades I want to make, the top of the list has been a driveway and new front path. After a boomer December, it was time to seek out a company to help me with it. One day when driving around Lincolnville I stopped to talk to a guy putting in a driveway down the street. This is how I came in contact with Lionheart Landscapes. 

Impressed with their work and having seen a few other projects they did in the neighborhood made me feel they were the best choice for this project. I chose not to do a concrete driveway in order to be in keeping with the historic look, and chose gray pavers to set the yellow house off in a more modern style than the traditional brick.

When you do projects in the City limits permits are often required. Part of the project was a concrete apron so for that I needed to apply for a permit. I will admit it wasn’t easy and did require a couple of visits to the city office to finally get it done. I had to sketch out the plans with measurements etc. Before pouring the forms, I had to schedule an inspector to come out and review it, then they were allowed to pour the concrete. Aside from that it was a pretty straightforward job that took four days. During the time I had to close for guests.

Cleaning up the curb appeal of this rental was important to me. Also I should mention that short term rentals in the City limits need to have one off street parking space per bedroom. It needs to be paved, concrete or have stones – not grass. This means I needed spots for two cars. While the city realizes owners work towards these things and the actual permits take time it is still something you do have to invest in. I am thrilled at the result and planted a garden in front which I will continue to add flowers and plants to. While this was not cheap, I felt it was 100% worth it to get this done now prior to the rainy season and before it gets too hot.

For more information about Casa Lovett you can visit my website, Savor St Augustine or see the Airbnb page. Casa Lovett is located in Lincolnville at 27 Lovett Street.

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