Christmas Light Installation in Mehlville, Missouri

South County, built after the war

Mehlville covers a large unincorporated stretch of South County between Lemay Ferry, Telegraph and Butler Hill, and it filled in through the 1950s and 1960s with brick ranches and split-levels on flat, generous subdivision lots. There is very little in Mehlville that needs a lift. Eaves are low, pitches are moderate, and a crew can do the whole front off ladders in a fraction of the time a three-story city house takes.

Split-levels are common here as well, and the staggered eaves on a split-level front are where most do-it-yourself installs come apart. The runs have to step in a way that looks intentional. Get that wrong and the house reads as though somebody quit halfway across the front.

Where the money is better spent

Because the roofline is cheap here, the interesting question becomes what else to do. Mehlville lots have real front yards, mature shrubs and, on a lot of streets, one good tree near the drive. Netting the front bed, wrapping that tree properly up the trunk, and lighting the entry will change the house far more than adding another run above the garage.

• Full front roofline in one warm color temperature, cut to the house
• Split-level fronts planned so the staggered eaves read as steps rather than a broken line
• Netted shrubs and one wrapped tree, which is what finishes a South County lot
• Timers, season-long repairs, January takedown and storage all included

We run South County on one schedule — Mehlville, Oakville, Affton, Crestwood and down into Jefferson County. Install in October and November, free quote from the address, and an honest answer about what the house actually needs. (636) 244-6125.