Brighton Heights House and Garden Tour showcases 2 renovated homes
Kathleen “Kit” Beatty and her husband Adam are looking to buy a house. In fact, they are open to purchasing more than one.
The couple from Brighton Heights refurbishes homes.
Two of those will be featured with nine other houses, gardens and churches at the 17th annual Brighton Heights House and Garden Tour on Saturday, hosted by the Brighton Heights Citizens Federation.
The property on Simen Avenue and was built in 1930 was about to be demolished, Beatty said. The Campus Street home, which was built in 1916, was in “very bad shape.” It had a lot of the original features damaged in a fire in 2001 and required intensive work to restore some of those characteristic details. The couple restored both houses.
“Kathleen and Adam restore homes to their original charm,” said Judy Flaherty, chair of the Brighton Heights House and Garden Tour, who now owns the Simen Avenue home.
“Judy and her husband appreciate that we saved what we could save,” Kathleen Beatty said. “It’s a labor of love. When I see people appreciate it that makes me happy. I am excited these homes are on the tour. The tour has an eclectic mix of houses. Pittsburgh has a lot of older homes. The craftsmanship is amazing. Brighton Heights is such a wonderful neighborhood.”
Both homes were in need of help, said Kathleen Beatty, a mother of three girls whose husband is a City of Pittsburgh detective.
“We try to keep as much of the original home as possible,” Kathleen Beatty said. “We’ve put blood, sweat and tears in these houses which makes it that much more rewarding when you step back and take a look at the home when it’s all done.”
The couple does a lot of work themselves to save money and because they enjoy doing it, Kathleen Beatty said.
“I like to put my own personal touches on my homes,” she said. “We also use the best contractors and technicians to assure that all work is done to the highest standard.”
Improvements include refinishing the floors and updating kitchens and bathrooms. They will update and replace electric, plumbing and anything mechanical that needs to be done.
“We like to make an old home new again,” Kathleen Beatty said. “We like to make the home feel like new in its old glory.”
The couple describes what they do as “restoring with modern amenities.”
They strive to have the home feel like is from its time period or close to it, Kathleen Beatty said. If she can’t repair something original, she works with an experienced contractor to re-create and preserve the home’s history and vintage look.
They got into this business after Kathleen Beatty was hired to clean a property for an estate sale. She was a teacher but left that profession to do what she said is her true passion.
“I loved all of this, the craftsmanship of the home and the process and the journey,” she said. “This is definitely in my bones.”
Kathleen Beatty grew up in a home built in 1900 and the one she now lives in was built in 1935. She credits her parents with teaching her to love and appreciate all things old. She said she is teaching her daughters about the craft and at times brings the older two with her to work.
They have two houses in Bellevue they’re renovating that should be on the market in the next few months.
The Brighton Heights House and Garden Tour is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here and the day of the event at Legion Park near Brighton Road and Shadeland Avenue.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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