Beyond the Curb: Creativity and vision transform a Newport house featured in River City Living – User-generated content

The sagging house on the edge of Newports East Row neighborhood looked unsafe and uninspiring to most passersby. Mark Ramler, owner of Mansion Hill Properties, looks at houses like this a little differently. He jumped at the chance to bring it back to life, uncovering unexpected treasures in the process.

This house was built before the Civil War, Ramler explained. One of the coolest things I found was a mold for casting a Union belt buckle.

He also found extra-wide wood planks originally used as attic flooring. When he and his team vaulted some of the ceilings, they used those planks to make an unusual kitchen island, range hood and bathroom vanities.

I loved repurposing the materials and keeping them in the house, Ramler said.

Other examples of creative repurposing include the installation of two interior windows that came from the building that is now Hotel Covington. Kitchen cabinets from a few different Newport renovation projects were brought together in this home and look like they have always been there. One wall of the master bathrooms shower is actually a bricked-up fireplace that was original to the house.

When Ramler opened up the ceiling in one of the bedrooms, he left part of the attic level intact, creating a loft area. It is currently used as a home office but would also make an inviting playroom.

The episode features photos of the home before the renovation and the changes are dramatic. What once was a tumbledown multi-family house is now a one-of-a-kind home for a young family, putting down roots in Newport.

Catch new episodes of Beyond the Curb: River City Living every Friday. The previous 12 episodes can be viewed here.

The Catalytic Fund is the private sector, not-for-profit organization that provides financing assistance and related services for developers of quality residential and commercial real estate projects in Northern Kentuckys urban cities of Ludlow, Covington, Newport, Bellevue and Dayton. Its mission is to accelerate Northern Kentuckys urban renaissance through targeted investments in catalytic real estate development projects in urban neighborhoods.

After and before fireplace

Before and after house

The new kitchen

The new living room

The new staircase

The new bedroom

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Beyond the Curb: Creativity and vision transform a Newport house featured in River City Living - User-generated content