Cincinnati is booming with cool, renovated homes thanks to a slew of locals who’ve jumped into the real estate renovation game (a.k.a. flippers). We asked them for their take on trends, advice for your home renovation, and projects that are coming soon.
Huber Homes
Photograph by Marlene Rounds
Adam and Courtney Huber fill their renovations with bold finishes and creative color combos like the kitchen in their Madisonville flip, which they get asked about frequently. Though their projects result in Instagram-worthy homes unrecognizable as their earlier, gutted selves, Courtney cautions there is nothing glamorous about home renovation. “Not giving up is the best advice I can give anyone working on a remodel,” she says. “See it through no matter what.”
Instagram: @huber_homes
What’s one thing that will never go out of style?
I think anything ornate or original that was specific to that particular home will never go out of style. A lot of homes built before the ’30s were made by craftsmen who used tools and methods that are so foreign to us now. Things were made better, with better sourced material, and slower built. I hate seeing people tear out original anything in a home, unless it’s structurally needed for safety reasons. It’s usually better than what it’s being replaced with.
What’s your dream project?
We work on a lot of traditional pre-1930s restoration projects, so we would love to do something really modern, Bauhaus-style like Mies van der Rohe or something by a local architect like Carl Strauss and Ray Roush. That would be a really fun project.
Cincy Home Revival
Husband and wife duo Erin Miller and Adam Shaffer keep it clean and simple, as in this recent flip in Deer Park, a modern-slash-Scandinavian inspired home. Both hold full-time jobs and with four kiddos at home, Miller says finding a project close to home is key to successfully managing a renovation.
Instagram: @cincyhomerevival
Photograph courtesy of Erin Miller
What’s your favorite project you’ve completed?
The second house we renovated was in Price Hill. It has these arched windows along the front of the house that are just so beautiful. All of the trim was still natural wood.
What’s next?
A peaked roof ranch in the heart of Montgomery. I always come back to Mid-Century Modern design for inspiration and the architecture and layout of this home make it perfect for this style. I’m really excited to update the two-sided fireplace with stacked stone or stucco. There are floor-to-ceiling windows along the back of the house that look out on a large backyard with mature trees.
Molano Properties
Sisters and co-owners Sarah Norton and Kate Lash-Motiani tackle the challenge of restoring some of Cincinnati’s historic homes. Including their first flip, a gutted Cleinview Avenue home in East Walnut Hills, a project that literally started with the front door off the hinges.
Instagram: @molano_cincy
What’s your dream project?
Restoring a neglected, historic home to live in ourselves. When we were 6 and 10 years old, we saw our parents restore the house that we grew up in. It was a big brick three-story traditional home built in 1929. It had all the glorious things like original floors, tile, built-ins, fireplaces, bookcases, light fixtures. But all of those original details were hidden behind orange shag carpet and years of neglect. We remember how exciting it was to “go see” the progress at the house. Little did we know at the time, our mom taught us a lot about design and managing a renovation project. If we could replicate this experience for our families, that’s a dream project for sure.
What’s your best home advice?
Have an artist’s ambition and an engineer’s mindset. We tend to be dreamers. We want to save every house. But sometimes we really do need to step back and think our plan through very methodically. So find the dream house you want to save, but run the numbers and re-run them again. Have a contingency plan, and monitor what’s going on in the market.
Revival Designs
Photographs by Revival Designs
Nicole Nichols is a self-described “very part-time flipper.” Most of her masterpieces are located in Pleasant Ridge, each house with elements that pop: unique tiles, feature walls, and gutsy exterior moves. See all those elements in her latest flip—a bungalow with deep blue siding, a baby pink front door, and white trim.
Instagram: @homewithnicole
What’s one thing that will never go out of style?
Simple, classic forms and shapes—penny and hexagon tile, rectangular and subway tile, simple Shaker-style cabinetry. The colors and finishes of these items change with trends, but the shapes are classic and can be mixed to create something that feels timeless yet modern at the same time.
What’s your best home advice?
Strike a balance between what you really love and what is good for resale. Your home doesn’t have to be totally neutral and ready for other buyers when you are renovating it. Homes appreciate over time. And even the ugliest, most outdated homes sell every day. Don’t spend thousands on a renovation that is so vanilla and boring that you’re not even excited about it. It’s a lot easier to change cabinet knobs, paint, or light fixtures down the road than to gut the whole kitchen again. Don’t be afraid of putting some personality into your house if you love it.
Flipping Cincy
Kevin Geraci and a team of local partners focus heavily on some of the most popular neighborhoods on the east side including this adorable space in Oakley. Next up? Another Oakley reno directly across from the Wasson Way bike trail.
Instagram: @flippingcincy
What’s your dream project?
Our dream project would be to flip an entire street to build up the Cincinnati community. Heck, a whole city, even! However we can be most impactful and create our largest footprint of partnership with our neighbors.
What’s one thing that will never go out of style?
The classic white kitchen cabinets are sometimes critiqued for being a little boring—but there’s one solid reason to opt for this color in the kitchen: It will never go out of style.
Resist the Boring
Photograph by Hailey Bollinger
Home reno trio Tim Timmerman, Chris Holtman, and Patti Marshall describe their style as creative, trendy, and eclectic. A spot they say to never skimp on? The outdoor space. It’s an extension of your home; a stylish outdoor space will never go out of style.
Instagram: @resisttheboring
What’s your favorite room to tackle?
Our favorite rooms will always be kitchens and bathrooms—they’re what sell the home—but we always pour our energy and creativity into other areas of the renovation, too, that make potential buyers take notice. Maybe that’s refreshing the fireplace with fun tile or using beautiful, unique doorknobs that stand out from the rest.
Describe your latest project.
We’re in the midst of renovating a two-family building in East Walnut Hills that we’ll soon offer as an Airbnb. Jumping into the short-term-rental world is something that we’ve been talking about for some time. It gives us the opportunity to make more bold style choices throughout the renovation that [we] wouldn’t necessarily be able to do for one of our flip projects and it allows us to welcome new visitors to Cincinnati.
Rylea Property Investment
Photograph by Melanie Pace with Loft3 Photography
Husband and wife renovators Ryan and Leah Slicer started their business 10 years ago when accidentally flipping their first house. Thanks to YouTube and advice from Home Depot employees, they updated their house and sold it at a price well above what they expected.
Instagram: @iflippingloveyou
What’s your dream project?
Our dream project would be to restore a 1950s motel. This would afford us the opportunity to dig into things like the motel rooms, lobby, common space, restaurant, exterior curb appeal, and neon signage.
What’s next?
Our next project is a bit different for us. Typically, our focus is on “up and coming” or “recently arrived” neighborhoods where demand is very high and inventory is very low. However, it only feels right that we shift focus now and then to ensure that we build into the community by flipping a more financially attainable home. Bringing affordable housing options to our west side neighborhood is really important to our overall mission.
Facebook Comments