PHOTOS BY 360 CAPTURES

For the past three years, Lindsay Grice-Hebert and Alexander Hebert, the owners of Pittsburgh Property Remodelers, have been upgrading homes around the area.

But for some time, Grice-Hebert, a realtor with an eye for interior design, also had been looking for a property that needed more than just some white paint and stock cabinets — she wanted to bring a local gem back to life.

“I’ve always had a love for interior design,” she says.

When Grice-Hebert’s broker put 605 N Beatty St. in East Liberty on her radar in the fall of 2024, she was intrigued. Built in 1900, the classic, five-bedroom American Foursquare needed a ton of work. Nevertheless, its former grandeur could be seen peeking through every corner.

Both Grice-Hebert and her husband agreed it was the project they’d been waiting for, not just for their remodeling company, but for her agency, LGH Design.

“You have to have a vision when you walk into a house that needs almost everything, but tucked away in the walls, I could see there were still the original pocket doors,” adds Grice-Hebert. “And, although the leaded glass and much of the trim needed restoring, I fell in love with the built-ins and some fireplaces that were still intact.”

Her hope was there also was original tile waiting to be revealed under the home’s more recent, low-quality updates.

“I knew the house had too much charm that could end up torn apart and discarded by a run-of-the-mill flipper,” she says. “I felt like I wanted to save this house from becoming a millennial gray nightmare.”

Working diligently for months, the pair updated the home’s bones from top to bottom before focusing on design. It is now on the market for $750,000. 

“We added not one, but two ensuite bedrooms, a first-floor powder room, an open-concept kitchen and dining space, recessed lighting and modern, high-efficiency appliances by Kohler and Moen throughout,” Grice-Hebert says.

The second-floor linen closet now has plumbing, should the next owner choose to convert it into a laundry room. The couple also added a new roof, HVAC system and Andersen windows. That’s in addition to completely rewiring and replumbing the home, which spans close to 3,000 square feet spread over three levels.

Today, the first floor has sharp, bold design choices that show off the home’s historical details rather than compete with them. A grand front door leads from the large front porch into a foyer enhanced by a stunning original fireplace.

From there, a color-drenched, dark blue living room with striking arched alcoves begs for folks to curl up with a book on a chilly evening. In the rear of the home, a reimagined dining and kitchen space feels more modern, but was still carefully designed with the age of the home in mind.

High-end appliances and a thoughtful layout make the kitchen a chef’s dream. There’s also an unusual black alcove over the stove — one that proved to be a tricky design problem for Grice-Hebert and her team to resolve.

Grice-Hebert says when she and Hebert started the project, the kitchen chimney was not feasible to move. They discussed tiling it, drywalling it or hiding it behind false cabinets until Grice-Hebert ultimately found a way to incorporate it into the design rather than work around it. The result is the eye-catching alcove encompassing the chef’s range.

“There are a lot of design elements about the home I love, but this is my favorite because it wasn’t just a mood board we brought to life,” she says. “It was a challenge in the space we had to overcome.”

The kitchen also contains warm-toned wooden cabinets, gold fixtures and a massive picture window. A breakfast bar is perfect for casual meals, and there’s also plenty of room for a large dining table. A new deck off the rear of the home is primed for outdoor dining, while the backyard is a spacious blank slate for owners with a green thumb.

On the second floor is the first of two en-suite bathrooms, plus two more spacious bedrooms and a shared hallway bathroom. Bold wallpaper, penny tile and wainscoting in each room give a high-end, stylized feel to the home while still maintaining cozy, livable vibes.

The third floor is dominated by a spacious bedroom with exposed wooden beams and charming dormer windows. It’s accompanied by an ensuite bathroom that has a compact soaker tub located inside a luxurious double walk-in shower. The third floor’s second bedroom could also be used as a home office or gym.

The home’s basement, where one of the original ash wood supports remains, has been fully renovated and includes additional laundry hookups.

During the renovation process, Grice-Hebert says she and Hebert came to love the East Liberty community.

“The neighbors are incredible,” she says. “It’s a lot to deal with a massive construction project going on for months right next door, but everyone was unbelievably courteous and accommodating.”

She adds she came into her own on this project as well.

“When we first started flipping houses together, my husband was a lot more hands-on with the design aspects,” she says. “Over the years, he’s come to trust me.”

Of course, there were still a few design quibbles along the way, but Grice-Hebert says her bold vision for the home ultimately came to fruition.

“Not to get too sentimental, but my husband has known for a while I have wanted to pursue interior design as a complement to my real estate sales and investing career,” she says. “He’s been a huge support in quite literally building my vision house by house and encouraging me to launch my interior design company.”

About: East Liberty
Population: 6,130
Planes, Trains & Automobiles: Situated in the East End of the city, East Liberty has easy access to the parkways, Route 28 and other city neighborhoods via car or public bus system. It is easy to grab a rideshare car in this neighborhood, and the airport is about a 30-minute commute. The neighborhood is walkable with good bike infrastructure, but plans are in the works to make it even better.
Schools: Pittsburgh Public Schools (pghschools.org)
Neighborhood: East Liberty is a neighborhood in flux. New development has often pushed out longtime residents as prices rise, while community groups are working to find ways to increase amenities while preserving affordability. The newly developed Liberty Green Park, a project of the Urban Redevelopment Association, sits on the edge of East Liberty and is a great spot for families to gather. Overall, the neighborhood is known for its walkability, bustling shopping district and many dining establishments. With a Target, Home Depot, and several large grocery stores in the neighborhood, there’s rarely a reason to leave.