Gourmet kitchen and modern style set apart this Dormont rehab
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Brian DeVito has spent his life in the building trades. The son of a tile setter, he learned the trade as a teenager and honed that and other skills as a project manager for construction projects.
Meanwhile, he was renovating homes, living in them with his family and selling them when he finished. They move and start another every two years
“That way, you don’t pay capital gains,” he said.
His latest project is 1301 Mississippi Ave. in Dormont.
He and his wife have redone the interior and installed a gourmet kitchen. They like the neighborhood so much that they’re already eyeing another house nearby. So they have listed this for $249,900 (MLS No. 1316915) with Diane DeGregory of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (724-941-3000 or www.thepreferredrealty.com). An open house will be held at 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday.
According to Mr. DeVito, the house was built in 1990 upon much older foundation walls.
“It was very dated, lots of browns, yellows and cream,” he said. “There wasa giant stone fireplace.”
He took advantage of its modern floor plan and simple lines, making minor changes to the exterior, rebuilding the porch and adding landscaping. The biggest change was to extend the kitchen 4 feet into the entry, which remains wide
open with views to the back of the house.
In addition to swapping the living room and dining room, the DeVitos changed the color palette to neutral grays that complement the espresso stain on the engineered wood floors. The wood-burning stone fireplace now has a Carrara marble surround and hearth. Deep crown molding tops the 9½foot ceilings, and tall baseboardsdress up the rooms.
The new kitchen has IKEA white Sektion upper cabinets, dark brown Laxarby base cabinets and white quarz counter tops.
“I wanted to create a modern working space,” he said.
The base cabinets feature lots of pull-out drawers and storage, including hidden trashand recycle containers.
The 36-inch IKEA farmhouse sink is outfitted with colanders and strainer boards.
There is a chef prep center with stainless rail shelving to store bowls and other items. A large five-burner gas and convection range is backed by 26-by-6-inch ceramic tile that looks like washed wood.
Off the kitchen is the laundry and a powder room that has been remodeled in gray and white.
Upstairs, the three large bedrooms have new carpeting and baseboards.The hall linen closet was converted to a built-in bookcase.
The master bathroom has a gray ceramic tile floor, a double white vanity and a new shower with Carrara marble walls.
Mr. Devito is proud of the newwireless integrated Bluetooth speaker system. “My wife teases me that it’s my favorite part of the house.”
The third floor is an unfinished attic, and the brickwalled basement has been insulated. The house has been made more energy-efficient with a new high-efficiency furnace, tank water heater, low-flow fixtures and LED light bulbs. There are newer windows and sliding glass doors. It has a 2½-car detached garage.
The property’s county assessed value is $99,000 (www2.county.allegheny. Sales.aspx). In the past three years, two properties have sold on Mississippi Avenue for $145,000 in October 2014 and $85,000 in November 2014 (www.realstats.net).
Mr. DeVito says one of the house’s best features is its orientation on the lot.
“The street runs east to west and the house sits perfectly to enjoy both the sunrise and sunsets.This home is always filled with light, and you can enjoy the skies at all times of the day.”