Story Hill Renovations is honored to be featured in the June 2025 issue of MKE Lifestyle. The article highlights a full-service home renovation in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood, where our design-build team transformed a rundown 1913 duplex into a distinctive, industrial-inspired home. The project demonstrates how thoughtful historic home remodeling can improve function, create personalized living spaces and preserve the architectural character that makes an older Milwaukee home special.
As MKE Lifestyle describes it, entering the completed home feels like “1913 all over again,” with subway tile, refinished hardwood floors and decorative electrical and plumbing fixtures. Although these details reflect the home’s original era, the materials and systems are entirely new.
The extensive renovation reimagined the home’s second and third floors while converting the first floor into a separate rental income space. Walls were reconfigured, flooring was upgraded and new plumbing was installed throughout the primary living areas.
“When we first arrived, the home was in shambles—the third floor wasn’t even livable,” Story Hill Renovations Partner Tom Mainville told MKE Lifestyle. “We completely transformed the structure by adding a full dormer to one side of the house and opening up the third floor to create a spacious primary suite. The second floor became the main living area, complete with a newly designed kitchen.”
The Riverwest location also helped inspire the home’s bold design. Known for its creative energy and industrial history, the neighborhood provided a natural setting for open ceilings, exposed materials and unconventional finishes.
“The direction and vibe of this project were shaped by the client’s vision for an industrial aesthetic—open ceilings, exposed materials, and creative finishes—while honoring the home’s original time period,” Mainville explained in the article.
This project challenged our team to think creatively about how an older duplex could support modern living. By adding usable space, improving the layout and selecting materials that felt appropriate to both the homeowner and the neighborhood, we created a highly personalized home rooted in Riverwest’s character.
We are proud to share this remarkable Milwaukee home transformation and grateful to MKE Lifestyle for featuring the project. Read the complete story in the June 2025 issue or online at MKELifestyle.com.
