Efflorescence. Repointing. Window weights. Box gutters. Slate roofs. Lath and plaster.
Buy a historic home in Covington, Newport, Bellevue or a neighboring river city, and you gain entry to a parallel world of home repair and maintenance that features its own language, skills, and specialized trade workers.
Don’t be intimidated.
Instead, attend the 9th annual NKY Restoration Weekend, the celebration of historic preservation billed as “a day of practical advice, demonstrations, workshops, and services for the historic homeowner, property owner, or building professional.”
The event takes place 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. March 21 at Newport Intermediate School, 95 W. Ninth St. in Newport.
While registration is not mandatory, it’s a good idea because the event typically attracts 200-300 people and sessions “fill up fast,” said Christopher Myers, Covington’s preservation & planning specialist. Registration will open soon at www.nkyrestoration.com
“This is a great event, whether you want to better understand the historic home you bought, learn how to recognize and sometimes fix problems inherent to old buildings, connect with artisans and tradespeople with specialized skills, or just meet other historic home owners,” Myers said.
The day will feature simultaneous sessions on five or six different topics during each time slot, as well as keynote speaker Scott Sidler, a nationally known preservation specialist who operates The Craftsman Blog website and owns the window and door restoration firm Austin Historical.
The event is organized by historic preservation staffs in the Cities of Covington, Newport, and Bellevue, and funded by state and federal grants.
NKY Restoration Weekend also includes formal continuing education classes on Friday, March 27, for architects and planners who need AIA or AICP credit.
Covington and its neighbors boast an incredible array of historic homes. But Myers said with that beauty comes responsibility.
“We’re part of something bigger than ourselves,” he said. “We need to be good stewards of these buildings so they last well into the future and continue to exemplify the qualities that make them special. We want to add to their stories.”
City of Covington
