Kee family remodeling historic Lexington home

Watch Cathy and Harold Kee give a tour of her home renovations on our YouTube page.

  • The front porch of the Kee's Church St. home mid-renovation. Cathy and Harold Kee purchased the bungalow style home in October of 2024. (Jet Rawls/The Oglethorpe Echo)
    The front porch of the Kee's Church St. home mid-renovation. Cathy and Harold Kee purchased the bungalow style home in October of 2024. (Jet Rawls/The Oglethorpe Echo)
  • The front side of the home before the renovations. The Kee's say that the remodel will maintain the stone columns on the porch using locally sourced granite. (Submitted Photo)
    The front side of the home before the renovations. The Kee's say that the remodel will maintain the stone columns on the porch using locally sourced granite. (Submitted Photo)

    A historic Lexington home will be remodeled to preserve its century-long legacy.

     

    New Oglethorpe County residents Cathy and Harold Kee purchased the Church Street home in October, and they’ve been making arrangements to make Lexington their forever home.

     

    “We are just thrilled to be here,” Cathy Kee said. “We started out in Athens, and we ended up finding this lovely home kind of by accident, but we bought it and we are renovating it now … we can’t wait to be Lexington residents.”

     

    The bungalow-style home was built in 1922, and the Kees have corresponded with the Lexington Historic Preservation Commission to ensure all renovations will preserve the historic architecture of the era. This includes replacing the windows in a way that echoes the architectural style from the time the home was constructed.

     

     

    However, maintaining a house more than 100 years old comes with what the Kees call “gremlins” — larger-scale problems that go unnoticed on the surface. 

     

    The home recently underwent work to stabilize the flooring and prevent wood rot on the roof.

     

    Despite these “gremlins,” the Kees continue to renovate with eagerness to move into their home.

     

    “We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’re very excited,” Cathy Kee said. “Right now, we’re about two months out. We’re just so excited to be here. New town, new neighborhood, but a lot of old friends are here to welcome us.”