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Eau Claire

Eau Claire

Eauclaire came to us through an existing client who purchased a late-1800s house in Michigan to operate as a short-term rental. The property was a true zombie: vacant long enough that the interior had gone past neglect into active decay, with debris accumulated through every level. The client wanted a full gut remodel that would turn a two-bedroom, one-bath layout into something that could sleep more guests and function as a rental, not a restoration of the original floor plan.

The house sits on a Michigan basement — a river rock foundation with a cellar dug out after the original construction, which is common for homes of this age in the region and brings its own set of structural questions. Between the age of the building, the condition it was in, and a reconfiguration that touched nearly every wall, this was a repair-heavy project. Most of the budget went toward structural and systems work rather than finishes.

We handled the project end to end: planned the reconfiguration, produced the design and drawings in-house, quoted the work, and built it. Scope covered demolition and clean-out, structural repairs from the foundation up, complete replacement of electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, a new floor plan on both levels, and a mid-level finish package built for rental durability. The result is a three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath rental with a first-floor bedroom and full bath, and two second-floor bedrooms sharing a Jack-and-Jill half bath.

Before

The house had been sitting empty long enough that the first job was not assessment but excavation. Debris filled the rooms — abandoned contents, collapsed finishes, and accumulated trash — and we hauled out more than 60 cubic yards before we could evaluate the structure underneath.

What we found once the walls and floors were exposed was consistent with a late-1800s house that had gone unmaintained: damaged wall studs and sheathing, damaged floor joists, and subfloor that could not be saved. The river rock foundation walls and the dug-out basement needed evaluation for how the floor system was actually bearing on them.

The original layout was two bedrooms and one bathroom. All existing plumbing, wiring, and mechanical equipment was obsolete and came out. The original window and door trim was one of the few things worth protecting.

During

Structural work came first. We reframed the openings called out in the plans, replaced damaged studs and sheathing to match the existing wall thickness, and repaired floor joists where they had failed. New 23/32" OSB subfloor went down across the affected areas. The reconfiguration required new load paths in a few locations: at the load-bearing walls, we set two-ply 2x10 headers on king and jack studs, and added solid blocking to carry loads down to the foundation. Where the floor system meets the river rock mass wall, a ledger board and blocking transfer the load to the foundation rather than relying on the original bearing.

With the frame sound, we built the new floor plan. Non-load-bearing partition walls divided the first floor into a bedroom, living room, kitchen with breakfast nook, full bath, and a stackable laundry closet. Upstairs, the build-out added two bedrooms with closets, a linen closet, and a Jack-and-Jill half bath between them. Attic access was framed into the hallway at 22" x 30".

Systems followed. The house got all-new electrical service and wiring, new supply and drain plumbing, and a new HVAC system with ductwork routed for the new room layout. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors went in every bedroom and on every level. Both baths were roughed in with light/exhaust combos vented to the exterior. We build to whatever code the jurisdiction enforces; here that was the 2018 IRC.

Finish work closed it out: drywall, a direct-to-stud (DTS) surround at the first-floor tub, six-panel hollow core doors with brushed nickel hardware, closet rods and shelving, flooring, and the kitchen install. Throughout, the original window and door trim was salvaged, catalogued, and reinstalled where it fit the new layout. The main sequencing challenge was that nearly every repair uncovered another; budget was managed by prioritizing structure and systems over upgrades to the finish package.

After

Eauclaire is now a three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath rental with a layout built around how guests actually use a house. The first-floor bedroom and full bath mean the property works for guests who cannot or would rather not take the stairs. Upstairs, the two bedrooms share a Jack-and-Jill half bath, so a family or two couples can split the second floor without giving up privacy.

The kitchen has quartz countertops and stainless steel appliances, with a breakfast nook and built-in shelving. Bathroom fixtures are brushed nickel and chrome: elongated toilets, a 36" vanity with sink and mirror combo, and a direct-to-stud tub surround downstairs. Flooring is LVP through the entire first floor for durability and cleanup between guests; the second floor is carpeted. Doors are six-panel with brushed nickel hardware, closets have rod and shelf, and a stackable laundry closet on the first floor keeps turnover simple.

The original window and door trim, salvaged before demo, was reinstalled throughout, so the house keeps its late-1800s character despite an interior that is new from the foundation up. Behind the walls it is entirely modern: new electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, and a floor system re-tied to the river rock foundation.

The property is now operating as a short-term rental. A house that had been written off is back on the tax rolls and earning.