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iSpec LLC

 

jesse and joey kitchen

jesse and joey kitchen

This was a repeat client — a family we had previously worked with on a bathroom addition to their home. That first project built the kind of trust that brings people back, and it's also the project that led to one of our favorite referrals: this family recommended us to the client behind our Camp Cooke Kitchen project. The reason for this kitchen renovation wasn't cosmetic — it was structural. An old galvanized drain line buried in the wall behind the kitchen sink failed, and the only way to access it for repair was to tear the kitchen out. Once the walls were open, the scope expanded naturally. The existing kitchen was a typical Clintonville layout: functional but dated, with entry-level cabinets, laminate countertops, and finishes that had been updated over the years but never done well. Rather than patch it back together, the clients decided to take the opportunity to rebuild it the right way.Their vision was to open the kitchen up, replace everything from the studs out, and create a space that felt modern and connected to the rest of the home. That meant removing a wall, relocating the sink, rerouting plumbing and electrical, and selecting finishes that would hold up to a busy household — all while keeping the project on a realistic budget. iSpec handled the full scope from demolition through finished product.

Before

The existing kitchen had the kind of updates you see in a lot of older Clintonville homes — work that was done over the years by previous owners without much thought toward quality or long-term function. The cabinets were entry-level, the countertops were laminate, and the layout was closed off from the adjacent living space. The sink sat in the corner rather than centered on the window, which wasted counter space and made the work area feel cramped.Beyond the finishes, the failed galvanized drain line behind the sink wall meant the plumbing needed to be addressed before anything else. A non-bearing wall between the kitchen and the adjacent room needed to come out to make room for the new peninsula layout. The old flooring, cabinets, and countertops all had to be demolished so we could access the walls and start fresh. Once we opened things up, we also found knob-and-tube wiring in the kitchen walls — which the municipality requires to be removed when encountered during renovation.

During

Work started with a full gut of the kitchen — cabinets, countertops, flooring, and wall finishes all came out, exposing the framing and giving us access to the failed galvanized drain line that started the project. With the walls open, we replaced the failed drain and extended the water supply and drain lines approximately three feet to reposition the sink from the corner to centered on the window. The move was minor enough that permits were not required by the city, but it made a significant difference in the finished layout. The non-bearing wall separating the kitchen from the adjacent room was removed to open the floor plan and create space for a peninsula with a cooktop. The clients selected a pop-up telescoping downdraft vent system that rises behind the cooktop when in use and retracts flush when not — keeping the sight lines open across the peninsula into the living space. Routing the ductwork for that system required running a new duct under the floor to reach an exterior exhaust point, which we coordinated alongside the rerouted HVAC ductwork serving the kitchen area. Electrical work included new circuits for the kitchen, dedicated appliance feeds, and removal of knob-and-tube wiring that was encountered in the walls during demolition. The municipality requires knob-and-tube to be removed when exposed during renovation, so that work was completed before the walls were closed back in. All new wiring was run to current code. New plumbing was also extended up to the second floor as part of the scope, replacing aging supply lines while the walls were accessible. With rough-ins complete and walls closed in, we moved into finishes. The clients purchased IKEA cabinets with real wood door and drawer faces, and iSpec handled the full installation. A handmade tile backsplash was installed in a custom pattern, and porcelain tile flooring went down throughout the kitchen. Quartz countertops were installed on both the perimeter counters and the new peninsula.

After

The finished kitchen is a different room than what was there before. What was once a closed-off, dated Clintonville kitchen is now an open-concept space anchored by a peninsula with a cooktop, seating on the adjacent side, and clear sight lines into the living area. The pop-up downdraft vent keeps the peninsula clean and unobstructed when it's not in use — no overhead hood blocking the view. The IKEA cabinets with real wood faces were a smart budget decision. They gave the clients the look and feel of custom cabinetry without the custom price tag, and the installation was handled by iSpec to ensure everything was plumb, level, and built to last. Quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, a handmade tile backsplash, and porcelain tile floors round out the finishes — all durable, all chosen to hold up in a busy household. In the adjacent room, iSpec rerouted existing HVAC ductwork and built out bar seating to complement the new open layout. The kitchen flows into the living space in a way it never did before, and the galvanized drain failure that forced the project open in the first place turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to this home.