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Martin — Zombie Property Gut Remodel

Martin — Zombie Property Gut Remodel

The Martin property is a Franklinton gut remodel — a distressed house purchased by an out-of-state investor from California who had been partially worked on by a previous contractor before we arrived. That's usually where the real problems start. A low-bid contractor had put in 2x4 framed drop ceilings, interior partition walls on both floors, and an LVL beam with no solid connection to the foundation. All of it had to come out before the real work could begin. The owner found us through a blog post written for Californians investing in Ohio real estate — we never met in person until the final walkthrough. The entire project was managed through a progress photo album and video messages. Once the bad work was removed, what remained was a house that had been hiding serious structural problems underneath it. Termite-damaged floor joists, a deteriorated sill plate, a buried chimney that had been cut off below the roof line and concealed, and a section of rubble foundation that needed to be rebuilt. The investor had a clear vision for the finished product — a clean, modern 3-bed 2-bath with an open concept first floor and high-end finishes throughout. Getting there required solving every structural problem first and building from the ground up. The finished house is exactly what the owner envisioned: white shaker kitchen with quartz counters and custom tile, two beautifully finished bathrooms, recessed lighting throughout, and an open first floor that feels nothing like the wreck it started as.

Before

The first visit revealed a house in genuine distress. The previous contractor had made a mess of things — framing work that looked like progress but violated code, an LVL beam sitting unsupported, and plumbing rough-in run without proper planning. Underneath all that was the original structure: first-floor plaster and lath, exposed brick interior walls, and floor joists that hadn't been touched in decades — some of which had been destroyed by termites. The roof had a hole in it when iSpec arrived. Step one was patching the roof. Step two was pulling everything out. The exterior was in reasonable shape — the structure itself wasn't falling apart from the outside. It sat on a quiet street in Franklinton next to an abandoned church, in a neighborhood that was starting to turn over. The investor knew the condition was bad before they called us — that's exactly why they reached out.

During

The structural work came first and it was extensive. The second-floor floor joists had been over-notched by the previous contractor, compromising their load capacity. We used a hydraulic jack to lift and replace each damaged joist one at a time — six in total were sistered to bring the floor system back to structural integrity. With the floor joists corrected, we could address the beam. The previous contractor had cut out a load-bearing wall and installed an LVL beam with no solid connection to the foundation. To replace it, we first had to lift the weight off the old beam. We built a custom header with solid posts and positioned hydraulic jacks on each end. Once the floor was lifted onto the temporary support, we removed the old beam and its columns and installed the new LVL with proper connections. Then we lifted the floor system off the temporary bracing and lowered the structure onto the new beam. At that point all temporary supports were removed. During the foundation prep work, we discovered the termite damage and deteriorated rubble foundation that hadn't been visible until we were under the house. Sill plate was replaced where termites had eaten through it, and the damaged section of foundation was rebuilt. A hidden chimney — cut off below the roofline and concealed by the previous contractor — was located and removed. We also reframed roughly 200 square feet of subfloor and floor framing on the first floor under the new laundry area and the kitchen back wall. With the structure solid, the rebuild moved into standard sequence: non-bearing partition walls framed, blocking installed, and all plumbing, electrical, and HVAC replaced from scratch. MEP was straightforward since everything was new — no tying into old systems. New rough-in was planned around the final layout — the open concept first floor, two bathrooms, three bedrooms. All rough inspections passed. Walls and ceilings were closed in and finish work began.

After

The owner had a specific vision and iSpec delivered it exactly. The kitchen features white shaker cabinets, quartz countertops, stainless appliances, open shelving with raw wood brackets, globe pendant lighting, and a custom tile backsplash — white horizontal subway field with a Carrara marble and gold accent mosaic behind the range. The range hood is a standout detail. The first floor living area has a fireplace with a white marble surround, a dark accent wall with a mounted TV, recessed lighting, and a ceiling fan — clean, crisp, and modern. Both bathrooms are fully tiled and finished to a high standard. The second floor bath has vertical subway tile with a black geometric accent column, a built-in niche, vessel sinks on a floating double vanity with black hardware, and a marble-look porcelain floor tile. The first floor bath has vertical subway with a marble and gold accent inset, a vessel sink vanity, and globe sconce lighting. On the exterior, we replaced one window, caulked all the rest, and updated the entry with a contrasting horizontal car siding detail stained to the owner's specifications. The front porch was rebuilt with a fresh painted finish, new railing, and new steps — a proper arrival for a completely transformed house.