From the ground up

Family breathes new life into house that sat vacant for decades  

Photos by Rachel Howard  

The house that has sat vacant for decades on the corner of Cedar and Chestnut streets has recently undergone a complete remodel from the ground up thanks to owners Michael and Jennifer Broom.  

The history of the house is ambiguous at best, with neither the local couple nor many others knowing much about its previous owners or inhabitants.  

The Cedar Street house is the fourth major remodel for the couple, who have also taken on several smaller jobs through the years. All in all, they said the job took nearly seven months to complete.  

Because it had no inhabitants for decades, the house had no utilities hooked up when the project began in spring of this past year. Broom said the foundation, plumbing, electrical work, subfloor and trim is all completely new.  

Just like a new construction, Broom said the house had to be brought up to code to meet all the guidelines from the city to pass various safety inspections.  

The two-bed, two-bathroom house is now 1,120 square feet, after the former back porch was closed in and transformed into a mudroom. Before the remodel, the house was around 975 square feet.  

It features energy-efficient windows, spray foam insulation, granite countertops and hardwood floors, with tile in the bathrooms and mudroom. All new cabinetry was installed, as well.   

The house is completely furnished and can sleep six. It features several amenities, such as internet, a full-size washer and dryer and two big walk-in closets in each bedroom. A front porch was added with composite decking for relaxation.  

With the house being located close to downtown Hartselle, Broom said he plans to rent it out to short-term travelers and hopefully bring in new people to visit the area. 

MEET THE MANPOWER 

• Construction: Bama Group, Kevin Corum 
• Materials: Corum’s Building Ace Hardware 

• Foundation/heavy demolition: Homesource Construction, Chuck Stafford 
• Demolition/framing: Gary Garner Construction 
• Frazier Roofing 
• Roberts Plumbing 

• Dr. Shock Electrical 
• Guzman Painting 
• Gutters Unlimited  
• Concrete siding/soffit/window and door installation: Craig Terry 
• Sheetrock: Waylon Turrentine 

• Trim/detail work: Charles Sanders 
• Cabinetry: Firehouse Construction, Clay Heater 
• Stucco/deck block work: Kenny Orr 
• Flooring/tile/backsplash: Joaquin Zacarias 
• Granite: Surface World, Athens 

• HVAC/spray foam: Marsh Heating and Cooling 
• Gravel/grading: Jim Hampton 
• Wilhite Furnishings and property location specialists