Entire Home Restoration + Renovation

1890 Shotgun, Bungalow addition
Southwest Detroit, MI
The restoration and renovation of 4059 was our love letter to Detroit. Owner of Divergent Design + Restoration, Wyatt Youngblood, purchased this home in 2015, saving it from the Detroit Land Bank Authority’s demolition list. When purchased it was completely uninhabitable, hoarded with debris over 3ft tall throughout the home and took years of blood, sweat, and tears to bring it back to life. This 1890 Shotgun style home was one of the first homes built on its Michigan Martin neighborhood street. Not saving it wasn’t an option. When first going into the crawl space even pieces of the hitching poles were found, where the original owners would have secured their horses. You could feel the history when you walked through its doors and knew at one time it was loved and cared for. We wanted to bring that love back and show that even homes on Detroit’s demolition list deserve to be saved.
The process of bringing this piece of history back to life included but was definitely not limited to: saving the structural integrity of the home, restoring the original plaster, rebuilding the porch, reconstructing floors where there were holes directly into the crawlspace, bringing windows back to working condition, renovating the attic, adding plumbing and heat after years of it being abandoned, and removing 160 yards worth worth of debris. After it was safe and functional, details were restored and added such as custom built floors, the original wood paneling in the dining room, a bespoke ceiling in the bathroom, a front door that was salvaged and restored, and many other exquisite details.
This home is a piece of Detroit history and it was an honor to live in it, save it, showcase its rich history, and provide a comfortable and functional living space for generations to come.
*Staged by Kathleen Gordon, Staging Photographs StylishDetroit
We would love to work with you and help with any design or restoration needs you have.
Please scroll down for room by room before and after photos!


















































