A Fire Restoration Project with DESCCO Design and Construction

Doing construction projects on your home is usually an exciting time, but occasionally the need for construction does arise from something less pleasant. Mark and Susan Smith unfortunately suffered fire damage to their home recently and needed to rebuild the damaged parts of the structure. They turned to DESCCO for help, and we worked with them to create a space that they will be able to create memories in for many years to come.

The Smiths were looking for a local construction company that would be able to deliver on high quality-work for their project. Luckily, having previously worked for DESCCO in the 1980s, they knew just where to turn! The project required new flooring, drywall, and windows, as well as a new bathroom. Mark and Susan worked with Tim Heffner, our VP and Senior Project Manager, to plan and execute this project.

The project took about five months to complete. There were some issues with material back ordering that caused the construction schedule to need to be revised on short notice when materials were arriving late without notice, but overall the project progressed well. While many things in the house were too damaged to be reused and had to be replaced, some of the features were able to be preserved, such as the kitchen countertops and stair railing and handrail, which only needed cleaning. The vanity cabinet and a linen closet door were able to be reused in the upstairs bathroom, and one of the bedroom door slabs was able to be reused as well. 

This reconstruction project was also a great opportunity for the Smiths to add some updates to their home. The first floor bathroom was renovated during the construction process, and a mini-split heat pump system was added into the house in place of the window units which were previously used to cool the home. Before the fire, the house had old-fashioned wooden storm windows, and these were replaced with low-emissivity glass windows, which will make the house more efficient and easier to heat and cool. Prior to the reconstruction, some of the house’s exterior walls had no insulation, so this was added in to make sure that all of the exterior walls were up to date with the current insulation standards. The low-e glass windows, the mini-split heat pump system, and the added insulation will all contribute to making the house more energy efficient and lowering the overall operating costs of the home, which is certainly a silver lining to the project!

The Smiths were very pleased with the outcome of their construction, and they now have a beautiful home with new interior and exterior finishes. They remarked that the quality of work exceeded their expectations. They recommend that other homeowners look at previous work done by a contractor when hiring a team for their own project as it is a good indication of the end result you’ll be getting. Mark and Susan Smith happily recommend DESCCO and our quality construction to anyone in need of a contractor, and we were thrilled to get to work with them and participate in the restoration of their home. We hope they will be safe and happy in it for many years!