Milwaukee Fire Remediation Project
House Fire Remediation and Remodel
Wisconsin homeowners called Kelmann when a heating lamp overheated and sparked a fire. The fire may have technically been small, but the resulting heat and smoke damage affected the entire home.
Kelmann arrived on the scene and addressed multiple issues immediately. Our primary concern was for the homeowners’ health and safety. The home was unsafe for its occupants, so we needed to help the homeowners and their two dogs find a place to live. However, they wanted to stay close as they run a local business that required them to be in the immediate area. The solution? We worked with their insurance company to secure an onsite trailer home, and worked on their master bedroom first, so we could get them living back in the home as quickly as possible.
Below is a sample of the before and after of the affected area. See the project’s full gallery on our Facebook page.
This project created unique opportunities and challenges for our construction team. The home was full of custom woodwork and trim that the homeowner had installed himself. In addition, the home, being pre-manufactured, was essentially factory-built, but our reconstruction work had to be done onsite with onsite conditions. Our largest construction obstacle was the ceiling drywall, which was completely black from smoke and was holding on to the smoky fire smell. The drywall had to be removed using a jack and supports keeping each ceiling joist in place so the structure would not collapse during renovation.
As the Kelmann crew began work, the homeowners decided to do some minor remodeling, something they had been talking about for years. Kelmann moved windows, centered sinks and plumbing within other windows, and changed the layout of the kitchen for greater functionality.