Monticello Garage Fire Restoration

The challenge

A propane heater in the garage of this Monticello home caught fire and burned through the structure, charring the roof framing. Fire and smoke carried inside — upstairs bedroom walls opened to blackened cavities and soaked insulation, and most of the house needed rebuilding rather than repair.

Our approach

We worked outward from the garage, rebuilding it from the structure up and taking the interior back far enough to reach fire and smoke damage inside the wall cavities. With the house already open, ceiling height and kitchen layout were decided while the framing stayed exposed.

The results

The garage came back as finished space — white shiplap walls, a wall-mounted storage system, and a sealed flake floor behind new overhead doors. Inside, the kitchen was rebuilt around a large quartz island with seating, and the two upstairs bedrooms caught in the fire gained raised ceilings.

Cause of loss: a propane-fueled heater in the garage that caught fire. Style direction: modern, minimalist, Scandinavian.

Most of this Monticello house had to be rebuilt rather than repaired, and the work started where the fire did. The garage came back as a finished room in its own right — shiplap to the ceiling, a full wall of hanging storage for tools and yard equipment, and a sealed floor — which is a long way from the charred framing and open roof it was replaced from.

Inside, the two changes the household feels every day are both about space. The kitchen had never had room to sit down beyond a pair of stools at the end of a peninsula; the rebuild put a large island at the heart of it with seating along one side. Upstairs, the two bedrooms caught in the fire were rebuilt with raised ceilings — the same footprint, a much taller room, and the same window looking back out at the yard.

Before & After

Garage gutted by fire, with charred roof framing and burned-out overhead door openings after a propane heater fire — Garage — where the fire started

Rebuilt garage with white shiplap walls, a wall-mounted tool storage system, and a sealed flake floor after fire restoration — Garage — where the fire started

Dated oak kitchen with a laminate peninsula, bar stools, and mosaic tile backsplash before fire damage restoration — Kitchen

Rebuilt kitchen with navy cabinets, a white quartz island, faceted grey tile backsplash, and stainless range hood — Kitchen

Upstairs bedroom wall opened to charred studs and wet insulation after smoke and fire damage from a garage fire — Upstairs bedroom

Restored upstairs bedroom with a raised vaulted ceiling, navy accent wall, and cube storage beneath the same window — Upstairs bedroom

Hallway off the kitchen with oak trim, dated cabinetry, and the original powder room doorway before restoration — Hallway & powder room

The same hallway after restoration, with a refinished powder room, new mudroom, and rebuilt kitchen beyond — Hallway & powder room

Monticello Garage Fire Restoration

The challenge

Our approach

The results

Before & After

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