Lake of the Isles

The challenge

A house fire pushed smoke and soot through this Lake of the Isles home in Minneapolis, from a charred vanity to the surfaces throughout. The kitchen and baths underneath were dated and closed-in — dark laminate, a cramped U-shaped plan, and worn green tile.

Our approach

Smoke and soot cleanup came first, then the interior was taken back to a clean shell rather than patched around. With the walls open, the kitchen and baths were re-planned during the restoration — one team carrying demolition, fire and smoke damage repair, and finish carpentry.

The results

The home came back brighter and more open. White shaker cabinetry, quartz counters, and tile flooring replaced the dark laminate kitchen, while the upstairs bath traded green tile for white subway tile, a marble-topped vanity, and built-in shelving under the dormer.

Cause of loss: a house fire, with smoke and soot carried through the interior. Scope: soot and odor cleanup, kitchen and bath rebuild, and a lighter whole-home refresh.

The fire is what opened the walls, but it also gave a dated house the chance to change. The kitchen was a dark, closed-in U of laminate cabinets, and the upstairs bath was worn green tile tucked under a dormer. Because the interior was already back to a shell for the restoration, the new layout could be planned into the repair rather than bolted on afterward.

Continuous cabinetry and quartz now wrap the kitchen, the sink sits under the window, and a range takes the wall where the old sink stood. Upstairs, white subway tile, a marble-topped vanity, and built-in shelving replaced the green tile under the same dormer slope. That sequencing is the pattern behind most fire and smoke damage restoration in Minneapolis: the repair is the moment a house can finally get the layout it should have had.

Before & After

Dark Lake of the Isles kitchen before restoration, with white laminate cabinets, brown walls, white tile floor, and a window over the sink in a U-shaped layout — Kitchen

The same U-shaped kitchen rebuilt with white shaker cabinets, quartz counters, a stainless gas range, and tile flooring, the sink centered under the window — Kitchen

Original kitchen wall with a double sink, white laminate cabinets, and a window to the right before fire restoration — Range wall

The same wall rebuilt with a stainless gas range and white cabinetry, the sink relocated under the window to the right — Range wall

Dated upstairs bathroom before remodeling, with green wall tile and a tub under a sloped dormer ceiling beside a window — Upstairs bath

The same dormer bath finished in white subway tile with a marble-topped vanity, a tub and shower, and built-in wood shelving — Upstairs bath

Lake of the Isles

The challenge

Our approach

The results

Before & After

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