South St. Paul Fire Restoration

01

The challenge

A house fire burned through the kitchen of this South Saint Paul home and took the ceiling with it. The room was still behind fire line tape when we first documented it — cabinet boxes charred through, framing exposed overhead, and smoke that had carried well beyond the room that burned.

02

Our approach

The kitchen came out to the framing, and the smoke damage in the surrounding rooms was addressed at the same time rather than in a second pass. With the house already open, the homeowners chose to carry new finishes through several rooms instead of stopping at the fire line.

03

The results

The kitchen came back in painted white cabinetry with granite counters, subway tile, and vinyl plank flooring. Brushed nickel hardware and simple light fixtures repeat through the rest of the house, so the repaired areas read as one project rather than a patch around a burn.

Cause of loss: a house fire in South Saint Paul. Style direction: classic and chic, with brighter finishes.

The kitchen took the worst of it. By the time we documented the loss it was still behind fire line tape — cabinet boxes burned through, framing open overhead where the ceiling had come down, and the contents of the room essentially gone.

What is less obvious in a photograph is how far the smoke traveled. Fire and smoke restoration almost never stops at the room that burned, and the rooms beyond this one needed cleaning and refinishing even though nothing in them was on fire.

That is why the homeowners chose to carry new finishes through several areas at once rather than repair only what the flames reached. Painted white cabinets replaced the original stained ones, granite counters and subway tile went in behind them, and brushed nickel hardware and vinyl plank flooring repeat through the rest of the house — so the finished home reads as one project instead of a repair with a visible edge.

Serving South Saint Paul and the surrounding area — see our St. Paul restoration services.

Before & After

Kitchen
Fire-damaged kitchen behind fire line tape with charred cabinets and an opened ceiling before restorationBefore
The same kitchen rebuilt with white cabinets, granite counters, subway tile, and vinyl plank flooringAfter
Range wall
Charred cabinetry and collapsed ceiling material along the range wall after the fireBefore
The same wall rebuilt with a stainless range, white cabinetry, and granite countersAfter

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