Restoration After a House Fire

7/30/2020 (Permalink)

It was a cold and rainy day when I met Kathleen. I arrived at her home in Apple Valley, CA just after 9 AM to take photos of the damage caused by a very destructive fire that had left most of the back half of her home a charred husk. The first thing I noticed when I got there was the smell of smoke and ash emanating from nearly everywhere on the property. The wooden beams in her backyard were blackened and cracked, many of the windows in the back of the home were blown out from the excessive heat, and entire walls had been burned to the point where they had to be demolished to prevent possible structural integrity issues.

The place had an almost other-worldly and surreal quality about it, feeling more like a post-apocalyptic landscape than a person’s home. Kathleen had cordoned herself off into two small areas on the outer perimeter of the home, staying in high spirits while simultaneously living with the reality of suffering a major house fire.

On subsequent visits, I saw the once desolate shell start to more and more closely resemble a house. Walls were torn down and new ones were built up. Damaged sections of the roof were torn off, replaced by more modern and durable materials. The smell of smoke slowly dissipated. Everything began to come together, and Kathleen grew happier and happier with every day that passed.

Finally the day came wherein personal belongings would be moved back in to the home. When I pulled up in front of the home (it looked like an actual home again), I was blown away. Everything was in its right place. The fireplace looked gorgeous. The new windows gave the kitchen and dining room an elegant, modern flair. It truly looked “Like it never even happened.”

This experience was unique to me, but not to SERVPRO of Hesperia/Apple Valley and SERVPRO of Barstow/Twentynine Palms. Work and professionalism of this quality is a daily occurrence to the professional technicians that work here.

Experiencing a house fire is always devastating, but it is not the situation that dictates the outcome; it is how you react to the situation. Take it from my firsthand experience: SERVPRO of Hesperia/Apple Valley and SERVPRO of Barstow/Twentynine Palms is the right company to repair your home.

If you have experienced a fire loss, give our office a call today at (760)244-2566.