Project Overview
This 1950’s brick rancher was devastated by an electrical fire which left every surface inside the house either charred or covered with a heavy layer of black soot but spared most of the structure. We were on site two days after the fire and represented the owners in settling the insurance claim, a process that netted them over $100,000 more than their carrier’s initial estimate. Because the owners reached a decision early on to down-size and not move back into the house, we suggested bringing in a real estate brokerage firm and together performed a cost benefit analysis with the aim of determining how best to maximize the value of the property for sale. The project then moved forward as a design-build with a complete redesign of the house using only insurance proceeds as the budget. The key elements of the redesign involved opening up what had been a very segmented house with small rooms into large, open living spaces and, on the exterior, providing some much needed curb appeal. The resulting restoration was a complete turnkey operation requiring minimal time and input from the owners at their request. After spending less than two weeks on the market, the house was sold for more than 150% of its estimated pre-fire value. The owners’ offered that their only regret was not having had the opportunity to live in the finished product.
Project Highlights:
- Insurance claim settlement
- In-house complete redesign emphasizing open-space living
- Budget limited to insurance proceeds
- Completely new electrical and high-efficiency HVAC systems
- 5 month construction schedule
- Phase II design-build garage / laundry addition renovation