Remodeling After Restoration in San Antonio

Restoration takes a house apart on purpose. Wet drywall gets cut out, soaked flooring comes up and cabinets come off the wall so everything behind them can dry. After a fire, the cleanup can strip a room down to the framing. It's hard to look at.

It's also the one time the walls, floors and plumbing runs are wide open without anyone having to tear them out. Plenty of homeowners stand in that room and ask the obvious question: if we're rebuilding it anyway, why put it back exactly the way it was? Some want the kitchen they've been saving for. Some want a second sink in the bathroom, a bigger closet or a floor that doesn't show every scratch. Others just want it back the way it was, and that's fine too. Our reconstruction page covers that path.

The order matters, and it doesn't change because you're remodeling. Water damage restoration or fire cleanup comes first, and nothing gets closed up until the moisture readings say the structure is dry. Building new walls over wet framing traps the problem inside them.

What remodeling changes is the plan for the rebuild. While the drying runs, we sit down with you and work out what you'd like to be different. By the time the house is ready to rebuild, the decisions are made, and the rebuild goes straight into the new version instead of the old one.

Because we rebuild the projects we restore, the people planning your new kitchen are the same people who saw what was behind the old one: the wiring, the plumbing runs, the subfloor. That context is hard to hand off to a new contractor.

Be careful with this part. Your insurance claim is about the damage. Your carrier and its adjuster decide what the policy covers and what it pays, and your deductible still applies. A remodel is your own project, on top of that.

So we keep them apart. The restoration and the rebuild of what was there are documented and estimated as the claim work. Anything you choose to change or upgrade is written up separately, as your project, at your cost. Our operations manager is Xactimate-certified and has more than six years of reconstruction experience, so the claim side is laid out in a form adjusters work with every day, and the upgrade side stays clearly yours.

We help document the damage and work with your insurance carrier throughout the restoration process, but we don't interpret policies or tell you what your carrier will pay for. Our insurance claims page explains where our part ends.

Every house is different, but the same ideas come up again and again once the walls are open:

• The kitchen. New cabinets and counters, a better layout, an island, more storage.
• The bathroom. A walk-in shower instead of a tub, new tile, a larger vanity.
• Flooring. One continuous floor instead of three different ones, or a material that stands up better to the next spill.
• Layout. Opening up a room, moving a doorway or reclaiming wasted space while the framing is exposed.
• Finishes. Paint colors, trim and lighting you actually picked, instead of whatever came with the house.

You don't need a finished plan before we talk. Bring a few photos of what you like, and we'll work out what fits the house and the timing of the rebuild.

Our co-founder, Ricky Ballard, started in restoration as a technician and carpenter. He went on to build spec and custom homes and to complete remodels and additions through his own construction company, and our team brings more than 15 years of combined experience across our companies. That background is why remodeling sits next to restoration here instead of being handed off. You can read more in our story.

Our base is San Antonio, and we work in homes across the city and the communities we serve. If the damage just happened, call 24/7: restoration comes first, and the work starts on the first visit. If the drying is underway and you're starting to think about what comes next, send us a request and tell us what you have in mind.