Fire Damage Restoration in Elk River, MN

The fire is out and the trucks have gone. You’re standing in the driveway holding a phone, and nobody has told you what happens next.

That gap is the hardest part. Kiser Construction has been filling it for property owners in Elk River since 2008.

We handle fire damage restoration from the first board up through the final coat of paint. IICRC certified, Lead-Safe certified, BBB A+ rated, licensed in Minnesota under BC416441. Our emergency line at 612-518-8852 is answered by a real person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What to Expect in the First 48 Hours

Emergency board up and securing the structure

A fire-damaged building is open to weather, animals, and anyone who wanders in. Securing it is the first job.

We board windows and doors. We tarp damaged roofing. We make the structure safe.

Your carrier expects you to stop further damage. This is how that gets done. More on our emergency board up and tarping page.

The DocuSketch 360-degree scan

Before anything gets moved or removed, we scan the property with a DocuSketch camera. It captures 360-degree images of every damaged area from top to bottom.

Those images generate measurements of each room and build a floor plan. That floor plan speeds up writing the scope of work for your insurance claim, and it gives your adjuster measured dimensions instead of numbers written from memory.

For a total loss, that documentation is often the only record of what the house contained.

What the insurance adjuster will need

After you file, an adjuster will come out to inspect. They’ll want the extent of the damage documented, an itemized scope, and a record of the emergency steps you took.

We handle that side with you through our insurance claim assistance team, and we work directly with your carrier and mortgage company.

If you haven’t taken the first steps yet, our guide on what to do after a fire covers them.

Our Fire Damage Restoration Process

Soot and smoke residue removal

Soot is corrosive and it keeps working after the fire is out. Left on metal, glass, and finished surfaces, it etches and stains within days.

Different fires leave different residues. Each one needs a different cleaning method.

Get that wrong and you drive the residue deeper into the surface instead of lifting it. Our smoke damage cleanup page covers the detail.

Odor removal and air purification

Smoke odor lives in porous materials and in the HVAC system. Surface cleaning alone doesn’t touch it.

We treat the structure, the contents, and the air. Odor that returns three weeks later means the job wasn’t finished.

Contents pack-out, cleaning, and storage

Belongings come out of the structure so we can work and so they stop absorbing smoke. We pack out, inventory, and move contents to secure storage, then clean what can be saved.

Details are on our fire damage contents cleaning page.

Structural repairs and full rebuild

Some homes need selective repair. Some need to come down and go back up. Both are our work.

We’re a licensed general contractor, so the rebuild doesn’t get handed to somebody else. Framing, drywall, cabinetry, flooring, finish carpentry, paint. You can see completed fire rebuilds in our project gallery.

Can My Home Be Saved, or Does It Need a Full Rebuild?

How that decision actually gets made

It depends on how much of the structure survived, what the heat did to framing and connections, and what the smoke reached. Some heavily damaged homes are repairable. Some lightly damaged ones aren’t worth repairing once you open the walls.

We assess the structure, document it, and give you an honest read. That answer belongs to the building, not to whichever number is more convenient.

What the adjuster inspection involves

Your adjuster inspects the damage, reviews the scope, and determines what the policy covers. Severe fires get more scrutiny and more back-and-forth.

The better the documentation going in, the fewer rounds that takes. This is where the 360-degree scan earns its keep.

Additional living expenses while you are displaced

If your home is uninhabitable, most policies cover hotel stays and other additional living expenses while you’re out. Check your policy for loss of use coverage, and ask early rather than after you’ve paid for a month of lodging.

Why Elk River Families Choose Kiser After a Fire

One company from board up through rebuild

Board up, mitigation, contents, reconstruction, finish work. Same company, same project manager, same phone number.

That matters more after a fire than any other loss. You’re already dealing with insurance, temporary housing, and a family that’s had a rough month. You shouldn’t also be managing four contractors.

Certified, licensed, and local

We’re an IICRC Certified Firm, certified through the IICRC. We’re also a Lead-Safe Certified Firm, which matters in older homes.

BBB A+ rated. License BC416441. Our shop is at 12767 Meadowvale Rd NW in Elk River. The company opened in 2003 and moved into fire and water restoration in 2008.

We don’t chase disasters. After a big event, out-of-state crews arrive and leave once the work dries up. We serve the seven-county Twin Cities metro and the northern suburbs year round, including Blaine, Maple Grove, and Coon Rapids.

Named project managers who stay with your job

Our reviews name individual people, which is rare in this industry. After one house fire, a customer wrote that Nick and Scott guided them through the rebuild, answered their questions, and delivered work that exceeded what they expected.

You get a written scope before work begins and a customer portal showing your job schedule in real time. Read our customer reviews for more.

Fire Damage FAQs

How soon can you board up my house after a fire?

Our emergency line at 612-518-8852 is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and board up is a first-response service. Call as soon as the fire department releases the property.

Do you handle smoke and odor removal as well as structural repairs?

Yes. Soot removal, odor treatment, contents cleaning, and full reconstruction are all in-house. We’re a licensed general contractor as well as an IICRC Certified Firm.

How long does fire damage restoration take?

It depends on the extent. A smaller loss may take a few months. A large fire loss can take over a year from mitigation to completion, partly because the rebuild can’t start until your insurer approves the claim.

Will insurance pay for a hotel while my home is being rebuilt?

Most policies include loss of use coverage for additional living expenses when a home is uninhabitable. Check your policy and raise it with your adjuster early.

Can my belongings be cleaned after smoke damage?

Often, yes. We pack out, inventory, and store contents, then clean what can be restored using professional equipment.

Do you serve Elk River, Monticello, and the northern suburbs?

Yes. We work throughout the seven-county Twin Cities metro and the northern suburbs, within a one to two hour radius of our Elk River office.

Kiser Construction. In business in Elk River since 2003. Fire, water, and storm restoration since 2008.