“In the middle of the destruction — a plant still growing. Still reaching for the light. That’s the spirit of restoration.”
We walked into a West Jordan home recently that stopped us cold.
The garage was gone. A burned out car sat on cracked concrete beneath a collapsed ceiling. Charred framing stood where walls used to be. Soot coated every surface in every room. The master bathroom — once clearly someone’s sanctuary, with a beautiful freestanding soaking tub and corner windows — was now a gray and black shell of ash and debris. The master bedroom told the same story — furniture covered in soot, walls streaked black, flooring buried under ash.
The family wasn’t there when we arrived. They hadn’t been home in weeks.
And then one of our technicians noticed something.
In the middle of all that destruction — surrounded by ash and soot and the smell of smoke — a plant was growing.
Green. Alive. Reaching toward the light coming through the smoke stained windows.
We all stopped and looked at it for a moment. Nobody said anything.
That plant became the symbol of everything we do.
Because that’s exactly what restoration is. Finding the life that remains. Protecting it. Building everything back around it until a home feels like a home again.
What We Found
This fire was extensive. Here’s what our assessment revealed:
The garage:
A vehicle fire had started the blaze. What remained was a completely burned out car frame sitting on heat cracked concrete. The garage ceiling had partially collapsed. Structural framing was charred through. The roof above showed significant heat and fire damage.
The master bathroom:
Looking at the photos it’s hard to believe this was once a beautiful space. The freestanding soaking tub — still standing, still intact — sits in a room where the ceiling is peeling, every surface is coated in thick gray soot, and the walls are streaked black from floor to ceiling. The light fixtures hang twisted. The mirrors are coated. Even the window blinds — somehow still hanging — are gray with soot.
What strikes you most about this room is not the damage. It’s what the damage surrounds. That soaking tub. Still white. Still beautiful underneath the soot. Still worth saving.
Just like the plant.
The master bedroom:
A room that clearly meant something to this family — nice furniture, a carefully decorated space — is now buried under ash. The artwork on the wall hangs warped and blackened. The carpet is gray. The bed, the dresser, the rug — everything covered in the same layer of soot and debris. Footprints in the ash show where firefighters walked.
The rest of the home:
Smoke travels. It doesn’t respect walls or doors or the boundaries of where the fire burned. Throughout this home — in rooms nowhere near the garage — smoke had settled on surfaces, embedded in soft goods, and penetrated through the HVAC system into every corner.
What We Told This Family
When we sat down with this family to go through our assessment we started with something important:
Your home is saveable.
That matters. In the immediate aftermath of a fire that level of damage can feel permanent. It can feel like everything is gone. Our job — before we talk about scope or timeline or cost — is to help a family see what we see.
We see what this home can be again.
We walked them through every room. We showed them what would be removed and what would stay. We explained exactly what each phase of restoration would look like. We answered every question — and there were many.
We told them about the plant.
Our Proposed Restoration Plan
Here’s what Best Option Restoration has proposed for this West Jordan family:
Phase 1 — Vehicle and Debris Removal
Before any restoration work can begin the burned vehicle must be properly removed and disposed of as a hazardous material. All fire debris throughout the garage and affected areas will be carefully removed.
Phase 2 — Structural Assessment and Stabilization
A licensed structural engineer will assess the garage and any affected structural elements. We will stabilize the property — tarping roof damage, boarding openings — to prevent any further weather damage while work proceeds.
Phase 3 — Demolition
All fire and smoke damaged materials will be carefully removed:
• Garage ceiling, framing, and roof decking
• All drywall in fire and smoke affected areas
• Flooring throughout affected areas
• Insulation
• Damaged cabinetry and fixtures
Phase 4 — Smoke Remediation Throughout the Home
Every surface in the home will be professionally cleaned using techniques matched to each surface type. The HVAC system will be completely cleaned to remove smoke from the ductwork — critical to prevent smoke odor from recirculating after restoration is complete.
Phase 5 — Odor Elimination
Thermal fogging and ozone treatment will permanently eliminate smoke odor throughout the home. We don’t consider this phase complete until air quality testing confirms safe levels.
Phase 6 — Structural Reconstruction
As a licensed B100 General Contractor we will rebuild what was lost:
• New garage framing and roof structure
• New roof decking and roofing
• New garage door and hardware
Phase 7 — Interior Reconstruction
• New drywall and insulation throughout affected areas
• New flooring throughout fire and smoke affected rooms
• Master bathroom restoration — ceiling, walls, fixtures
• Master bedroom restoration — flooring, walls, ceiling
• Complete interior paint throughout affected areas
• Replacement of damaged fixtures and hardware
Phase 8 — Final Walkthrough and Clearance
We don’t hand a home back to a family until every surface has been checked, air quality has been tested, and we are confident the home is completely restored. The family walks through with us. We address anything that isn’t right.
The Insurance Process
This family — like most families after a fire — is navigating an insurance claim at the same time they’re dealing with the emotional weight of displacement.
We are handling all insurance communication on their behalf.
Every room documented. Every material inventoried. Every trade and cost accounted for in the scope. We work in Xactimate — the same software insurance adjusters use — so our estimates speak their language and nothing gets missed.
Our goal is simple: make sure this family gets every dollar they’re entitled to so their home is fully restored.
About That Plant
[INSERT PLANT PHOTO HERE — FINAL PLACEMENT]
We’re going to be honest — that plant stuck with us long after we left that home.
In the middle of one of the worst things that can happen to a family something kept growing. Something kept reaching toward the light. Something refused to give up on that home even when it looked like everything was lost.
We’re going to take care of that plant while we work.
And when this family walks back into their restored home — we’re going to make sure it’s sitting right where they left it.
Green. Alive. Home.
Update Coming Soon
This job is currently in progress. We’ll be updating this post with before and after photos as restoration moves forward.
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Facing Fire Damage in Salt Lake County?
Call us. Whether it happened last night or weeks ago — we can help.
Call or Text: 385-376-8300
Available 24/7 | Free Estimates | Licensed B100 Contractor | Insurance Approved
Serving West Jordan, South Jordan, Sandy, Draper, Riverton, Bluffdale, Murray and all of Salt Lake County.