From water damage to dream kitchen!

This kitchen was remodeled by us after taking some serious water damage. A “water loss” is what your insurance company calls it when water destroys a part of your home. It can come in through a leaky roof or from a busted pipe and if it isn’t caught, it can unfortunately ruin large areas of your home.

This is why homeowner’s insurance is so crucial. Your insurance company will send in a mitigation team to dry out the area that was effected and from there, you can work with an experienced builder to begin repairs.

In this home, we worked with the homeowners to to not just bring their kitchen back, but to help make it a kitchen they will love for years to come. Here, we started from the ground up - selecting flooring and trim with the homeowner, then counters and cabinets, like the gorgeous cabinet set around the refrigerator! Speaking of refrigerators, we then helped them with appliances and finally the sink, faucet and backsplash!

Working on the interior design with the homeowners is the best way to not just give back your space and quality of life, it’s the best way to improve it and turn a home nightmare into a dream kitchen!

The team responded to tarp off a home that had suffered serious fire damage earlier this week. A “tarp off” is what we call it when we cover up damage to a home to protect it from further damage. I’m this case, the team worked until just after midnight. They were tired by the time it was over, but it’s worth it to provide a service to our community and to help homeowners get on the path to return their home to normal after a disaster.

Restoring a Historic Commercial Property in Lansing

We have been doing more commercial work recently, including putting curved drywall up inside a historic building in Lansing. The new owners want their business environment to reflect the old-school charm of this beautiful property. Curving drywall is difficult and tedious, but it’s well within the skillset of our drywall expert.

While we are a residential contractor first, commercial business has been a cornerstone of what we do for the Lansing community. This project is going to look incredible when it is complete and will be worth a trip just to take a look!

A Tree Damaged Home Becomes a Dream Home

Imagine a tree falling through your roof while you’re in your home! It’s a nightmare most of us hope never happens. Unfortunately, it does happen, but my team was able to intervene and turn this nightmare into a dream come true.

My project manager on this job was Dave Wilson, an experienced home builder. I knew he could save the home and help navigate this to a win for the homeowners.

The house itself was older and a hodgepodge of additions that were made over time. The homeowners wanted to unify it and make the inside feel like one, original home.

Before we could do that, we had to get the roof right. Some other roofers in the past had made interesting choices ( to say the least). There were five layers of old roofing. That’s no problem though.

With the roof fixed, we were able to give the outside of the home a makeover, making it a handsome blue with more modern shapes and features.

On the inside, we had the freedom to create a new, open layout for the homeowner - again making it more modern, but most importantly - comfortable!

I’m proud of Dave and the team and happy for the homeowners, who now have Dream house of their own!

Still Working, Still Helping!

The Zischke Builders team is still hard at work. We are taking appropriate precautions, but the truth is that people still need water or fire damage repaired so they have a home they can comfortably stay in. We are still prepared to assist those in need - we just installed ramps for a homeowner to be able to better access their home alone, without assistance.

Please message me here if you have any work that needs to be done or call 517-242-4353 to talk about any upcoming work you’d like an estimate on. We are still at work and still able to assist you and your family.

Saving Money Might Cost You When it Comes to the "Handyman"

Think you might save money with a handy man? Think again. The photos here show how a handy man drilled through a PVC pipe while installing cabinets for a homeowner.
As a family man, I can appreciate trying to find ways to save money, but cutting corners in home remodeling often ends in disaster. The truth is that a 10 cent screw, when misplaced, can lead to thousands of dollars of damage. You can’t afford to not hire a professional.
Take a look at the damage done in these photos. Luckily, the homeowner has Servicemaster Absolute Home & Restoration Services and my business in their corner now.
Whether you use Zischke Builders or another professional service, please hire a professional. If you would like to start a remodeling project, call (517) 242-4353 and I’ll come give you a free estimate.

A Kitchen Saved From Frozen Pipes

When a pipe burst this winter, it ruined this kitchen. Everything down to the very studs had to be removed. It’s an unfortunate danger of cold climates and I wish people didn’t have to face it. When they do - they need professionals to make things right and restore order to their home. That’s where my team and the great people at Servicemaster Absolute Home & Restoration Services come in.

Once the damage was mitigated by Service Master’s team, my team was able to come in, work with the homeowner on their ideal kitchen redesign and make it happen.

With very little hassle, we were able to install new cabinets, counters, floors, trim and drywall with fresh paint.

I’m proud of the work we did here (look at the before photos) and proud to work in a business where we can help people get back to their lives after disaster strikes.

If you find yourself the victim of a burst pipe or other water damage, call Service Master. If you need restoration work or just a good, old fashioned remodeling - call (517) 242-4353 or email zischkebuilders@gmail.com

A Start to Another Project

The team and I are working another large scale remodel! This time we are working a new kitchen remodel along with new floors and some other work you will see in later posts.

The floor was squeaking and sagging so we added a joists to all the old ones and put down a new subfloor. Solid as a rock and zero squeaks.

I can’t wait to show you more as the work progresses here, so be on the lookout next week to see where this goes!

Termite Damaged Home Finished and Ready!

In February, I was called to a home that had termite damage so widespread, that several contractors told the homeowners they’d have to tear the home down. Luckily, they called me. I took a look around and found that most of the home could be saved, but it would take precision and patience.

Two months later, my team saved what could not be saved! I’m so proud of everyone involved in this project. We worked with the homeowner to design a new layout. We opened up the ceilings and the floor plan. This not only made their home more modern and spacious, but it saved them money as well.

It wasn’t easy. We had to design plans to hold the siding on the house while we replaced walls underneath, we had to re-frame load bearing walls one stud at a time.

Look at the home now though. I can’t tell you how happy I am for the homeowners and how much heartache and money we were able to save them.

We can save your home too. If you’ve been told your home is beyond repair due to termite damage, call me. I’d love to come out and give you a second opinion. Message me on facebook, email zischkebuilders@gmail.com or call me at 517-819-0429.

Let’s get to work!

Termite damaged home gets second opinion and second chance: Part 3

We’ve made tremendous progress on a home with the worst termite damage I’ve ever seen. Some of you probably remember the home I’m talking about. Several contractors said it would need to be demolished, but we were able to come in with experience and skill to not only restore the home, but work with the homeowner to make this a lot closer to a dream than a nightmare!

Let’s take a look at a corner of the front room that once had a low ceiling and had some very serious damage:

This is what craftsmen do: we solve problems. Now we aren’t done yet. Check out the vaulted ceiling now that we have added drywall and started to cut for lights:

I’m so excited to see this progress that I just had to share it here. I know a lot of my friends reached out and asked how we would fix this!

If your home has been damaged by termites, don’t take somebody’s word for it that you’re house needs to be demolished. Give me a call at (517) 819-0429 or email me at zischkebuilders@gmail.com and I’ll come out and give you an expert second opinion for free.