Bad crawlspace

2/28/2023 (Permalink)

Dirty crawl space

What's that terrible smell?  That's what diners at this Stevensville, MI restaurant were thinking when they visited.  Mystery odors can be one of the most difficult things to remediate or eliminate.  Obnoxious odors can generate from many things such as: wet dirt, leaking disposal pipes, cardboard, dead critters, pest excrement...

SERVPRO of Berrien County has been helping customers clean up crawlspaces since 1995.  The first thing is to identify what the cause is.  Then we remove debris, have broken pipes fixed, dry the area, apply deodorizers and antimicrobial, install 6 mil plastic sheeting to contain moisture in dirt.  Whatever is necessary to make the atmosphere clean and healthy.

When odors affect your building's operational ability there is always a cause that must be discovered and fixed.  

Call the pros at SERVPRO.

Here to Help

House Fire

2/27/2023 (Permalink)

Catastrophic house fire

House fires come in all shapes and sizes.  This fire happened in Stevensville, MI during the dead of winter.  Single digit temperatures and strong winds off Lake Michigan combined to assist this fire in it's total consumption of this shoreline home.

SERVPRO of Berrien County assists Fire Departments in their fire prevention efforts annually.  We provide smoke alarms and prevention tips for residents.  It has been proven that the best defense against house fires is a good offense.  Be careful with lit candles, space heaters and compromised wiring.  Don't walk away from lit candles, keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from flammable items and replace bad wiring.

This fire house had a bad wiring issue that resulted in a total loss.  Luckily nobody was home.

If you experience fire or smoke damage call on SERVPRO for cleanup and repairs.  

Water heater drains

2/27/2023 (Permalink)

Water damage from water heater

Water heaters usually hold 40-80 gallons of water at any given time.  And they all malfunction at some point during their serviceable life usually 10-15 years.  But they can fail at any time because the water supply lines are constantly under pressure.  Lines leak, valves break and the water has to go someplace.

This St. Joseph, Michigan condominium ceiling was directly below the upper unit's water heater.  About 60 gallons of water drained into carpeting, padding and the ceiling below.  What you can see is wet drywall, separated tape and bulging paint areas.  These damaged material will be removed and replaced during remediation.  

SERVPRO of Berrien County has been helping residents clean up after water damage since 1995.  We are experts at what we do.

Here to Help

Fire and Smoke damage

2/27/2023 (Permalink)

Fire and smoke damage

House fires have the potential to be huge disasters for everybody involved, including pets.  Sometimes the fire is so advanced that the firefighters must work from the outside.  They may need to cut holes in the roof, break down doors and window to put water on the flames.

Benton Harbor, Michigan fires are that same as anywhere else.  Once they get started the flames can be extremely hard to extinguish.  Even a fire in one room can smoke damage the entire home.

SERVPRO of Berrien County has been helping fire victims reclaim their homes and possessions since 1995.  We start by boarding up holes and broken windows.  Then we remove damage contents that can be cleaned.  They are stored at our warehouse.  Then the damaged materials are removed, the areas cleaned and rebuilt.  This all takes time and labor.  Be as patient as possible.  

Here to Help

Storm damage

7/18/2022 (Permalink)

Storm water damage to attic

Summer storms in Southwest Michigan can be very violent with strong winds and heavy rains.  In May of 2022 along the coast of Lake Michigan a condo was severely damaged.  

A large tree limb broke off an enormous tree and crashed into the roof of this St. Joseph condo.  The branch penetrated the roof leaving a huge hole that wind driven rain poured into.  The cellulose insulation became saturated and very heavy.  The drywall ceiling got wet and caved in under the weight of water soaked materials.  

SERVPRO had the tree removed, tarped the hole in the roof and cleaning up the damaged materials.  Then we dried the entire area with dehumidifiers and air movers over a 4 day period.  Remodel came next.

You can count on SERVPRO 24/7 to respond to emergencies like this one.  

Here to Help

Fire and Smoke

7/15/2022 (Permalink)

Affected materials hold odor.

SERVPRO of Berrien County was called upon to clean up and restore a St. Joseph children's museum after a fire started in the attic.  This tourist attraction will be sorely missed during cleanup and restoration.  

The fire department responded immediately and used water to extinguish the fire.  The entire facility was affected by smoke and water.  Ceilings, insulation, drywall, walls, wood floors, carpeting, fixtures, contents and museum displays.  Most of the affected materials required removal while critical structure was cleaned and sealed for odor control.

Where there is smoke there is fire and odor that will remain until removed through demolition, cleaning and reconstruction.  The picture shows how affected the drywall, paper and insulation is from fire.  All these absorbent materials will hold smoke odor until removed.  

SERVPRO is Here to Help you recover from fire and smoke damage.  

Smoke Damage

7/15/2022 (Permalink)

This can be cleaned

SERVPRO of Berrien County has been helping residents cleanup their homes after smoke damage since 1995.  We restore damaged homes for the majority of fire victims in Berrien County.  Our trained and certified fire restoration specialists will work with you and your insurance to bring your home back to it's preloss condition.

Affected materials can either be cleaned or replaced.  Many absorbent materials need to be replaced when severely affected by smoke and water.  Non absorbent materials like glass, ceramic, tile, bath tubs and solid wood can be successfully cleaned in most cases.

Contents are packed out to our warehouse for cleaning and storage.  They are placed in an ozone chamber after cleaning to remove any remaining odor of smoke.  

SERVPRO is Here to Help 

Heat damage

6/20/2022 (Permalink)

Heat and smoke damage

SERVPRO of Berrien County, Michigan has been helping fire damage victims clean up and repair homes since 1995.  We respond to the majority of fire events with speed and organization.  

Surviving a house fire is one of the most traumatic events you could ever experience.  Let's hope this never happen to you and your family.  Even a small fire can pollute your house so bad that you need to live elsewhere for months.  

Our certified fire technicians and supervisors work with you and your insurance to organize all of your contents for cleaning or replacement.  Then we clean the inside of your home completely.  And after remodel we pack back all or your cleaned contents.  And you are kept informed of all activities every step of the way.

Here to Help

Supporting Emergency Responders

6/17/2022 (Permalink)

Fire Fighters Association donation

SERVPRO of Berrien County, Michigan has been supporting first responders since 1995.  From St. Joseph to Niles we have been consistently providing these heroes with cash donations, fire extinguishers, smoke alarms and CO alarms.  Fire safety equipment that they feel is the best front line defense against loss of life and severe injury when disaster strikes.

Berrien County has 26 active fire departments that save lives and homes when fires happen.  Many of these departments are mostly volunteers that have dedicated their time and energy to help victims of emergency situations.

SERVPRO has donated more than 10,000 smoke alarms to these fire department to distribute among residents in need of safety equipment.  Smoke alarms save lives.  And we are proud to help any way we can.

Here to Help

Supporting Schools

6/15/2022 (Permalink)

Community athletic support

SERVPRO of Berrien County, MI has been servicing Southwest Michigan since 1995.  From Niles to St. Joseph and New Buffalo to Watervliet we respond 24/7/365.

Our staff of certified technicians live in the area, their kids attend the schools and they all work in the county.  These families are part of the area's fabric.

School athletic sponsorships are something we actively seek out and support.  Teamwork and student participation in extra activities are an important part of education and employment.  We encourage this in our employees and area students.

Giving back to the community we live and work in is very important to our service mission.  Anything we can do, anytime we can, we will find a way.  

SERVPRO is Here to Help