Fire in house...Bar RE-OPENING is Scheduled!! New pics 9/28

Hi everyone,

I need suggestions, and I need em fast.

We had a fire at the house this past thursday night (3/23). Everyone is ok, and the house, although uninhabitable, is structurally sound.

Unfortunately, soot & ash are EVERYWHERE in the house. The damamge is pretty extensive.

The lounge did not get hit by any flame, but is also COVERED in the foul smelling soot. The cleaning crew has told me that there is NO WAY to clean the soot out of the bamboo (too porous) and that the bar is going to have to be gutted.

This absolutely breaks my heart.

If anyone (Bamboo Ben, Im looking in your direction....) has any ideas on how to save my lounge, please, let me know as soon as possible. I've convinced the cleanup crew to not touch that room for a few days.

Thanks!!!

Pre-Fire pics...(will post some post fire pics when I have my computer up & running)

[ Edited by: Bargoyle 2006-04-01 20:00 ]

[ Edited by: Bargoyle 2006-04-17 18:47 ]

[ Edited by: Bargoyle 2006-08-15 06:39 ]

[ Edited by: Bargoyle 2006-08-29 17:06 ]

[ Edited by: Bargoyle 2006-09-28 12:06 ]

[ Edited by: Bargoyle 2006-09-28 16:59 ]

Search for a company named chemspec, they have a cleaner for everything, even one to remove dead body odor. No Joke.

Best of luck.

I used to work for my parents blind cleaning company, where we used an ultrasonic water-based cleaning method to clean the blinds. Quite often we did fire cleanup jobs and put all sorts of stuff in the machine. The fire restoration crews used to have us try to clean stuff before the insurance company paid for replacement.

The ultrasonic method would definitely work to get soot out of normally hard to clean places, as long as the object can fit in the tank. Look in the yellow pages under "blind cleaning - ultrasonic".

The restoration companies would also use a machine that literally destroy all the oxygen in a room in order to combat the smell.

I would look up ServPro to see if there's a franchise in your area, I did a lot of work with them.

Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestion!

Found em at chemspecworld.com

All they seem to have are a degreaser and the chemical sponges that the cleaning crew are using on the drywalls & ceiling. Unfortunately, these wont work on bamboo(according to the cleaning crew...I might have to try it on my own)

Bargoyle, I have an ultrasonic cleaner for clock repair. We can put some smaller stuff in it.

Thanks for the input Aloha.taboo.

We're working with ServiceMaster, and they've got one of those O-Zone machines (or whatever it is) upstairs right now.

I guess there's no way of getting this stuff clean with out at least taking it all down.

Still, taking it down is better than detroying it all.

I'll try the blind cleaners too. The problem I see there may be one of size. Most of the bamboo on the ceiling is 12 foot long. Do the blind washers come that big? ALthought the blind washers might be perfect for the Lauhala on the walls!

Thanks again!

Thanks Pappy.

I'll def take you up on that. Pretty much every mug, carving, print, glass & swizzle stick needs to be cleaned or destroyed.

I'm really hoping for cleaned.

Breaks my heart man...I've already built this room twice. I just dont know if I have a third one in me!

Gotta try to save it intact

Very sorry to hear about this...

I have salvaged important documents by takin gthem to a company focused on 'preservation' of paper documents... often used for art or related things. I would recommend taking things like the SHAG print of yours to have it gone over with a company that can ensure it has not been damaged... I'd hate to lose that, let alone everything else.

Best of luck in your recovery.

Thanks for the advice blowfish...there are actually about 10 shag prints that need to be gone over. The ones in the tiki bar got the brunt of the soot, but even the ones upstairs took a good blast. (Not to mention 2 that still in delivery tubes and not framed yet!!)

For the amount that the framing cost (museum preservation quality, uv glass, etc etc) I'm hoping that they're ok. Still, I'll have em checked out on the insurance company's dime. Thanks again for the tip!

My heart goes out to you! I wish I had advice to give. :(

I've met you, you will rebuild!

Keep the faith.

My sympathies and best wishes. What I would give for some of the things I lost in a house fire in my past.

In my (limited) experience I think your hardest battle is going to be between the insurance and cleaning company. What i recommend is that you talk to the cleaning/removal company and find out what they want to 'total' and see if you can have it left in place. That way you can at least have it for a future go at a proper cleaning. The company that the insurance is going to send in is there simply to clean what they can easily and ditch the rest.

As to the smell that is going to be in everything.... That one is tough. Some things, like bamboo and other pourus objects, you may just have to mask the smell as best as you can. Sealing them again (and again, and again) will help but never really stop it. Bamboo Ben can tell you more and better on the wood bits. As to any fabrics, save yourself the greif and get rid of them. They never quite come back to color and always have the soot smell. Especially bar stools and chair covers.

The one thing I can offer in the way of ideas is kind of old fashioned and that is to lay things out in the sun. Clean what you can with some good soap and water, or whatever is appropriate for the material you are cleaning, and then lay the item out in the sun for a day to dry. The sun will help dry them and do a bit of bleaching on the item if it is discolored.

Best of luck and keep us posted. If there is anything Andy and I can do to help, let us know.

I'm no expert in fire cleanup so not much to add there. If you're looking at having a little cleaning party let me know and I'll try to make arrangements. Its good to hear that its' not completely destroyed.

Here are some pics of the coolest bar in CT:

I wish you the best of luck with everything and hope to see the bar rise from the ashes! And if you need some mugs or bamboo scrubbed let me know. Mahalo!

Oh SHIT! I am so sorry for your loss!!!!!

[ Edited by: Sneakytiki 2006-03-28 00:54 ]

Be prepared to have EVERYTHING in your house cleaned. There are traces of soot everywhere that you can't see. You will probably need to have the whole inside of your house repainted, even in the un-damaged rooms.

Can you still live in your house while it's being repaired?

Man that sucks. A mate of mine had a fire recently - the smoke smell gets in everything. Specially stuf like plastic, because it soaks in the odours. I dont like your chances for saving the bamboo as I think it might have absorbed the smell too. Good luck though!

Oh wow. Looking at the pictures of your home bar is just heartbreaking thinking about what it must look like now. I don't have any advice to give, but just wanted to offer my sympathies. I'm very glad to hear nobody was hurt. How did the fire start? I'm sure we could all stand to learn from those who have lived through a fire as to how to prevent them from happening in the first place.

Dude, I'm so, so sorry. I hadn't planned on posting on TC about this, only informing TC Ohana who'd be directly effected, but I'm actually going through the same type of thing right now. Several weeks ago I had a fire in my business, which is now closed while our private Adjusting Service and Insurance Co duke it out in an attempt to alternately maximize or minimize our benefits. We can't do a thing till they're finished. Huge bummer. Pretty much a total loss. We were in the middle of a remodel too, building a nifty in store a-frame and tiki grotto to display bar ware, island carvings, books, artwork and tiki specialty goodies. After almost a decade I'd finally committed funds to doing it right and housing it all in an atmosphere reflecting my love for the culture. Fortunately the guy helping with my build-out surfs and snowboards more than he builds or we'd have to tare down the entire completed project. As it is, everything we'd finished will have to be torn out including all thatch, reed, wall coverings and the new bamboo shelving built to display a huge selection of tiki mugs(now also covered in smoke and debris). Good news: I called Holden at Tiki Farm and he insists all properly glazed ceramics should be easily washed, good as new. Bad news: All soft goods that can't fit in the washing machine are history so I'd resign myself to replacing anything fabric in your home too including the carpet. I've also been told that even glass and metal will pit if soot isn't removed quickly. It's amazing how that smoke got everywhere. Thousands of dollars worth of premium cigars in a humidor I believed to be airtight are covered with a dirty film. So are files, catalogs and paperwork in well-sealed filing cabinets (and I don't even want to think about my 750+ CD's and sound system). The day after the fire I managed to pull a few large Tikis and a 500lb unvarnished cigar store Indian all of which were thoroughly washed with soap, water and lemon oil. They're at my house now and don't smell at all. The salvage and clean up crew will eventually remove and cleanse any large objects, wash all interior surfaces, apply a few coats of "Killz" and let us move back in to begin a slow rebuilding process. My thoughts are with you and I hope you can see through the soot to re-imagine your home and bar better that ever and never forget all the good times you had in your old bar PF (Pre-Fire). - HodadHank

Thanks for the well wishes and advice everyone!

We're still living in a hotel a few miles from our house, but we're hopefull that we'll be able to move back in by this weekend (we'll see)

The cleaning company is indeed cleaning EVERYTHING. All walls & ceiling in every room...took everything out of every cupboard and washed it...and the upstairs is starting to come back together slowly but surely.

Also, the insurance company had a dry cleaner come and they took everything that was made of cloth out of the house. Curtains, all our clothes (I mean everything...stuff in closets, drawers, in storage boxes, etc).

There's alot of stuff that is gonna have to be trashed, unfortunately.

The game room got it pretty bad...the pinball machines and MAME cabinet are pretty screwed.

As far as the bar...only one fatallity so far! One of the tiki figures from the Enchanted Tiki Room Big Fig got smashed. (Anyone know if you can buy just a replacement tiki for that set?)

It looks like the majority of the mugs can be saved. The prints are questionable....and unfortunately, it looks like all the bamboo, weave, grass, etc all has to go.

I'm hoping that I can get a General COntractor in there soon, before we rip out the bar, and maybe he can rebuild it? The GC already has his work cut out for him, and woking with bamboo might be a nice change of pace.

Now, if the insurance company would only pay to fly bamboo ben out for a few weeks!!

Anyway, Thanks again for the thoughts everyone. I'll try to get some pics off the camera in the next day or two.

ps. Johnman, thanks for the compliments...I dont know if it was the "coolest" bar in CT, but it was mine.

Not the MAME machine! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Guitar Hero no more? What are us cats supposed to do now?

Could you polycoat the bamboo to seal in any smoky smell? Maybe a matte finish varnish?

On 2006-03-29 05:57, freddiefreelance wrote:
Could you polycoat the bamboo to seal in any smoky smell? Maybe a matte finish varnish?

I'd thought of this myself but understand it would still need to be removed to do so. Since the smoke has permeated behind the surface Bargoyle would have coat both sides of every piece of bamboo.

Met with general contractor today. Alot more work needs to be done in the house than I though (I'm sure you found the same thing hodad...that damn soot gets in everything!)

Their basic take is that its pretty much unsavable. All the grass & matting has to come out and there's no way to save it at all (cant be sealed, cleaned...nothing).

I asked about sealing the bamboo and he didnt seem to think it would work. Not sure if its worth taking the risk...it might seem clean, and then the first hot, humid day we have and the whole house erupts in the stink of soot.

Basically, I've got three options as I see it.

1. We rip everything out, and I have them attempt to rebuild it, matching the way it exists now as close as possible (take tons of photos, etc) and perhaps change a few little things along the way(more permanent shelving etc.)

2. We rip everything out, and they give me a budgeted amount of $$, based on material expense and my man hours, and then I re-build it (again) the way I want it, and add improvements at my own expense (sink, bigger bar area, etc)

3. They rip everything out, they give me the cash to rebuild, and then I take the money and I blow it on fast cars, loose women, and the Craps table at Foxwoods....and the bar becomes just another boring old room...maybe a home office?

Now I know what you're thinking, but believe me, for the past few hours, #3 has been the frontrunner.

However, knowing myself as I do, I know option #1 or 2 will be the way I go.... oooooooooo...unless option 4 is like, get the money, fly Bamboo Ben out here, have him TOTALLY improve on my original design.

I'll keep everyone posted. Still have no way to get photos off the camera, but will post some pics in the next few days (I'll just buy a new usb cord).

Thanks again to everyone for their well-wishes and suggestions, and sorry you're going thru it too hodadhank...it sucks.

ps. I think tmrw begins mug cleaning!! whoohooo!

On 2006-03-29 13:08, Bargoyle wrote:

3. They rip everything out, they give me the cash to rebuild, and then I take the money and I blow it on fast cars, loose women, and the Craps table at Foxwoods....and the bar becomes just another boring old room...maybe a home office?

Now I know what you're thinking, but believe me, for the past few hours, #3 has been the frontrunner.

My heart truly goes out to you. After my house got munched, I thought, "Screw it. I'm never buying anything ever again." That feeling only lasted a few days though.

Rebuilding should help you to regain your sense of normalcy.

Good luck.

I just dug out the chemspec catalog. They have a whole line of smoke removal products. Try calling them 800-638-6188 Check out their Ultimat Odor Remover.

I'd take the cash, gamble at Foxwoods and make it double $$$ (hard eight), then buy the fast TRUCK - to carry all the new pre-made Tiki stuff I can get - Like a Witco tiki bar and Witco chairs and shelving and slowly rebuild. Still have the area for a "Tiki Bar", but let it slowly build itself. And of course print and frame the old pictures to raise a glass to them!

Went to house again today. Its getting there. CLeaned most of the mugs & put em away in boxes...my whoel life is in boxes right now....or on a big tarp in the backyard waiting to be cataloged by the insurance adjuster.

Anyway, got some pics if anyone wants to see them. My advice to everyone is to have multiple smoke alarms in your house. ESPECIALLY one RIGHT OUTSIDE your bedroom door. We only had one...waaaaaaay up the hall from our bedroom. If it wasnt for the dog, we'd be dead right now.

So, here's the basement from last week...

All those wierd looking black "spider-webs" are smoke. Since it was mostly plastic that burned, it left those weird strings everywhere...plus tons of soot, and a horrible toxic stench.

Here's the laundry room (it was the flash point...had the most damage...the walls were white at one time)...

Here's a few of the bar. The mugs were filthy. The camera doesn't do it justice. To show you the layer of soot on everything, fist up is a shot if the table next to the couch. The white stripes and area where I moved the BOT are "clean". That crap is on everything!

Mugs

Once mugs were removed....

The puffer has seen better days...and the HuKeLau towel Pappy got me...well, that used to be white...

Shot of the basement from today...

More photos on the blog at http://bargoyle.yafro.com/photos/2006/4/0

including some from bday party last month...happier times.

DAMN!! Do you know what in the laundry room started the fire?

My oldest brother went through a similar cleaning, when his oil heater malfunctioned/exploded, sending clouds of oil smoke throughout the house. I never did see pictures of his house when this happened, so your pics gives me idea of some of the work that was required to clean eveything up.

A year or two later, my brother's family experienced another mini-disaster, when his area received a monster amount of rain in a short period, causing Milwaukee's sewage system to backup - four feet into his basement. That one was harder to take, especially for his wife, as they lost all the photos/videos of their wedding and their kids growing up.

So..... even though it is a major pain, cleaning up after all this mess -- things could be worse! I'm glad to hear you and your family made it out safe.

Vern

Thanks for posting the pics BG. Man that's just so surreal. I'm hoping you opt for option 1 or 2. If you need some labor just shout my way. I'm cheap - a few Mai Tai's and we're good.

Please remember to clean all that stuff yourself. I went through a home fire many years ago. Any place that cleans "specializing in soot removal" will leave a really funky smell on your things. They don't seem to get the smoke smell out. They just mask it with some bizarre chemical. Good luck to you. Such a pain.

Tough luck BArgoyle. Sorry I missed this thread, I'm kind of deaf and couldn't hear everyone weeping. No one really knows what to say in these kind of times. Just roll up your sleeves and crack the whip to whoever is helping. They make some sponges that are just for removing soot. It is important to use those BEFORE you use water. Home Depot has them and I apologize for not knowing what they are named, but they work really well.
Good luck and I'l talk to the tiki gods tonight to see if they can throw a bit of extra mana your way.

Aloha TC Ohana, and thanks once again for everyone's well wishes. Its going on 4 weeks out of the house, and the tear out is well underway.

Figured I post some more pics if anyone is interested (morbid curiousity?)

I know, I know, its really depressing, but its kind of theraputic for me to post these de-construction steps. Makes me look forward to posting pics of the re-building in the near future!

Tore the bamboo off the walls (plenty of soot under there...and even more behind the weave!

Closeup of the soot on the drywall (it actually got BEHIND everything and onto the walls!)

More of those "soot-webs" got in behind the bamboo...

Tons of soot in the rafters...

and here's where most of the bar is now.....

Its like the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.....

Will post more as we make progress....Mahalo once again to all.

As always, more pics at http://bargoyle.yafro.com/

Wowee zowee! I guess that just confirms how extensive the smoke damage was... I hope it helps you feel better about having to rip it all out. You'll make it better the second time!

On 2006-04-17 18:46, Bargoyle wrote:
Its like the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.....

Well, it's good to know you've got "top men" working on the problem.

Best wishes for a quick rebuild.

JTD

Man, that is a bummer...but not an unconquerable one. It was my worst fear as a homeowner. I feel a bigger, better rebirth coming on. Hope it smoothes out. Aloha!

Tear out is done. All thats left is the drywall, and I think they tore that out today. I'll stop by the house tmrw & see. Some more pics....

Is that mural painted on the foundation or does it hafta die?

When the house is all new and shiny and the bar is reborn, you'll see the silver lining in it. I'm not saying it was a good thing just that something good will come out of it.

I've made the offer before but let me know if you need a hand.

Aloha Bargoyle...

Just wondering how the renovation was progressing! Coming down the home stretch here in Mission Beach. Extensive damage near fire origin area meant alot more work than we'd anticipated. Basically everything has taken a solid three times longer than projected. Hope all is well with your fresh new home bar.

Will post before and after pix soon.

Hey Hodad,

Glad everything is comming together for ya! Its a really slow process isn't it??

We're in the house...still just upstairs. The basement (rec room, bar etc) are slowly comming along. New drywall is finally up & they're staring to hang a new drop ceiling. Still needs a good coat of paint & carpeting. Plus the plumber & electrician still arent done! Its prob. still a few weeks to a month away from where I can even begin my part of the build out (bamboo drop ceiling, etc).

Havent even bought materials yet.

Looks like no Luau this year (sorry NE Ohana), and Lono only knows when the bar will back.

Figure when I start the re-build I'll move this thread over to Creating Tiki.

Once again, thanks to all for their love & support. We appreciate it all. And to those who've offered to help swing a hammer, the time is comming....hopefully soon.

Thanks again. Aloha.

Havent updated in awhile, so here's the progress up until last night....

First, here's a care package dogbytes sent to Guiness as a thank you for saving our lives. (Thanks dogbytes, she loved it!)

Here's what the basement looked like about two months ago...

The Bar...

Fast forward a month , and we have progress!!!!!

![](http://photos.yafro.com/pics3/i/20060815/06/1/0/5/1050116d42284ad42dad55b4178a603c200608150_full.jpg[img]

A blank cavas to start over on...

[img]http://photos.yafro.com/pics3/i/20060815/06/e/5/2/e5221e61480392a65e831b8270a52838200608150_full.jpg)

And, last night, started the first step. Painted lower half of walls where the bamboo goes...

Got a little carried away with the painting

Not sure if it should stay the Lono/Lava Lounge (II). I'm thinking under the circumstances, it should be named for Pele. Or if anyone out there has suggestions, I'm open to ideas....

Got a nice 2 tub bar sink in (upgrade #1), and yes, you saw correctly, there is still NO carpet!!!

Hopefully that changes by wed.

More to come.

Aloha.

[ Edited by: bargoyle 2006-08-15 11:50 ]

Woo hoo! That's alot of progress. Glad to see all the new walls and stuff. It must be nice to finally go downstairs again and not see DEstruction.

More Progress!!!!

BIG Mahaloz to Pappy the Sailor & Johnman!!! They came down to CT and gave me a hand this past weekend.

The giant leap the bar has taken would not be possible without them.

Thanks alot guys...I'm in your debt.

So, we started out by drilling 1" holes in the wall to accommodate the bamboo poles for the ceiling... (awesome drill work courtesy of johnman)

After getting all the holes drilled, we put the lauhala mats on the wall. This step would have been nearly impossible without help!!

Also, as a note, although buying the mat in a 50' roll was cheaper, it is MUCH harder to work with (just did 8 footers last time) and most of it is NOT 4' wide...this could pose a problem with the lower wall....we'll see.

First corner...off & running!!

First cut as right wall is completed

the final piece put in place!!

and now, time for the ceiling!! pole #1...

and here is the ceiling frame completed!!

Thats all for now....

next step is shelving, then lower wall & trim.

The official bar re-opening party is on Oct 21st, so not much time to lallygag.

Once again, thanks to everyone for their support & well wishes.

Aloha!!

[ Edited by: Bargoyle 2006-08-29 17:20 ]

looking great, love the ceiling! drunkenmunky wants to do something similar to that in the huki lounge

Looking Great!

I'm seriously considering taking a night off from work to attend!

wow! Really looking great. I love the ceiling work
I had the same problems with the 50 ft roll of matting too. I wanted to pull my hair out by the time I had finished installing that stuff.

bargoyle, if you'll pm your address to me, i'd like to send a couple of things to help redecorate your tiki bar. i'm glad to see your progress. mahalo, bullet

Thanks bullet & everyone else. Its really coming along nicely. I'll post some more pics tonight or tomorrow.

In the meantime, I wanted to give everyone a heads up about the grand re-opening party on Oct. 21st.

I want to invite anyone who can make it to at least stop on by and have a drink with me.

Waitiki is set to play a few sets, and it should be a hoot & a half.

Thank you so much for all the love & support.

Official invite is here: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=21223&forum=4&0&PHPSESSID=b76c0cf78ea91204d7537d542687648f