Fast, Reliable Reconstruction & Cleanup Across San Marino
Reconstruction and cleanup in San Marino means working with homes that were built to last a century, not a decade. Most houses here went up between 1920 and 1950 as architect-designed estates with original plaster walls, clay tile roofs, and millwork you cannot buy off a shelf at any supply yard. When water, fire, or smoke damage hits those materials, the wrong contractor will do more harm than good. Wade’s Restoration of California has spent nearly two decades repairing and rebuilding San Marino homes the right way, with materials-matching and historic-finish expertise baked into every scope. Call (855) 915-0646 and Wade will answer.
Why Wade’s Restoration of California Is San Marino’s Preferred Reconstruction & Cleanup Company
Wade Ferris started this company in 2007 because he was tired of watching restoration outfits quote one number on the phone and a different one at the door. That still happens every day in San Marino, and our phone rings because of it. The homes here are not standard anything, so the work should not be either.
San Marino customers ask us back because we document everything. On every reconstruction job we photograph the damage, log moisture readings daily, and hand you the full record at the end. We also deal with your insurance adjuster directly, so you are not the one stuck relaying measurements and invoices between two sides. Ask anyone on your street. Wade’s name is on the truck, his address is published, and he answers his own phone. He will run into you again at Lacy Park or the hardware store, which is the oldest accountability mechanism there is.
When a San Marino homeowner calls about smoke migration through plaster ceilings or a burst supply line in a 1931 Tudor, we are on the road fast. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from the brand’s Los Angeles office, and crews serve San Marino locally. You get a live person, not a voicemail queue.
Our Reconstruction & Cleanup Services in San Marino
Full-Service Reconstruction
Reconstruction in San Marino is not a drywall-and-paint job. We rebuild water-damaged walls in original horsehair and lime plaster, match existing wood species and grain patterns, and coordinate with specialty millwork shops that can reproduce the hand-carved moldings found throughout this city’s pre-war estates. Before we write a scope, we walk every room with you and flag anything that will trigger Architectural Design Review Board review. That conversation happens before work begins, not after the stop-work order arrives.
Drywall & Flooring Repair
Old-growth Douglas fir and oak flooring in San Marino can usually be saved even after significant water exposure, but only if the drying plan is right. Our Reconstruction & Cleanup crew uses professional-grade drying equipment from Dri-Eaz, Phoenix, and Injectidry to pull moisture out of hardwood before it cups or rots. In homes that do have drywall, we match texture, corner bead, and paint sheen to the surrounding rooms. In homes that have plaster, we do not substitute drywall and call it done. There is a difference, and you will see it.
Contents Restoration & Pack-Out
Large estate homes in San Marino hold furniture, rugs, art, and heirlooms that need far more care than a contractor’s moving crew provides. We pack out contents room by room, photograph and inventory everything, and clean or restore each piece at our facility. On a 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival estate off Winston Avenue after the January 2025 Eaton Fire, our contents team cleaned heirloom furnishings stored in the carriage house while plaster specialists matched the three-coat lime finish inside the main residence. The homeowner got a line-item inventory they could hand directly to their adjuster.
Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning
After reconstruction, every surface in your home needs a final pass before you move back in. We clean carpets, area rugs, and upholstered furniture that sat through construction dust, drywall sanding, or smoke infiltration. This is not a quick shampoo. We extract, deodorize, and dry thoroughly, using IICRC standards for every fabric type. San Marino homes with original wool Karastan or custom upholstery get treated like the investments they are.
Post-Construction Cleanup
Post-construction cleanup in San Marino means fine-particle dust on every horizontal surface, inside ductwork, and on top of crown molding that is ten feet up. Our crew handles the full scope: HEPA vacuuming, air-scrubbing, duct cleaning, and detailed wipe-down of every room affected by the work. We also dispose of construction debris properly. No dumpster left in your driveway. No leftover cut-offs in the garden.
Insurance Claim Documentation
If you have never filed a major property claim, the paperwork is a second job. Our team photographs every stage of the work, writes detailed scopes in the language adjusters expect, and works with your insurance company directly. For San Marino homeowners dealing with Eaton Fire smoke claims or water damage from the winter rains, this documentation is usually the difference between a fair settlement and a lowball. Wade deals with the adjuster so you do not have to.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Marino
We work on homes with premium finishes from every era, and we do not cut corners with contractor-grade substitutes. Our reconstruction and cleanup work is backed by IICRC-certified training, RIA-affiliated practices, and IFA-recognized standards. We carry professional-grade drying and extraction equipment from Dri-Eaz, Phoenix, and Injectidry because those machines pull water from plaster and hardwood far more effectively than rental-shop fans. When San Marino customers call us about a burst supply line on a Friday night, we are not making a Home Depot run. The right equipment is already on the truck.
Common Reconstruction & Cleanup Problems We See in San Marino Homes
- Standard drywall patch jobs destroying original plaster. Contractors who mostly work in Alhambra or Temple City will happily cut out damaged horsehair plaster and hang drywall. It looks fine for about six months, then the seams crack and the wall loses its original character. We match plaster, not replace it with something cheaper.
- Smoke infiltration through mature oak and pepper tree canopy. After the Eaton Fire, fine ash settled on rooflines and worked into attic vents throughout San Marino. Homes with original, unsealed plaster ceilings pulled that soot into living spaces even when the fire never touched the property. Standard moisture-focused restoration protocols missed it until indoor air tests came back elevated weeks later.
- Skipping Architectural Design Review Board approval on exterior work. Even minor stucco patching or clay tile repair on a San Marino façade can require design review approval. Contractors from neighboring cities do not know this. We do, and we build the review process into the schedule from day one.
- Water damage in carriage houses and detached garages. San Marino estates often have detached structures built with the same period materials as the main house, but they get overlooked in restoration scopes. We inspect and dry every structure on the property, not just the primary residence.
Pricing for Reconstruction & Cleanup in San Marino, CA
San Marino reconstruction work costs more than the same service in Alhambra or East San Gabriel because the materials and labor are fundamentally different. Where a post-war tract home repair might involve matching drywall and modern paint, a San Marino estate requires lime plaster matching, custom millwork reproduction, and Architectural Design Review Board coordination.
| Service | Typical Range in San Marino |
|---|---|
| Water damage dry-out and plaster restoration (single room) | $2,400 - $6,800 |
| Full-service reconstruction after major water or fire damage | $18,000 - $85,000+ |
| Contents pack-out, cleaning, and storage (large estate) | $4,500 - $25,000 |
| Carpet and upholstery cleaning after reconstruction | $350 - $1,800 |
| Post-construction cleanup (whole home) | $900 - $4,200 |
Every estimate is free and written in plain language. We also honor our standing offers: no trip charge inside our own county, a free second opinion on any written estimate, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. Call (855) 915-0646 and Wade will give you a straight number.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Marino
While we work throughout San Marino and know the older neighborhoods like San Marino Park, Huntington Drive estates, and the Lacy Park area well, we also serve nearby communities including San Gabriel, East San Gabriel, Alhambra, and East Pasadena. The same crew, the same equipment, and the same 90-Day Done Right Promise on every job.
Serving San Marino, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Marino area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Reconstruction & Cleanup in San Marino
Yes, in most cases involving exterior work. Any restoration touching your home’s façade, stucco, clay tile roofing, wood trim, windows, or exterior paint color triggers design review. Interior work generally does not require board approval. We handle the application, documentation, and board coordination so the work does not get stopped mid-project. Call (855) 915-0646 and we will tell you upfront what your specific scope will require.
Fine ash and soot penetrated through attic vents, eave gaps, and original unsealed plaster ceilings throughout San Marino after the January 2025 Eaton Fire. The city’s mature oak and pepper tree canopy trapped particulate matter against rooflines, concentrating it at every intake point. If your indoor air tests came back elevated weeks after the fire, you need targeted smoke remediation, not just surface cleaning. Our crew handles that with HEPA air-scrubbing and full ceiling and attic content cleaning.
Yes. We work with plaster specialists who reproduce three-coat lime finishes and with millwork shops that match existing wood species, grain, and hand-carved profiles. This is not a standard drywall replacement. We photograph, document, and source materials to match what was already in your home. In San Marino’s 91108 and 91118 zip codes, we have matched original plaster in Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor, and Period Revival homes throughout the city.
We pack out, photograph, and inventory every piece before work begins. Furniture and rugs are cleaned and stored at our facility, then returned and placed once reconstruction is finished. The inventory serves as your insurance claim documentation. On estate homes with carriage houses or detached garages, we often use those structures for staging to keep your contents on the property.
You need a contractor who knows San Marino’s design review process and its housing stock, not one who is learning both on your dime. Out-of-town companies routinely miss the Architectural Design Review Board permit requirements on exterior work and do not know that original horsehair plaster cannot be replaced with standard drywall. Wade’s Restoration has handled San Marino post-fire reconstruction since the Eaton Fire and knows exactly what this city requires. Call (855) 915-0646 for a free estimate.
Written by Wade Ferris, Owner at Wade’s Restoration of California, serving San Marino with reconstruction and cleanup services since 2007.