Homeowner's 'Disaster' finally over

AURORA - When Dawn Baird Myles hired Lakewood restoration company Disaster Solutions, she had expected to be back in her house by July 4. Then the company went out of business, taking her insurance money and leaving her without a finished home.

Baird Myles was out of hope and had no idea where to turn.

"No answers, no phone calls back, nothing," Baird Myles said.

She frequently tried to contact Disaster Solutions about the unfinished repairs, which were originally estimated to be close to $40,000. Phone calls and e-mails went unanswered from both Baird Myles and 9NEWS. Furthermore, the subcontractors hired by Disaster Solutions were placing liens on her property to cover their unpaid restoration costs.

Baird Myles, whose home had been badly burned and damaged during a candle fire in March, had been told the repairs would be finished and completed within four months.

It was nearly seven months after the fire when she shared her story with 9NEWS a second time. Baird Myles explained she was moving back into her home because insurance money had run dry on a temporary apartment.

After the story's second airing, dozens of restoration businesses and good Samaritans stepped forward to offer help with repairs through free labor or estimates.

Dan Halligan, owner of ServPro of Arvada, was watching the story when it first aired.

"We typically see this once or twice a year, some kind of situation with our competitors," Halligan said. "There are a lot of good competitors out there, but there are also a lot of incredulous ones."

Without reserve, Halligan offered to partner with his company's general contractor, Walton Design and Remodeling, and pay for labor and reconstruction of Baird Myles' home.

After an examination of the repairs that had been done and needed to be done, Halligan estimated a total actual cost of $60,000 because of "shoddy workmanship and, frankly, dangerous living conditions," in addition to other unfinished repairs and back work.

Nonetheless, Halligan and Wayne Walton, owner of Walton Design and Remodeling, signed an agreement with Baird Myles that they would finish the repairs Disaster Solutions had started without requiring a penny.

"This is the community we live in, and you've got to help people out," Walton said. "These clients are what keep us in business, and unfortunately it's with disaster they have gone through. But it takes care of our families, so we need to take care of their families in situations like this."

Baird Myles accepted the offer and the work began. Halligan's goal: finish all work so that Baird Myles and her daughter could be back in their home by Thanksgiving.

"We had a fire, a big loss," Baird Myles said during the week of Thanksgiving. "For them to come in and take on this job from another company that abandoned the project, it was amazing. An amazing feeling - feelings of thankfulness. You're a little scared because you don't know how to trust it until you actually see it. And right now, I'm seeing it."

Earlier this year, Halligan and ServPro of Arvada, a mitigation company, began working with Wayne Walton and Walton Design, which specializes in remodeling and repairs. Halligan believes the partnership is a unique one in Colorado, and that it may be the beginning of a restoration of trust in the industry for home owners who have gone through what Baird Myles experienced with her home.

"If you do the right thing, the right thing will happen back," Halligan said. "There's no need to come into a situation when there have already been so many problems to waste time and cause more problems. A contribution you make to the community will come full circle."

Walton and Halligan also covered the cost of liens placed on the property by subcontractors who had not been paid by Disaster Solutions.

For Baird Myles, a nine-month ordeal is finally coming to an end.

"[These companies] didn't take advantage of me, and they were professional, personable, and understood my situation. I have so much gratitude to them that words can't even describe," she said.

9NEWS has offered Disaster Solutions owner Dave Newell an opportunity to take part in an on camera interview about this story. He has declined our offer.

To contact Dan Halligan and ServPro of Arvada, call 303-420-1455.

To contact Wayne Walton and Walton Design and Remodeling, call 303-933-0200.