Leak leads to major kitchen remodeling
The Jorrisens turned a nightmare flood into the motivation they needed to obtain their dream kitchen remodeling last Christmas. They are living proof that our attitude toward events, not the events themselves, is what defines our quality of life. That and a little help from APEX Construction Management.

Steve and Marie Jorrisen enjoy their APEX Construction Management kitchen.
The Vadnais Heights couple had already updated their kitchen’s counters, backsplash and cabinet hardware several years ago. They were planning to overhaul the space after their son finished college. But when they returned from their cabin last October and discovered a plumbing leak had soaked through the laminate flooring, the timetable got a jolt. As ServiceMaster removed the base cabinets to address the water damage, they agreed to seize the day.
“There was no way those 1987 honey oak cabinets were going back in,” Marie recalled.
Jump-start the kitchen remodeling project
Most major kitchen remodeling projects take at least a month to plan and families prepare to set up temporary kitchens during the work. The Jorrisens didn’t even begin to think about the project until the cabinets were out.
They chose APEX Construction and Hearthwood Kitchens to design and build their new kitchen. APEX completed the project in time for their dozen family members to christen the new space on Christmas Eve. While APEX and Hearthwood’s Angie Cote worked hard to meet the holiday deadline, they credit the Jorrisens for their own contributions. For instance, the couple taped off the dogleg island profile on the floor to make sure they would be comfortable with the width of the traffic zone. They also had the idea to replace the left opening French door with a right opening sliding patio door to eliminate an awkward choke point at the porch.
Kitchen built around the DIYrs’ own backsplash
Perhaps the biggest challenge was that APEX had to build the new kitchen around the diamond-pattern backsplash the couple had personally installed during the earlier facelift. That required meticulous attention to the height of the new luxury vinyl floor, transition to adjacent rooms and the ceiling-height upper cabinets.
Best of all, the insurance claim offset some of the cost of the major kitchen remodeling. Bonus: the family got a Christmas present it will never forget and continues to enjoy all year long.
“APEX Construction Management’s core purpose is to improve our clients’ quality of life at home,” said APEX President JB Biancini. “We helped the Jorrisens turn a surprise setback into an opportunity to upgrade their kitchen with cherry cabinets, premium appliances and an island that’s perfect for parties and everyday use. That’s quality living!”
Here’s their story.