Fire Damaged Building

[Irene G.]

Has anyone ever restored a fire damaged building? Seems like a total teardown but just curious about experiences others have had. Also, interested in finding out about special government grants for projects like this.

[Daniel Cooper]

@Irene G.

Hello Irene,

I've worked in the Water, Fire, Mold Remediation industry for the past 5 years rehabbing damaged properties and helping the owners through the process. Chris is correct, it's very important to make sure it's repaired properly or you'll have greater problems down the road. The last thing you want is to improperly repair the building and leave the structure in a compromised state.

I've never heard of any Govt. grants for these property damage scenarios either. What I do know, is that you basically have two options:

Option 1: Pay for the damages out of pocket. This I don't advise at all unless you just have some crazy urge to waste a bunch of your own money; It's extremely costly.

Option 2: File an insurance claim and let them do what you pay them to do!

Many people are apprehensive about doing this, but it's the best case scenario for you. It saves you money, but ensures you're compensated for all of the damages, not only to the physical building, but to personal contents that are considered "total loss" due to fire and smoke damage.

You can start by either calling your insurance company and allowing them to refer a Fire Damage Restoration Specialist to you or...here's my favorite choice, find a specialist yourself through Google or people you know who have dealt with this before and like the company they used. I prefer this option because sometimes the preferred vendor that is referred by the insurance company isn't really a great company, does a crappy job and has terrible service. Sometimes that's not the case, however, WORD TO THE WISE: IT IS ALWAYS YOUR CHOICE WHO YOU SIGN A CONTRACT WITH TO REPAIR YOUR PROPERTY! If you choose a good company, they'll make this whole experience hassle-free, stress free, and as painless as possible. They work for you and do your bidding for you with your insurance company, making sure you don't get cheated out of any monetary compensation for the damage caused by the fire.

Overview of job progression:

1. Find and sign contract with restoration company

2. File insurance claim

3. All furniture and contents are removed from property to be process (i.e. cleaned, total lossed, stored and cataloged later).

4. All damaged building materials are removed and disposed of (sometimes this means completely gutting your property).

5. Property is cleaned using state of the art industry chemicals and equipment to remove lingering smoke smell.

6. A field adjuster will visit at some point in the process and takes pics, measurements and draw out the floor plan. You're claim status will be reported to you after that.

7. Structural Repairs begin once the Contractor receives word that insurance will be paying for it or other arrangements have been made.

8. You are cut a check by said insurance company for repair costs and costs of replacing personal belongings.

I know this is a lot to read, but I hope it helps you get started.