Fire Restoration - Multi Family - Questions and Concerns

[Andrew Asmus]

Does anyone have experience restoring fire damaged properties?  How is the process different than your traditional rehabs?  I have my sites on a multi family deal, the property is currently unoccupied due to a fire that happened a couple of years ago.  Thanks in advance. 

[Account Closed]

It depends on how much structural damage, if any, was caused by the fire. I am a general contractor and I've been certified for fire and water damage restoration for more than 40 years. As with all construction, you need to pay special attention to the cost for asbestos testing and abatement because the cost can be more than you pay for the property and there is asbestos in more than 2,000 building products. Sometimes, the city nails us for lead testing in ceramic tile walls, floors and bathtubs. 

The only other two problems we have with fire damage is dealing with mold issues caused by the water used to put the fire out, dealing with the filthy soot and getting rid of the odor from the fire can be very tricky. The odor goes inside the walls, the attic, underneath the building, inside the furnace, heat ducts, electrical conduits and even after cleaning everything and painting there are times you can still smell the odor. Some contractors sandblast wood with sand, or they blast it with dry ice. There are ionizers that help to remove smoke odor and sometimes after we clean the wood we spray paint it with B.I.N. alcolohol based paint.

Overall, I don't know why, but I love fixing up properties that had major fires. Back in 1963, I worked my my father rebuilding huge apartment buildings that burned in fires from the ground floor through to above the roof 8 stories high.