A house fire, no matter what the size, is always stressful. Even if no one is hurt and your home suffers only minor damage, the initial panic and headache-inducing smoke lingering long after the initial danger has passed can be exhausting. Fire damage restoration can feel like an imposing task, but don’t worry. Keeping a simple checklist in mind can help you stay on track and see your home fresh, restored, and smoke-free before you know it.
Step 1: Assess the Damage
While you might want to start working on the fire damage restoration as soon as possible, before you take any action or make any calls, you need to take a careful look at the damaged area. How extensive is the damage? Is there a single scorched wall or a hole in your roof? Is the damage limited to one area of the home, or is the entire house affected?
Even if only one area of the home is damaged and the house is still structurally intact, you may still wish to stay somewhere else while your fire damage restoration is taking place. Even if you get the “go-ahead” from a professional to stay there, the lingering smell of smoke and drafts from damaged walls can make staying in your home uncomfortable.
Step 2: Collect Information for Insurance
Assessing the damage before getting started on your fire damage restoration plan is also important for insurance purposes. If fire damage is covered under your insurance policy, it’s important you contact your insurance provider right away to find out how much of your repairs will be covered. However, if you start fire damage restoration without taking any photos of the damage first, you’ll have no way to prove to the insurance company what the “before” image looked like.
We’ll say it again: don’t do anything to fix the damage until you have photos.
Step 3: Contact Professional Help
Once you’ve contacted your insurance provider and have taken your photos, it’s time to call in a professional fire damage restoration crew to start taking care of your home.
Here at Trident General Contracting, we’ve been in the business of restoring and remodeling homes since 1991, and we are recommended by many major insurance companies, including Farmers, Allstate, and Liberty Mutual. No matter what kind of fire damage you’re facing, we’re here to help.