A fire in your home is one of the most terrifying things most homeowners can experience. You’ve lost possessions, keepsakes, and memories, but you’ve also lost your sense of security. Restoring your home to a safe and loving home is an important job that comes with a lot of anxiety and urgency, but it’s just as important that you trust the project to the right team for you and your family. What kind of things should you look for in a fire damage restoration contractor?

Certifications and Training

Be sure to ask any prospective contractor about their professional certifications and associations. These may vary by State or region, but generally it’s a good sign when they have met the standards to become members of these associations. The associations typically merit based on quality standards of work and training of staff. Keep an eye out for trade associations that are not directly to do with fire restoration, such as air duct cleaning and repair or any structural inspection certifications; these may be less obviously damaged by the fire, but they will still be in need of repairs. Fire damage restoration contractors need to be able to assess damage beyond the surface materials.

Experience and Subcontractor Associations

When you’re hiring a contractor to work in your home, you’re conducting an interview for a job, so it’s important to get a sense of your prospective contractor’s experience. Be sure to ask; it’s appropriate, not rude. You can even ask for references of past work or examples of their professionalism as fire damage restoration contractors. It might be helpful to look up online reviews of the company as well.

It’s also important to ask if your contractor performs all the work in-house with their own staff or if they subcontract some of the work out. Fire damage restoration contractors have a big job ahead of them, and it may cross many lines between trades. Subcontracting is a common industry practice, and it generally benefits the customer because your contractor is finding the best people for each portion of the job, whether it’s carpentry, window replacements, or plumbing work. They may be private about the specific companies they hire, but it’s important to know that your contractor will stand behind their subcontractor’s work as much as their own work.

Working with Insurance Companies

Easily the biggest headache you’re likely to have in any accident situation is dealing with your insurance company, and it can be even more frustrating because this is your home. You’re just trying to get back to your regular life again, but the hoops you have to jump through can sometimes be ridiculous. Acting as the middleman between your fire damage restoration contractors and your insurance adjusters can be exhausting, frustrating, and time consuming. Discuss with your prospective contractors if they are able to deal with your insurance company directly to address issues with payments, approvals, and any other of the hundred issues that may come up. It will really take a weight off of your shoulders when you’re already struggling.

Project Timelines

When your home is under this kind of stress, your entire life can be in disarray. To put things back on track, you need to make arrangements for you and your family to function temporarily. You need to know how long you’ll be living with family or friends or staying in a hotel. Your kids need to know how long they will have different routes and arrangements for school. Your employers need to know how long your home situation may be requiring your attention. Talk to your fire damage restoration contractor about a realistic timeline for the completion of your work. Ask for project updates and to be made aware of any schedule changes. It’s not just your home; to some degree, it’s your whole life’s structure being worked on.

Workmanship Guarantees

Nothing is worse than having to do a job twice. Your home’s repair should be up to industry AND your standards. Make sure you and your fire damage restoration contractor discuss what the final results of the repairs will be, and be sure to read the documentation of the contracts. While mistakes happen, you need to partner with a contractor who you can trust to do the job, stand behind the work, and fix any problems to a degree that you are both happy with.

At the end of the day, this is your home being worked on, and you need to trust the people working on it. Home is an important part of feeling safe and stable; it’s perfectly understandable to be cautious about who you hire to work on your space. Fire damage restoration contractors are there to make you comfortable at the end of the process, but they should make you comfortable about the process as well. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, check references, request updates, and do what you need to get your life back to normal.

As of March 2021, there have been just under 30 million COVID-19 cases in the USA. It is no secret that the country has struggled against the virus since COVID-19 got a foothold back in spring of 2020. While case numbers are dropping and vaccination rates are increasing, it is more important than ever before that we continue to work together and fight the virus. When it comes to COVID-19 exposure and managing outbreaks, virus disinfection companies are at the forefront, working day and night to minimize contagion.

The Role of Virus Disinfection Companies

By now, many of us understand just how quickly COVID-19 can spread. The virus spreads from an infected person to others through respiratory droplets and aerosols. These are created whenever an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, shouts, or even talks. Droplets can linger in the air and on surfaces, making it crucial to perform intensive sanitation any time there has been a confirmed case in a building or on a work site. Virus disinfection companies work to minimize contagion by sealing off and decontaminating environments that have been exposed to COVID-19. This can include a deep clean and disinfection of all surfaces in the area. For building owners, maintaining a sterile and safe working environment for all staff needs to be a priority. Fortunately, virus disinfection companies are able to provide fast and effective disinfection.

Get to Know Your Options

If you haven’t had to deal with an outbreak before, chances are you might not be too familiar with virus disinfection companies in your area. Thankfully, access to the internet makes the search process a whole lot easier. Like any industry, the first step to finding a company to work with is to search for them. In some cases, you may be able to find a company through word of mouth, but you should always shop around and understand your options regardless. Take a look at each company’s website, see what you can find out about their services, and start to build a list of potential companies you want to work with.

Check Reviews

A beautiful website can be enticing, but great web effects aren’t the end-all-be-all. You want to make sure virus disinfection companies are credible, have a good reputation, and have experience dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks. Checking out online reviews of each company is a good way to get a feel of how the company has worked with other clients. Look for written testimonials and pay attention to reviews detailing how the company communicated with the clients, how efficiently the job was handled, and the overall customer experience. The best companies will have a solid compilation of positive reviews to back their claims up.

Call for a Quote

When searching for a professional team, you want to have an idea of how big the bill is going to be once everything is all said and done. After searching online and checking out reviews, you should have at least a few potential companies to choose from. This is a good opportunity to compare costs and get a better understanding of what each company provides. Don’t be shy when it comes to requesting a quote! Most virus disinfection companies are accustomed to consulting with clients and providing quotes. When asking for a quote, use this chance to get to know the company’s procedures better as well. If you find a company is missing an important step in their disinfection process that others all seem to include, that can be a major red flag.

Choose the Best Team

Once you have your quotes prepared, you can gauge the price range for virus disinfection companies in your area. Keep in mind saving on costs is not worth a poor job, especially when you are dealing with contagious materials. To keep everyone safe, it is important to contract only the best virus disinfection companies who bring the proper training, PPE, and knowledge to the job. An active COVID-19 case is not something to take lightly. One case can quickly multiply into an outbreak and continue to grow as the virus makes contact with more and more people. During these trying times, protecting ourselves and one another is imperative to keeping our communities healthy and safe.

If you’ve been the victim of a devastating house fire, the last thing on your mind is going to be evaluating the proper fire damage restoration service. Fires are traumatic events that cost you so much, from your home to your possessions, to your time, to your health and your mental well-being. With all this upheaval, it can be very difficult to know what to look for in a professional fire damage restoration service.

However, it’s also very important to be able to keep a focus on what fire damage restoration service you choose to employ. No two fire damage restoration services are exactly alike. Although the temptation may be there to go with the first one you find, this can wind up being a vital mistake that will leave you in a much worse position than you were in after the fire.

What are the characteristics that make up the best fire damage restoration service? Before we get to that, it’s vital to understand what a fire damage restoration service is, and what it does to help you recover after a blaze.

Fire Damage Restoration Services: Who Are They, and What Do They Do?

Before you know how to choose the right fire damage restoration service, you need to know the basics of what services they provide. Fire damage restoration services are professional companies that specialize in taking all of the steps and precautions necessary to ensuring a smooth transition from a disaster area to a clean, safe, and habitable space.

A fire damage restoration service has to be thorough in its approach. It must do a proper assessment to quantify the breadth of the damage, seal off all contaminated and compromised areas before getting to work, methodically remove all damaged components and structure (including drywall, studs, electrical components, flooring, carpet, tiles, wallpaper, and window frames, among many others), do a comprehensive cleanup of all damaged material, sweep and disinfect, and replace all damaged components and materials. Doing all of this properly is a tall order, so it’s important to have the best fire damage restoration service you can find.

Tips for Choosing The Best Fire Damage Restoration Service

In the frantic heat of the moment, it can be easy to call the first local fire damage restoration service whose site you find in a search, but being hasty can cost you. Like all businesses, fire damage restoration services are subject to differences in quality and workmanship.

Finding the best fire damage restoration service can be a daunting task. However, following a few key tips can make the search for a fire damage restoration service much simpler.

#1:  Reputation

Feedback is key to procuring the finest providers of any service, and fire damage restoration services are no exception. Thanks to online outlets like Google reviews and Yelp, consumers are able to provide feedback, ranging from glowingly positive to scathingly negative and all degrees in between.

Doing a bit of homework and scouring for online reviews will help you narrow down the most professional fire damage restoration service in your area. The more reviews, the better. More reviews will help provide a better picture of the reliability of the fire damage restoration service than a single review from a spurned and irate client who may just be feeling emotional after a traumatic fire.

#2:  Cost

In many, if not most, cases, your homeowner’s insurance policy will cover many of the outstanding costs associated with a fire. Depending on your policy, this can mean coverage of temporary quarters, materials, and services. However, it’s best to know what it is your insurance will cover before getting on the phone to a fire damage restoration service so you don’t wind up in a bind covering unforeseen costs.
Always make sure you know up front what is covered for a fire damage restoration service by asking the company themselves what costs may be involved, and then checking it against your policy. You may be best advised to consult your insurance agency in every case.

#3:  Professionalism

A reliable fire damage restoration service will hide nothing, and it will not get irate and impatient with your questions. Remember: it’s you who will have to live with the results, so it’s your right to be in constant communication with your fire damage restoration service. If they are not prompt, will not answer questions, and constantly put you off, it’s a red flag. In your time of need, a fire damage restoration service should show the utmost sensitivity, giving you time to ponder and making sure you are absolutely clear on everything you need to know.

Fire Damage Restoration Services

Finding and choosing the right fire damage restoration services is made easier with these helpful tips. Experience, professionalism, and good reputation all make for the best services.

Fire damage is unlike anything else. It can completely ruin a home or property. In fact, fires unrelated to wildfires were responsible for over $11 billion of damage in the US in 2018 alone. But if there is hope of restoring a space after a major fire, it happens with the help of fire damage restoration experts. These professionals are trained in assessing, repairing, and renovating spaces that have been devastated by fires. They are the only way to truly know a space can be restored after a blaze, which is why most property managers and home owners call up the experts after a fire.

Here are just a few reasons why you should choose professional fire damage repair services after your property has been damaged.

Find the Big Problems Early

Fire damage can be all-consuming. It can get into absolutely everything, destroying a space so that it is basically unusable. It can do this in a way that’s not immediately evident. Unfortunately, when people attempt fire damage restoration on their own, they often think replacing the floors and painting the walls will do the trick. This can be a major issue. Hidden structural issues can become bigger problems, often sooner rather than later, and that means expensive repairs and renovations, right after you have finished expensive repairs and renovations.

Hiring fire damage restoration experts means you can get a proper assessment of the damage early and make a game plan from there. They can look at the property and tell you the real issues, and what needs to be done to make it its best again. This could be as extreme as demolition or less costly measures. Whatever the assessment, going with the professionals means there will be fewer surprises down the line.

Safety

Those big problems mentioned above? They can often be major safety issues along with being expensive and time-consuming. While assessing the safety of a property is standard after a big fire, understanding the safety risks of a property requires fire damage restoration experts. They can help you discover any issues that could impact your restoration plan. Plus, when you work with the experts, it means you won’t be risking yourself or your own team in doing the work. Fire remediation experts are trained in navigating unsafe properties and bringing them up to code, and they are the only way to guarantee a safe experience in the repair process after a fire.

Get Fixed Up Fast

Whether you are living in the space or want it back and available for tenants as soon as possible, a home with fire damage is one that is inhospitable. That means you are either losing money on alternative accommodations or an empty property. If you try and make the restorations yourself, you will quickly find out that it is labor-intensive and time-consuming work. If you choose to go with professionals in fire damage restoration, however, you can get real timelines that will help the property be hospitable much sooner. That means less time living elsewhere or losing money to an empty space.

Eliminate Smoke Odors

One of the major services that fire damage restoration experts offer besides the assessment, repairs and restoration is the professional removal of smoke odors. Getting rid of this distinctive and lingering smell is often beyond the capabilities of your average contractor and requires specialized equipment and training. Only fire restoration experts have access to everything they need to eliminate these odors completely. Without them, the smell will likely come back and remain until it is dealt with.

If you own a property that has undergone fire damage, then you will need to contact the professionals to assess and help with the repairs. Rather than relying on amateur opinions and repairs, you should trust the expertise and advice of those who understand fires and fire damage restoration. With the right team of experts, you can understand the full extent of the damage and work together on a plan that will get the property inhabitable much, much faster. Only with the experts can you understand what needs to be done, get it done, and be one your way to normal again with confidence.