5 min read
The aftermath of a fire can be overwhelming and stressful. Structural fires can happen quickly: one moment, you’re sleeping soundly in bed, and five minutes later, you’re standing outside in your bathrobe, waiting for the firetruck to arrive. Confusion, panic, and worry are natural responses to structural fire but remember: your and your family’s safety must always come first. Afterward, you can focus on saving your property and restoring the original look and structure.
This blog discusses the process of fire damage restoration in San Fernando Valley – what happens immediately after a fire and what you can expect from your property restoration company.
What To Expect After a Fire
Here’s a common scenario after firefighters declare a fire-out:
- Your home will be drenched, and your belongings damaged by fire, smoke, or water.
- There will be soot and traces of smoke everywhere, including the areas the fire didn’t reach.
- If you have a basement or room with a sunken floor, it will be flooded.
- The electrical and HVAC systems will need a complete overhaul.
- If it had been a big fire, your plumbing system might also have significant damage.
Other issues can emerge depending on how big the fire got and how long it took firefighters to put it out. Although you can help with the cleanup if you wish to reduce the cost of restoring your home, DIY methods won’t cut it for fire damage. Therefore, calling experts in fire damage restoration in San Fernando Valley is a must if a fire strikes your property.
Fire Damage Restoration: What Does It Mean?
Fire damage restoration is the process of repairing the structural and cosmetic damage in a property destroyed by fire. It includes the following steps:
- Damage assessment – Construction and restoration experts assess the damage and develop a plan to restore the property to its original condition.
- Securing the property – Restoration can take weeks, months, or even years. As such, it is necessary to fence off the entire perimeter to keep out trespassers and prevent passersby from accidental injuries during reconstruction.
- Water extraction and cleanup – Indoor flooding is always to be expected after a fire, hence the need for professional water extraction and cleanup. You can participate in this step because you must sort your belongings and pick which ones you want to save.
- Demolition and debris removal – The restoration team will demolish parts that must be replaced or rebuilt according to the restoration plan.
- Soot and smoke damage remediation – If parts of the house are still structurally sound but cosmetically damaged by smoke, the restoration team will remove the traces and smell of soot.
- Repairs, restoration, and renovation – This step makes up the bulk of fire damage restoration in San Fernando Valley. A team of carpenters, masons, artisans, electricians, plumbers, and other construction professionals work together or sequentially to restore the damaged building and its immediate surroundings. Restoration aims to bring back the former look and integrity of a property. However, owners may deviate from the original design and renovate their home. The fire will surely leave lessons in prevention and possibly bring to light flaws in your house’s original design. This stage is an opportunity to correct those flaws and add upgrades like an improved fire detection and sprinkler system.
What To Expect During a Home Restoration
It takes a village to restore a home. Depending on how big your house is, restoration can take long enough that you’ll need to rent another residence or live with kind and generous relatives until the work is done. You might also have to rent storage space for your belongings and other household items you saved from the rubble.
What will it be like working with a restoration company? You can expect a lot of back-and-forth with the contractor or the project manager in charge of your home restoration. You’ll also need to meet with your architect, structural engineer, roofing contractor, electricians, and plumbers, to begin with. Towards the end of the construction, you might consider consulting an interior designer, too.
Expect to be in touch with your insurance company, too. Although restoration companies communicate directly with insurers, you might have to be assertive in claiming benefits from your policy.
Apart from your insurer, it would help if you also build relationships with your mortgage lender and other preferred banks. Mortgage lenders typically become a co-payable party if the owner of the house was still paying the mortgage when the fire happened. This means that if the insurance company releases funds for repairs, the mortgage lender can take the amount of the remaining mortgage balance and leave the homeowner without ready cash for the reconstruction. Their mortgage will be paid off, but they must apply for another loan to rebuild their home.
Entrust Your Home To Fire Restoration Experts
Restoring a fire-damaged home is a long process with many players involved. You’ll need to oversee many things, especially regarding money. You can reduce the stress by entrusting the actual restoration and reconstruction to trustworthy, skilled, and experienced professionals.
Choosing a reputable and well-connected fire restoration company like Restoration 1 will alleviate your stress and worry. While you focus on personal and financial matters, we’ll ensure the work done on your property is of the highest quality. Whether you decide to live there again or sell, we’ll do our best to satisfy, if not exceed, your expectations.
Contact Restoration 1 of San Fernando Valley for expert advice on fire damage restoration.
