Although you may take the best precautions to prevent a fire in your home, there are still some risks. Experiencing a fire in your home is an emotional and frightening event. This article will help you understand the basics of fire damage restoration and make your home livable again.
What Is Fire Damage Restoration?
Fire damage restoration is repairing and restoring a property after a fire has occurred. It involves various activities involving removing debris, rebuilding rooms, and replacing damaged appliances and furniture. Fire damage restoration can be a lengthy process varying from weeks to months, but with the right professionals, it can be done in a timely and cost-effective manner. Just like in building a home, restoring one after a fire requires different professionals to handle demo work to remove debris, builders to rebuild walls, electricians, and plumbers among the different ones needed. Look at the process of fire damage restoration to get a deeper understanding.
The Process of Restoring a Home
You want your home restored as quickly as possible. But it requires a process of steps and those take time. The better you understand that process, the more you see the importance of the professionals not hurrying and missing important procedures.
1. Assess the Damage
Initially, the home’s integrity must be determined. Is it safe to enter it? Then do an assessment of the fire and water damage. What exactly was damaged and will need replacing? How much of the structure needs replaced?
Part of this assessment includes finding what items can be packed and moved out. Other items get removed with the rest of the debris. This step gives the restoration team an idea of how long the restoration will take and start figuring out the cost. Additionally, they work with your insurance through the claims process.
2. Secure the Property
The next step is to secure the property and remove debris. Usually, a fence is put up around the property. Next, debris is taken away. And then, openings, like broken windows, are boarded up. Inside, areas that were not damaged get seeled off to keep them from being contaminated.
3. Removing the Damage
The next step of restoration is removing the damage. This includes the demolition of all damaged materials and drying out the house. They may need to remove drywall and flooring to get down to the studs and subflooring. Thorough drying out of the water with professional equipment prevents mold growth.
4. A Thorough Cleaning
Once the restoration team removes the damaged materials, the water is dried up. The team cleans out duct work, deodorizes, and sanitizes the home. It gets the duct system cleaned of any soot and residue left behind. Plus, it removes any lingering smoke orders and kills any potential mold from growing.
5. Construction
Now it’s time to rebuild. Electricians and Plumbers come in to fix the wiring and plumbing damaged. Then the construction crew gets the walls back up. Finishing work is done to bring each room back to live-in ready.
Conclusion
We hope you never have to experience a home fire. But if you do you will now be more prepared for the process to restore your home. It’s always good to be smart about fire safety in your home. This includes:
- Keep a working fire extinguisher handy in your home.
- Never leave candles unattended or new flammable items like curtains.
- Follow safety instructions for space heaters.
- Have your home electrical checked periodically, especially if you live in an older home.
- Never use items with damaged cords or leave live electrical cords exposed.
- Call on a service technician if your heating, water, or stove pilot light goes out. Learn how to shut off your gas in such emergencies.
- Have an escape plan for your family and perform fire drills. The Red Cross has more helpful tips.
