Finding A Contractor Who Knows Restoration
This kitchen is in a home ELM restored after fire and smoke damage
The unthinkable can happen to any homeowner. Damages caused by wind, water, fire, or other forces of nature can leave a home uninhabitable. So how do you begin finding a reliable company that can manage a home restoration after damages occur?
Here are some steps to ensure you are hiring a professional and qualified company to complete your restoration and get you back into a safe and healthy home.
The kitchen before we fire damage restoration
A contractor who knows restoration will have the knowledge to work with your homeowner’s insurance company to ensure they are able to complete the restoration and repairs properly. When your insurance company assesses the damages and decides on your payment, they may have their own contractors in mind, but the final choice is yours. You want to find a reliable company that has experience with restoration and is accustomed to communicating with insurance companies.
Frequently the check from the insurance company is made out to the homeowner and the lien holder, usually the mortgage company or the bank. Typically, the homeowner endorses the check and sends it to the mortgage company for them to pay once repairs have been made. Keep in mind, the lien holder may want to inspect the project before releasing the money. Make sure your contractor is aware of this and willing to work with you regarding payments
Does the company have references from restoration work like yours? You always want to check recent references from contractors you plan on hiring, but with restoration projects you may want to ask for references from clients like you, who needed restoration services. If your home has suffered damage from fire and smoke, you may want to seek out a reference from a past client who had those same issues handled by the company.
Extensive restoration repairs can take some time, so you want to choose a restoration contractor that you feel comfortable working with. It is likely you will spend quite a bit of time with the crew working to restore your home, so you want to “click” with the crew members.
bathroom after restoration
fire damage before restoration
Whenever walls in a home are opened up or other demolition must occur to mitigate damages, there is a potential for finding code violations due to ever-shifting building requirements. A good restoration contractor has up-to-date licenses and insurance and keeps current with the latest building codes, ensuring your restored home is as safe as possible.
Water damage, fire and smoke damage, sewer backups, and other types of damage usually require special treatment before restoration work can begin. There are many companies that specialize in this type of cleanup (sometimes referred to as mitigation companies). The mitigation company will come in immediately after the damage has occurred and do what they can to try and prevent additional damage. This may include removing excess water, temporarily tarping the exterior, and drying out the wet areas with fans and dehumidifiers. Once the mitigation process has been completed, then restoration work should take place. It takes a skilled restoration contractor to get your home back to the way it once was, or even better than before.
As previously stated, in some cases, your home will have to be updated to an extent to get it up to code, but it's fairly common to make improvements as part of the restoration process. We always recommend treating the two estimates as separate items; for example, we establish an accurate estimate to put your home back to its pre-loss condition, and then we will have a separate estimate that includes the improvements. You can then use the insurance estimate as your base and compare it to the upgrade estimate to see the difference in price.
ELM Construction LLC Knows Restoration
Here at ELM Construction LLC we have experience with restoration contracting. We can bring your home back from a disaster. We also use the same software to prepare our insurance estimates that most insurance companies use; it's called Xactimate. We download pricing monthly, and it’s the same pricing the insurance company uses. Because we are already on the same page as the insurance company regarding what things cost, this expedites the process and allows us to focus more on restoring your home.
Have your home evaluated by a professional with integrity and allow us to fuse exceptional design with a proven process to meet your restoration needs. Contact us today to get started.