When you have a fire at your home, and there is a substantial amount of smoke damage, this can be one of the most difficult aspects of cleanup from a fire.
When the fire burns, it is obvious where the damage has been, but smoke can be literally anywhere else in your home. Smoke can permeate into the sheet rock, paint, and the exposed wood in all places. There would be this lingering smell, and if it is extensive, you will need to replace all of the different areas which have been affected. Here is an overview of the role of professionals in smoke damage cleanup projects.
Smoke Damage Assessment
Smoke damage restoration begins with a crew coming out to your location to assess the damage that has occurred. These are the same techs that will likely do the fire restoration as well. They are gathering information that they can report to your insurance company. They will detail all of the fire and smoke damage that they detect. Once they are done, they will then tell you what they have found, and subsequently submit this information to your insurance company. It is based upon that assessment that funds will be distributed to this business so that they can begin to restore your home.
The Smoke Damage Cleanup Process
The second part of this process is the need to clean everything up. They will begin by removing all of the damage materials. They will start with what is obvious which will include all of the areas that were burned by the fire. They will subsequently begin to remove the areas that were damaged by smoke.
The Treatment Process
Before they begin to restore everything, they may also play a dual role of making sure that subsequent problems do not occur. For example, if there was a substantial amount of water that was used to put out the fire, they need to make sure that areas that were saturated will also be replaced or treated so that mold cannot develop.
The Smoke Damage Restoration Process
The final step is for them to restore your home as it once was. They will have a general idea of what to do. If you have any pictures of what the home look like before, they can try their best to re-create that portion of your home that is now gone. If you don’t, they will then use their expertise to begin restoring everything that was burnt or had smoke damage. Depending upon the amount of damage, and the size of your home, it could take them several weeks to complete everything.
Once all of this is done, your house should be restored. These companies often work on one particular project for a week or more. If it is a smaller fire, they might be able to complete everything in a few days. It also depends on how long it will take for them to receive the products that they need to begin to restore everything.
This would include lumber, sheet rock, insulation, and everything else that needs to be replaced. They may also have to restore your electrical system if it was damaged during the fire from heat or water.
Now that you know what these professionals will do if you ever do have a fire at your home, you can be prepared for what will happen after they show up.