Fire Damage and Restoration

Mrs. Hawkins reached out to Built Restoration and Construction Services regarding fire damage she had in her home.  Her main concern after the fire was the amount of soot and odor that was prevalent throughout her property.  Although there was little structural damage to the property the cleanup was going to be time consuming and needed to happen as soon as possible.

KEY POINTS TO CONSIDER IMMEDIATELY AFTER A FIRE:

• Remove irreplaceable items as soon as possible such as wedding dresses, antiques, etc.
• Secondary fire damage can occur after a fire if the fire department sprays a large amount of water.  Consideration may need to be given to water extraction and proper dry out.
• Contact an IICRC Certified Firm that has been properly trained in fire restoration protocol.

After the initial site visit, we determined that the fire was contained to a relatively small area in the kitchen.  Damaged items included kitchen cabinets, drywall, electrical wiring, and vinyl flooring.  Mrs. Hawkins HVAC system was on during the fire and the soot had penetrated into all of the ductwork and was essentially spread throughout the entire home.  

Work Start (Days 1-4):

Before any damaged flooring, cabinets, or appliances could be removed initial consideration had to be made to packing up Mrs. Hawkins contents and preventing additional damage.  Personal and irreplaceable contents were packed up and sent a facility that specializes in textile restoration.  All other items were individually packed and organized and sent to separate facility to begin proper cleaning and deodorization. Overall time spent on pack out of the home was 4 days.

KEY POINTS TO CONSIDER DURING PACK OUT AFTER FIRE DAMAGE:

• Even a small fire in your home can cause substantial secondary damage.
• Smoke and soot are often times more costly to repair than the damage caused by the heat of the fire.
• Individual building materials will react differently after fire damage and the longer they are left uncleaned.
• Built Restoration and Construction Services recommends the use of an air scrubber at all times during the pack out, demolition, and structural cleaning after a fire.

Demolition and Removal of non-salvageable building materials (Days 5-7):

After meeting with both Nationwide Insurance (homeowners property insurance company handling contents cleaning) as well as Travelers Insurance Company (master policy carrier for HOA/property handling building repairs) post fire demolition work was able to begin.  Non salvageable items included the following:

• Carpet and Pad
• Electric range and vent fan
• Vinyl Flooring
• Window treatments
• Kitchen cabinet and countertops

Structural Cleaning (Days 7-10):

After all smoke and soot damaged contents and building materials were removed from the property the initial work of cleaning could begin.  It is vital after a fire to remove all soot and smoke staining before sealing with a quality oil based sealer.  Chem sponges were used throughout to wipe debris from walls, doors, ceilings, trim, etc.  

KEY POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN CLEANING YOUR HOME AFTER A FIRE:

• Do NOT apply a sealer over building materials until they have been properly cleaned.  
• An improper structural cleaning after a fire will be reflected in the overall quality of the paint work.  Sealing smoke and soot between layers of paint can cause oxidation and will prevent full odor removal.

Work Progression (Days 11-22)

With the use of chem sponges and proper fire restoration chemicals Mrs. Hawkins property was ready for initial sealing/priming.  Sealing and paint work included all doors, casing, walls, and trim.  
Selections were made during the first week after the fire allowing us to have all needed building materials either in place or on order.  After paint work was complete new carpet, cabinets, window treatments, appliances, and vinyl flooring were installed.

KEY POINTS TO CONSIDER DURING FIRE DAMAGE REPAIRS:

• Making selections as soon as possible for replaced items will shorten the duration you will spend out of your home.
• Repairing your home after fire damage has a lot of “moving parts”.  It is easy to become overwhelmed with all of the different considerations that need to be made.  
• Typically your insurance company will cover what is called ALE (Additional Living Expenses).  Speak to your adjuster about what this does and does not include-typically things like additional food costs, rental property, laundry, and even pet boarding are covered under your insurance policy.

Work Progression/Wrap up (Days 22-24):

Due to the nature and source of Mrs. Hawkins fire there were certain items that were scheduled at the end of her project.  These included the following:

• Cleaning and fumigation of HVAC equipment and ductwork
• Ozone generator ran in property for 2 days
• Post construction cleaning
• All cleaned contents were brought back to Mrs. Hawkins home and unpacked

Project Summary:

Client: M. Hawkins

Type of property damage: fire soot odor

Cause of Damage: Grease fire caused from cooking

Location of Property: Charlotte, NC

Covering Insurance Company: Nationwide Insurance Company and Travelers Insurance Co

TOTAL BUILDING DAMAGES TO PROPERTY: $24,800

TOTAL CONTENTS CLEANING COST: $11,000

TOTAL DAMAGES FROM FIRE: $35,800

INSPECTIONS REQUIRED TO PROPERTY:

• Insulation
• Electrical (rough and final)
• Final Building Inspection

Built Restoration is a full service General Contractor.  Specializing in fire, water, smoke, and storm damage repair we are here to serve our clients 24/7.  If you experience property damage to your home or business in the Greater Charlotte, NC area make Built Restoration and Services your first call.

Built Restoration Services the following cities and counties:

Charlotte, NC; Indian Trail, NC; Concord, NC; Waxhaw, NC;

Mecklenburg; Cabarrus; Union; Weddington;