A small house accident with fire can quickly turn into a major renovation project. Hopefully, if this misfortune happened to you or your family, you were able to mentally and emotionally process the whole situation and have prepared to do a renovation project.
Do not enter without recommended PPE
Please, do not enter your home until the fire department allows you to. Even when you get the green light, still be careful to wear protective gear. The remainder smoke lingers for days, and you certainly don’t want to inhale too much of it. Extensive fires where the structure of the house receives damage may cause the release of toxic chemicals that are a certain sign that you should try to avoid entering on your own.
If you have to go inside, be sure to wear a dust mask, protective clothing, rubber gloves, and ideally worker boots. Try not to stay for too long inside. Take breaks to breathe in the fresh air and make a plan to spend as little time as you can.
Insurance company
Your first important call when the fire is successfully extinguished is to inform the insurance company. It is important to fill out an insurance claim and start the process as soon as possible, as your chosen insurance company can be of major help after such a disastrous situation.
If you were unfortunate to suffer the loss of a whole home, you have the right to receive an advance from the insurance company for immediate expenses. This advance is given without having to explain the bills for the clothes, toiletries, and other essentials. You can get it before filling the claim as it is an urgent expense. Take care to include the replacement of the personal items in insurance papers as it is insured separately from the house.
Damage estimation
Before you start with the renovation process you have to do the estimation of the damage, find the contractor, and prepare a living situation while the renovation is in progress. The licensed inspector with the engineer that specializes in fire damage will assess your house on each level, foundation walls, bearing walls, and the roof. The plumbing, heating, and electricity can bear significant damage and should be inspected carefully.
Secure the property and waste management
Once the firefighters leave your property and you start preparing for the renovation, the safest next move is to secure the property. Secure every entrance and window, by boarding it up or sealing it with another type of protective cover to prevent further weather damage.
It is important to think about waste management as your home has suffered a specific type of damage that demands dirty construction work. Luckily, your contractor can help with salvation as well as recommendation for demolition services that include responsible waste management.
Consider hiring a specialized contractor
If you are concerned with the expertise of a regular contractor, consider hiring a fire restoration contractor. Restoration contractors specialize in property damage mitigation, remediation, and restoration. The fire restoration contractors have experience in discovering and dealing with the consequences of fire, smoke, soot, and water damage.
While looking for the damage, they can be of major help with insurance paperwork, as their work is in the domain of damage estimation. What also differs from general contractors is that a specific type of advanced equipment is used for these restorations to quickly and successfully minimize the damage while trying to save as much as possible. Unless the damages are so extensive that the best solution is to rebuild the house, do try going for the fire restoration contractor.
If renovating alone, get rid of water and smoke first
Depending on the damage you actually might have a chance in repairing the room by yourself, Still, if you encounter major damage behind the walls or with installations consult the professional immediately. If you are going alone, start dealing with the water and smoke before anything else.
Water is your worst enemy after fire damage. It goes everywhere, and it is hard to dry out once furniture gets completely soaked. Everything that gets wet will quickly become a breeding ground for mildew. If some space has standing water (most likely the basement), quickly rent a sump pump to extract it from your home. All of the furniture, carpets and paper need to be removed as soon as you can get in. The next thing you should take care of is smoke. Firefighters will set up big fans, but the smell will linger so prepare to clean undamaged and throw out the sooted furniture.
Liven up your house
The next step to take is to give your house a new spirit and make it a peaceful place once again. Your walls will probably turn grey and spread a mood of depression. There are also scratches and other minor damages to your walls after a fire. To get rid of the ugly look your house has got you should paint the walls and give them a new coating. Please keep in mind that the yard walls need something different than what you apply to the interior walls. Regarding the interior walls, any ordinary paint will do as you will probably repaint them after a few years. As for the yeard house, it is better to go for acrylic rendering as it is more durable and less vulnerable. According to professionals at Hi Cement Rendering, acrylic rendering is highly resistant to severe weather conditions and does not change for more than a decade if done properly. Alternatively, you could also apply a thin layer of cement on the walls and then paint them. However, it might cost you a little more than expected.
Conclusion
watching your property burn is a bitter experience that might leave you with financial and psychological issues. This might affect your decision making and bring about further problems. Although it is easier said than done, you should always remember not to act hastily. In case you experience fire damage around your house follow the steps we provided above so that restoring your burned house becomes an easier and less stressful endeavour.