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How to Repair Damage After a House Fire?

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One of the worst experiences that a homeowner can hope for is a fire in the house. If a fire breaks out in your home, it can be devastating and even traumatic. And it can be a big relief if none of the family members is harmed during the fire. However, you still have to rebuild the house and put everything back together. In such instances, home insurance can be of great help. Dealing with fire at home can be extremely painful and difficult. But you must start the rebuild somewhere. And the most difficult decision is where to start from. In the unfortunate event that your house has caught fire, we have outlined all the steps that can follow to repair the damage.

1. Let Your Insurer Know

The first step towards repairing all the damages caused by a house fire is to call your insurance provider, provided you have home insurance. Inform your insurer about the fire and begin the claim process as soon as possible. You can even discuss taking the help of fire restoration services with your insurance provider. Taking the help of a fire restoration service will help you get the repairs done in a short span of time. Look for a company that has a proven record in restoration services. While your discussions with the insurance provider, you may even ask them for leads to fire restoration services.

2. Look for Structural Damages

After informing your insurance provider, the next step involves assessing any structural damage in the house. This is to ensure that the house is safe for rebuilding or restoration. There are two ways to complete this step. You can either hire a structural engineer, or the restoration service provider can recommend one.

The main task of the engineer would be to assess the structure of the house and ensure that the following is in good condition.

● All the interior load-bearing walls

● The foundation of the house and basement walls

● The basement, different floor walls and joists of the attic

The restoration contractor can help you get in touch with electricians and contractors who can help you out in the process.

3. Secure the Property

Once you have finalized a contractor and are ready to start the repair work, ensure that only one entry is available for the house. It is important that you secure all other entrances to the house. If there are any broken windows, you can take the help of a contractor to fix those as well.

By securing the property, you reduce any chances of vandalism during the repair phase. It is something that a lot of insurance providers also insist on.

4. Structural Repairs

One of the first things that you must target during the repair is structural repairs. Taking the help of experienced professionals will help you fix any major damages to the structure of the house more robustly. This will ensure that the strength of the house remains intact as you continue with other repairs.

Structural repairs might usually mean working on the attic, repairing any joists, replacing any of the damaged trusses, ensuring the internal framework is intact and so on.

5. Electricals

If the fire has not destroyed the entire house, it is of paramount importance to check the electricals of the house. You can hire an experienced electrician to assess the damages to the electricals of the house and repair them as well.

Replacing the breaker box, checking all internal wiring for damages, and checking all the fixtures and outlets are some of the things that the electrician would usually look at.

6. Specific Damages Due to Fire

The next step would involve targeting the damages caused explicitly by the fire. Fire and smoke can cause a lot of damage to the house. Thus, a specialized clean-up is recommended for such scenarios. The following are some of the clean-up activities that your restoration contractor might take up.

● Check for contamination in the air ducts

● Remove smoke stains

● Remove any sooty residue

● Any sort of mold growth in the dampness

7. Cleaning All the Rooms

Depending on the damages that have occurred, the repair can take weeks or, in some cases, even months. Being patient through the entire process is particularly important. Taking the help of professional restoration services is your best bet against all the damages that the fire has caused.

The restoration service contractor can help you in more than a few ways. If the sheetrock is damaged, they will replace it. And they will also replace any floor that is damaged due to the fire. Some of the contractors might even help you with salvaging the damaged furniture.

And they will cover different rooms in the entire process. You can ask them for additional attention to any of the rooms that are particularly important. For example, if your office space has a lot of electrical connections, you can ask them to thoroughly rebuild or restore your office space.

8. Documenting Everything

It can be very expensive to repair a house after a fire. Thus, it is extremely important that you document everything from start to finish. Make it a point to document all the repair costs and replacement costs of parts. It might also be a good idea to save all the documents and photographs digitally. This will make a claim process an easier affair, and you do not have to run around looking for all the files. When you document everything from the start of the restoration, it becomes much easier to work in conjecture with the insurance provider. You can even take the help of your restoration contractor for the claims process, as they might be aware of all the finer details that insurance companies might look for.

Conclusion

A house on fire can destroy a lot of things, from the structure of the house to the furnishings to other utility electronics that you have in the house. If you do not have home insurance, the onus is entirely on you to pay for the repairs.

It is no secret that the home insurance plan can set you back a bit financially. However, in the event of a fire or any other damages, the claims can more than make up for the premiums. And more importantly, you can focus on rebuilding your home rather than worrying about the expenses.

You can buy home insurance online, either directly from insurance providers or from insurance aggregators. Buying it from insurance aggregators will help you secure a policy that offers higher coverage without putting a dent in your finances.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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