A residential fire can cause unexpected damages to your house. Once the fire services have doused the fire, it is important to check everything related to health and safety. This is one task that is best left to experts. Your immediate response should be about calling a reliable fire & smoke restoration service, like Brouwer Brothers Steamatic. In this post, we are sharing more on how to find the right company for the job.
Ask the basic questions
First and foremost, check if the fire & smoke restoration company is quick with responding to your call. They should send their inspectors to your home immediately for a check on the situation. Depending on the extent of damages, their team may recommend you to stay out of the house, until everything is fixed and checked for. As a client, you have to ask a few questions like –
- Is your company licensed? Do you have necessary permits for fire & smoke restoration?
- Do you have workers’ compensation and general liability insurance?
- Can you share an estimate in advance?
- What type of restoration services do you offer beyond this?
- Are your workers trained, insured, and bonded for the job?
Don’t be surprised to know that many restoration companies don’t even have an office or team. They often make their money by assigning the work to subcontractors, and you wouldn’t want to get into such traps.
Know their work process
Right after you have agreed to the estimate, expect the restoration company experts to secure the building. They will check all the assets and determine what can be saved. Personal belongings and assets that can be reused will be immediately removed from the site for further remediation. This should be ideally followed by HEPA air filtration, for removal of soot, dust and other debris present in indoor air. The experts will also clean the entire building for debris, if any. The final step is to disinfect and sanitize the house, which may include cleaning of upholstery.
Don’t look for cheapest estimates
Every restoration company follows a specific pattern for the job, and you have every right to know if they are doing the basic steps that are expected. The price you pay a restoration service is fractional compared to the work they do and the amount you will save otherwise. In other wise, don’t be tempted to choose a company based on the price alone, because we are talking of your property here.