1. Damage Assessment
After confirming that your house in North Hollywood is safe to enter, the experts will perform thorough assessments of the overall damages that were done by the flames and water. The contractors will typically assess the scope of the smoke and flames on the structure and how extensive the needed clean-up should be. You can know more about what to do in case of a house fire on this site.
In this step, there are assessments on pieces of furniture, mementos, and more, and the experts determine whether there’s still a chance that they can be restored. Others may be discarded because they are beyond repair. At the end of the appraisal, the company will have a better view of what things look like, the work they need to do, how long the process will take, and an estimate of the costs written on paper.
2. Debris Removal and Securing the Property
After the inspection has been performed, the next thing to do is secure the entire property in North Hollywood. This can include boarding up the windows, installing fences, and preventing vandals from breaking and entering. The whole perimeter will be freed from debris and remnants of the fire. There’s also tarping involved, sealing off some parts of the roof to protect it from falling, and averting further destruction from weather elements such as rain.
If there are areas that are still safe and the flames did not impact these, the professionals will separate these rooms and seal them off so that they will not be cross-contaminated with the rest of the property. The debris removal is carefully done, and each item is assessed because the right company knows that your belongings and mementos are important to you.
3. Further Demolishing, Mitigation of Water, and Drying Everything Out
This step is done to prevent further damage from mold and corrosion. The professionals try to remove as much water as possible and dry out the entire home. The personal items, furniture, and ashes will be carefully removed because the moisture in them can promote moss, mold, and bacteria growth. Read more about mold growth after disasters here: https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/mold/index.html.
If there’s drywall that’s damaged beyond repair, it will be demolished, and you can decide if you want to do a major renovation in the future. The materials on the floors, roofs, stairs, and basements will be detached, as necessary. Many companies today are using water extraction equipment to dry out a house. The roof tarps are still in place during this step to prevent rainwater or snow from coming in.
4. Smoke Removal and Clean Up
The most intensive part of the restoration process is the clean-up. This is the step that typically involves hard manual labor where soot and smoke are properly cleaned from the exterior and interior surfaces. Every inch is cleaned and disinfected in your house.
After the thorough clean-up, a deodorizing agent will remove the smoke and any lingering odors. If there’s a need to perform water damage restoration, there may be antimicrobial and deodorizing solutions to improve your property’s situation.
Getting everything cleaned with effective solutions can halt mold growth that can subsequently follow if everything remains damp. Any things that can still be saved are packed and transported into an off-site center to be restored into their original state before the fire. The clean-up will also involve a thorough soot removal, eliminate smoke in the duct systems, and get rid of all the debris around the property. You can expect a clear and clean home afterward.
5. Restoration and Construction
The final step in helping you return your home into a habitable state is to perform repairs. The areas are usually rebuilt again, with the roof getting top priority. Afterward, the walls, ceilings, floors, and rooms are next to be repaired and renovated. Any parts that are considered unsalvageable will be removed and replaced in the soonest time possible.
Others that may need a complete replacement include the roof, electrical wires, paint, drywall, counters, fixtures, and floor materials. Before you know it, you’ll be back to your home in the soonest possible time, and most of the things are what they used to be. You can also opt to replace some appliances with newer ones to last longer since they are also less prone to start another fire.
The Right Company Can Help
With fire restoration companies, you can expect someone to respond to you in times of disaster. You can trust the experts to do damage control and get things back to normal again. These professionals will be available 24/7, and you can lean on them when there’s an emergency.
They will respond to the mess, assess the damage, board up and secure your house, and start drying out the water to prevent mold from growing. Others will be a true partner in your renovation project and help you in the claims process of insurance.
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