We’ve provided restoration services for fire damage in Orange County for more than fifty years, so we understand how emotionally stressful and devastating it is for families who are affected. Often, this stress leads to people trying to take charge of the damage right away with DIY restoration efforts, plunging themselves into work to help deal with the situation.
There are important steps to take immediately after your home has suffered fire damage, including making a catalog of lost items, photographing and videoing the damage, contacting your insurance provider, and remaining clear of the damaged area. What you should not do is attempt to fix the fire damage yourself—instead, get our team involved as soon as possible so we can start the restoration process. Below we’ll explain why you need to leave this job to experts like us.
Reasons Not to Try to Fix Fire Damage Yourself
- Fire damage restoration is a highly specialized task. We’ll start with a simple observation: you’re not a fire damage restoration expert, and this is a job that absolutely requires one. You’re not trying to tidy up several items that got knocked over or attempting to rehang a door. Fire does damage to homes in multiple ways that go deeper than just scorched objects. To properly restore fire damage requires understanding the ways fire and smoke create damage in the first place, how to properly clean up and dispose of materials like soot, and what safety precautions to take. Unless you’re a licensed and trained restoration professional, you don’t have what’s necessary to take on these jobs.
- You might void your fire insurance policy. It’s vital during the period after a fire to make sure you don’t do anything that may lead to your insurance provider finding a reason to deny your claim. Check over your policy and you’ll likely see a clause stating that any damage restoration must be done by licensed professionals. Trying to go DIY may mean a denied claim.
- It’s not safe. Safety is the top priority in the wake of any fire damage to a home, and the process of fire damage restoration is hazardous without proper training and tools. You’ll put yourself at risk of exposure to toxins and dangerous chemicals, as well as the potential of further building collapse. In fact, we don’t even recommend you move around inside your burnt house more than necessary for cataloging purposes. Leave the work to experts who know how to keep both you and themselves safe.
- You may end up creating more damage. It’s easy to make the damage in your home worse if you try to make fixes on your own. You might cause further collapse or create new types of damage with cleaning materials and tools that aren’t suited for the work. It sounds counterintuitive, but the less you do about the damage, the easier it will be for the professionals to mitigate it and restore your home.
We’re here to help you start the recovery process—let us handle restoring your home after fire damage so you can pay attention to the important job of looking after yourself and your family.
For comprehensive home restoration services you can rely on, contact Jarvis Restoration today!