How long does it take to repair fire damage?

It’s a question our team gets all the time and the short answer is…it depends! 

Think back to the last time you smelled smoke in your home (hopefully not while you’re reading this). 

Chances are, you were cooking on the stove or just doing a small daily task.

Then all of a sudden, a smell! 

Fires on average take 2 minutes to spread but sometimes can take even as little as 30 seconds. 

Fire damage can happen quickly and it’s important that you prevent fires, we wrote an article about how to prevent fire damage if you’re curious how.

So what happens if you can’t prevent fire damage? It’s time to think about cleanup and restoration.

Here’s what to expect from fire damage!

Once a fire is put out you can expect to see what’s called Soot Residue begin to discolor appliances, plastic objects, and other absorbent materials. 

After sometime, the soot residue from the fire will begin to stain even more and become harder to clean. 

When furnishings, appliances, floors, walls and more become stained with soot restoring them becomes inevitable so it’s important that you act fast.

After the first day is done and there hasn’t been any action taken towards cleaning or repair, there will begin to be discoloration in your home.

This discoloration will become more permanent and it becomes impossible to remove traces of the fire from appliances, flooring, furnishings, walls, and other household objects.

Aside from discoloration, it is also very possible to experience structural damage.

This is because the heat from the fire causes warping which compromises metal piping, frame work, and other fundamental elements of the home.

Additionally, your home may suffer from a permanent odor due to smoke settling in and even affecting your personal items.

So, your home has experienced fire damage. What’s next?

The timeline for how long it takes to repair fire damage depends on several factors such as severity, location of the damage, if there is any special equipment needed, and more.

However, our team follows a seven step process to ensure the highest quality of restoration is being performed and that you can get back into your home as quickly and as safely as possible.

A standard that our company sets for itself is being available 24/7. We understand that emergencies are just that, emergencies! We want to be there for you when you need us.

When you contact us, we will ask you questions regarding the damage. This is so that our team knows what equipment we need to bring in order to give you the highest quality of service.

If the damage is minor, we may only need 1-2 people with standard operating equipment. However, if the damage is more major, we’ll need to send more technicians to the site and use specialized equipment!

Above all, Metrolina Restoration responds to all calls with urgency and handles each project with care!

After we get off the phone with you and get the team involved, we will then dispatch our team to the location where we perform an assessment and really understand the scope of work involved.

Typically, we will check for:

• Adjoining areas and rooms for smoke and soot damages
• Water damage caused by fire extinguishing efforts
• Structure damage

After we give your home a top down assessment, we allocate our team members with specific tasks to get started with your specific service.

It’s not uncommon for fire damage to affect windows and rooftops. Heat and smoke rises and naturally, areas like the rooftop take major damage.

To provide the highest quality of service, our team acts on these parts of the home first. We will board up any missing windows first to avoid any further damage.

Once we board up the windows, we move on to the roof! We secure any roof damage with tarps. In doing this, it improves the security of your property and makes you less vulnerable during the disaster.

Now, I know what you may be thinking “why are you going to do water damage restoration on a home with fire damage?” The reason for this is because of the fire extinguishing team!

To cope with the fire, the fire extinguishing team uses lots of water, which can cause damage to the interior of the property.

Once we secure the area, our team goes in and uses dehumidifiers to remove extra moisture from the air and large dryers to dry up floor surfaces and walls.

Removing any and all smoke is a very important part of the process.

Fire damage often leads to soot accumulation on the walls, ceiling, floors, and other parts of the home.

After we restore any water damage, our team will go in and efficiently remove any signs of soot or burn marks from affected areas.

Once the scene is secure, water damage is restored and all smoke has been removed, our team begins the cleaning process!

During this stage, our team gets rid of any grit and grime.

After getting rid of the grit and grime, our team gets rid of any ash or dust.

To do this, our team uses high grade sanitizers and deodorizers that leave your home sparkling clean and smelling fresh!

In addition to high grade sanitizers and deodorizers, our team also uses advanced cleaning equipment and fogging devices on all of our projects.

Now that the scene is safe and clean, our team moves into the final restoration step!

This step involves performing any minor repairs caused by fire. This could be replacing any countertops, cabinets, and anything minor.

In addition to minor repairs, our team also does any necessary painting to restore the original appearance of your property.

After we do any necessary painting, our team will check to see if any carpet or drywall needs to be restored. If it does, we will help with the replacement and installation.

We understand in times of emergency that it can seem stressful and overwhelming.

Our team of highly trained professionals and technicians are with you through each step to make sure you get the highest quality of service.

We have many customers that trust us and it shows in the quality of our work. If you see any fire damage, give our team a call and we will be happy to help you!