4 Potential Issues With a Partial Loss
11/28/2018 (Permalink)
Restoration Process After Fire Loss in Your Building
Your building in Prairie Village, KS, doesn't have to burn completely to suffer a fire loss. That doesn't mean that restoration isn't needed, though. Even if areas of your commercial property are not burned, they can still show signs of smoke or soot damage or secondary damage such as mold. Any time you have a fire in your building, you need to stay aware of four potential problems with the restoration process.
1. Insufficient Cleanup
The first call you should make after a fire is to fire restoration experts. Don't just choose the first company listed, though. Do your homework and choose certified professionals with good reviews and a good service record. Shoddy repair is not much better than no repair at all.
2. Delayed Assessment
Even if you call experts for an assessment right after the damage occurs, it may take a while for your insurance adjuster to visit the site, especially if the company has other clients with more pressing issues. If this happens, you should still hire technicians to halt any ongoing damage to your building. Make sure to document the original damage with photos or video footage and an itemized list of everything that needed repair or replacement.
3. Additional Damage
A partial fire loss often leaves sneaky problems in the building. Make sure that you have air ducts and cabinets inspected for hidden smoke damage. It is also a good idea to have the area tested for mold growth, particularly if it sustained a lot of water saturation.
4. Unmatched Finish
Another benefit of hiring quality professionals is that they restore you property to a uniform look. This often involves replacing flooring, ceiling tiles, walls or wallpaper that wasn't damaged by the fire so that the whole room looks the same. A room with matching issues should not be considered a proper restoration.
Even if a small portion of your building is affected by the fire, you still must take repairs seriously. By treating a partial loss as a complete problem, you can bypass some of the common issues that occur when only part of your building is damaged.