People love to save money on home improvement and even home restoration by going do-it-yourself (DIY). We would all like to think we can watch some videos online, buy the materials, and get to work. Yet, more often than not, when it comes to home restoration issues such as water damage, fire damage, or even a severely old house, you can quickly be in over your head and way over budget.
Water Damage
When we think of water damage in a home, coastal environments come to mind. However, many homes are exposed to water damage. It’s rarely a good idea to tackle water damage restoration on your own. You can remove all of the obvious debris but may not see what lies beneath that a professional will know to look for.
Flooding is a major issue that requires a professional to extract water and remove all deteriorated materials. You truly want a professional in the case of flooding to ensure the structure is safe right down to the beams and dried out enough to prevent toxic mold from developing.
Pipe bursts from extreme cold can also cause severe water damage. This may be a situation where someone is tempted to repair the damage themselves. Again, only a professional can truly know how far the water damage goes beyond tearing out walls and floors to ensure everything is dry, safe and structurally sound.
Water damage can also be caused by heavy snow on roofs and cave-ins. It’s imperative to go beyond fixing the roof and have a professional restoration team assess what other areas of the structure have been compromised.
A professional restoration team will also know how to deal with homeowner’s insurance, codes and safety better than a layman or typical contractor.
Fire Damage
Whether the damage was from a small fire in an isolated part of the house or a larger fire, you will save time and money by hiring a professional restoration service to clean up. Fire damage is one of the most pervasive kinds of damage to a home. There is the actual burnt material, the soot damage, the water and mold damage from extinguishing and the smoke damage.
It’s extremely dangerous and likely won’t pass codes to rely on your own construction expertise when rebuilding after a fire. A professional restoration service knows how to assess the amount of structural damage and safely replace and restore your home.
A professional restoration company can also remove soot and smoke damage with advanced equipment and chemicals that are not available to the general public. Smoke can get into literally every nook and cranny of a structure. There is no use wasting time with household cleaning products to try and scrub out the damage and the smell.
Many people don’t even consider the amount of water damage that can be caused by extinguishing the fire. Fire extinguishers can also cause damage with the chemical foams involved. All the moisture will always leave room for potential mold growth. A professional restoration team can tell you exactly how deep the damage goes and the most cost effective way to restore your home from fire damage.
Mold Damage
Mold damage is one of the biggest reasons people need to hire a professional restoration specialist rather than try to repair the damage, DIY. There are several kinds of mold and circumstances in which it will grow. As previously mentioned, mold thrives in moisture. Water damage and fire damage can cause mold. Damp basements and faulty ventilation systems can also cause mold damage.
Professional restoration companies know how to properly dry-out a basement in newer and older homes to prevent the recurrence of moisture and regrowth of mold. There are steps that can be taken both inside a basement and outside to waterproof and ensure moisture stays out. This can be a difficult task for a regular person to DIY without the support of professionals with experience, staff and equipment.
A person can try to DIY a restoration project and think they succeeded until the hidden mold grows and causes more problems than the original issues. Mold will cause a host of health problems and damage the new materials. This can all spiral into dealing with the restoration multiple times, costing more money in the long run.
Attempting to clean visible mold damage is also dangerous to your health. Disrupting the spores will cause them to become more airborne and dangerous. A professional restoration team can safely identify and clean the mold while replacing materials and ensuring your structure is completely clean and restored.
Don’t Go It Alone
DIY is great for aesthetic updates to a home or office. When it comes to home restoration, it’s safer, more cost efficient and less stressful to hire a professional restoration company.
