Restoration and Renovation: When to Restore Versus When to Renovate After Damage Occurs
When your home has been severely damaged by flood, fire or natural disaster your first thought may be, “where do I even start?”. What do I restore? What do I refurbish? What do I rip out and renovate? Is it simply time to get a wrecking ball and call it a day? A trusted restoration company can help you sort out what needs some TLC and actually needs renovation.
Insurance and Codes Considerations
It’s extremely important to talk to your homeowner’s insurance company about what they will and will not cover. Restoration companies are experienced with helping negotiate with insurance adjusters. Your insurance may want to save money by restoring. Restoration experts can navigate how to best restore your home within the guidelines of the insurance company and your policy limitations.
There again, some insurance companies see the benefit in avoiding problems down the road by completely renovating parts of the home that are damaged by flood, fire or mold.
Another important consideration is the codes for where you live. Some places that are more at risk for rising water levels may require that your water damaged home be completely renovated down to the studs. You may have to make improvements to the home for future flood prevention. Restoration teams can work with you, your insurance and your local code enforcement office to determine the best plan for your home.
Personal Preference
There are definitely times when homeowners decide that they were planning on renovations anyway after their home has experienced damage. It’s still important to call on a restoration company to help sort out what level of renovating you may need to do. Restoration teams can help save your personal items and tell you what you need from a contractor; potentially saving you money and headaches down the road.
Historical homes and homes that have been in your family for generations hold special consideration for pushing toward restoration. These situations are where you especially want to hire a professional restoration team. Restores can help preserve the historical integrity of homes such as the many Victorian era homes in the United States. A restoration team can help identify how to restore or replace precious hardwoods, moldings and ornate ceilings. They can partner with contractors for a combined approach to renovating and restoring.
Mold Concerns
Deciding whether to restore or renovate can also be dependent on the extent of mold damage from flooding or fire extinguishing. Drywall, carpeting and soft woods can be particularly susceptible to mold. Obvious signs of mold damage include moist crumbling walls, warped floorboards and dark spots on hard surfaces.
It can be tempting to do a DIY cleaning on what appears to be minimal damage. While it may seem like everything has been dried out and cleaned up, mold spores and moisture can hide beneath the surface, continuing to grow and destroy your structure while impacting your families’ health and wellness. This is where a restoration team can be of assistance by assessing the amount of mold damage at work. They have the experience and tools to evaluate what level of restoration work can be done and how much renovating you may need.
Fire Damage
In cases of fire damage there are many considerations for restoration versus renovation. Thousands of gallons of water may be used to extinguish flames. The dry out, the soot, the smoke damage and mold concerns can be overwhelming. Fire damage can be quite aggressive, requiring structural stabilization to even be able to assess whether to renovate or restore. Water damage can get through the drywall to the insulation and wiring which requires complete demolition and restructuring of rooms.
You may be able to restore ancillary rooms that were only damaged by smoke and soot rather than so much of the direct heat and flames. This is entirely dependent on the level of water damage and mold remediation required. Restoration experts can help sort out what level of damage you are facing from a fire and what to renovate versus restore.
A restoration team can quickly assess damage after a natural disaster, flood, fire or mold problems and guide your process going forward. Dedicated workers with experience can show you how to work with homeowner’s insurance and codes to decide whether to renovate or restore different parts of your home.
