Our Fire Damage Restoration Process
Recovering from a house fire is one of the most stressful experiences a family can face. Our team has been helping Carolina families through exactly this situation since 2009. We move quickly to protect your property, methodically to restore it, and carefully to ensure nothing is missed in the process.
Phase 1: Assessment, Stabilization & Salvage
Our first priority after a fire is making the structure safe and preventing further damage. This means emergency board-up of windows and doors, temporary roof tarping to prevent weather intrusion, and structural assessment to identify compromised framing, load-bearing walls, or flooring that poses a safety risk.
Simultaneously, we begin the salvage process — identifying and documenting every item in the home, cataloging what can be restored versus what must be replaced. Salvageable contents are carefully packed and transported to our climate-controlled cleaning facility for professional content restoration. This salvage phase is critical: items left in a smoke-filled structure continue to absorb soot and odors, reducing the chance of recovery with each passing day.
We also address the water damage created by firefighting efforts during this phase. Firefighters pump thousands of gallons of water through a structure during active suppression — all of that water must be extracted and dried to prevent mold growth on top of fire damage.
Phase 2: Demolition, Cleaning & Soot Removal
Once the structure is stabilized, we remove all fire-damaged materials — charred framing, melted fixtures, burned drywall, insulation — and begin the detailed cleaning process on salvageable surfaces. Soot is acidic and corrosive; left untreated, it permanently etches glass, stains surfaces, and corrodes metals within days. Our technicians use dry sponge cleaning, wet cleaning, and chemical sponge techniques matched to each surface type.
Smoke residue penetrates HVAC systems, wall cavities, attic spaces, and every porous surface in an affected home. Our cleaning process covers all of these areas — not just the visibly damaged rooms. After cleaning, we apply deodorizing agents and run ozone or hydroxyl treatment to neutralize smoke odor molecules embedded in remaining materials.
Phase 3: Reconstruction & Restoration
With cleaned and dried surfaces confirmed, full reconstruction begins. This includes framing repairs, drywall installation, insulation, painting, flooring, fixture installation, cabinetry, and finish work. We handle reconstruction in-house — you won't be handed off to a separate general contractor mid-project. Your project manager coordinates all trades and keeps you updated throughout, with a single point of contact from day one to project completion.
Our goal is not just structural repair — it's returning your home to its pre-fire condition or better, with materials and finishes that match what you had before.
Secondary Damage: The Water Problem Inside Every Fire
Most homeowners are surprised to learn that the water used to fight a house fire causes nearly as much secondary damage as the fire itself. A typical residential fire suppression effort delivers thousands of gallons of water throughout the structure. This water soaks into floors, walls, ceilings, and contents — and if not extracted and dried within 24–48 hours, it creates a mold problem on top of the fire damage.
Because we're equipped for both fire and water restoration, we handle this immediately as part of the same project. We don't leave firefighting water in the structure while waiting for the fire-damage scope to be agreed upon — we start drying immediately to protect your investment and your health.
Working With Your Insurance Adjuster
Fire claims are among the most complex property insurance claims. Between structural damage, contents loss, smoke and soot damage, and water damage from suppression, the total scope can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Insurance adjusters are experienced and may not initially account for all damage — particularly smoke penetration in HVAC systems, attic insulation replacement, or contents that appear intact but are compromised by smoke odor.
Our team produces comprehensive Xactimate estimates that document every line item of scope. We've worked with adjusters from every major carrier and know how to present and justify scope so that your claim is fairly evaluated. We attend adjuster meetings on your behalf, provide supplemental documentation when initial scopes are insufficient, and advocate for your interests throughout the claims process.
Pack-Out Services: Protecting Your Belongings
Contents left inside a fire-damaged structure continue to deteriorate. Smoke odors penetrate deeper, soot corrosion progresses, and structural instability can pose a risk to anything stored in the building. Our pack-out service removes, inventories, and transports your belongings to our secure cleaning facility where each item is professionally cleaned, deodorized, and stored until your home is ready for move-back.
- Detailed room-by-room inventory with photographs of every item
- Professional content cleaning for fabric, wood, metal, and electronics
- Ozone and ultrasonic cleaning for smoke odor and soot removal from items
- Climate-controlled storage throughout the restoration period
- Coordinated move-back when the home is complete
Frequently Asked Questions
Can fire-damaged items be saved, or does everything need to be replaced?
Many items can be successfully restored if they are removed from the smoke environment quickly and professionally cleaned. Furniture, clothing, documents, photographs, electronics, and decorative items all have restoration options depending on how heavily they were exposed and how quickly they were addressed. Porous items like upholstered furniture and mattresses that absorbed heavy smoke are generally not restorable to a safe, odor-free condition. Hard surfaces — metal, glass, sealed wood — typically restore well. We assess every item individually during pack-out and provide a detailed inventory that documents salvageable versus non-salvageable items for your insurance claim.
How long does fire damage restoration take?
Timeline varies significantly based on the size and severity of the fire. A small kitchen fire with limited structural damage might be resolved in 2–3 weeks. A whole-house fire requiring extensive demolition and full reconstruction can take 3–6 months. The insurance claim process, permit timelines, and material availability also affect schedule. We provide a detailed project schedule at the start of reconstruction and update you whenever key milestones are reached or timelines change. You'll always know where your project stands.
Do you work with homeowners insurance for fire claims?
Yes — fire damage restoration is almost always covered under standard homeowners insurance policies, and we work directly with your carrier throughout the process. We produce Xactimate estimates that adjusters recognize, attend adjuster site visits, and submit supplemental documentation when initial scope estimates miss damage. You never have to navigate the claims process alone. We've handled claims with every major carrier including State Farm, Allstate, USAA, Travelers, Nationwide, and many others. Our experience with fire claims means scope disputes are resolved faster and more favorably than when homeowners navigate the process without representation.
What about smoke damage in rooms that weren't directly affected by the fire?
Smoke travels through every opening in a structure — HVAC ducts, electrical penetrations, gaps around plumbing — and can deposit soot and odors in rooms far from the fire origin. It is extremely common for us to find smoke damage in bedrooms, closets, and attic spaces on the opposite end of a home from where the fire burned. These areas require the same cleaning and deodorization treatment as the fire zone itself, or occupants will notice persistent odor long after the visible damage is repaired. We assess the entire structure, not just the obviously affected areas.