Can You Stay Home During the Fire Restoration Process? Or Will You Need to Relocate?
There is no easy way to deal with major fire damage to your home. Even if the fire damage is minimal, smoke damage can infiltrate many areas of your home. The best way to get your home restored to its original state – or as close to it – is through professional remediation. However, some of those restoration projects are bigger than others. In the aftermath of a large amount offire damage in Charlotte, you could potentially be dealing with property damage or health hazards – and both play a role in the complex process of restoration.
Whether or not you’ll have to relocate during this process is often the most pressing question homeowners face during this time, and the answer depends on a number of factors. The extent of the physical damage is a primary concern, as it may not be structurally safe to stay in the home. The health risks of lingering smoke damage also come into play, as well as the overall timeline for the restoration process. The ability to remain in your home during this time hinges on all of these things, and here’s some steps to take to figure out if you’ll need to relocate temporarily.
Assessing the Extend of the Fire Damage
Once the fire has been eliminated, the first step to determine if you can stay home is to assess the extent of the damage. Fire can destroy a lot of your personal items – like furniture, clothes, and other things within your home. However, the most important assessment will come from checking out the fire impacted the structural integrity of your home. This typically involves a complete inspection by a professional fire damage restoration company. If things like your foundation, roof, or walls have been damaged to the extent that your home could collapse on itself, it’s obviously time to relocate.
There could also be other issues underneath the surface. Even if the fire was contained to a small area, the smoke and soot can spread throughout the house. This has a major impact on air quality within your home, which might also be serious enough to cause you to relocate. If firefighters were needed to contain the blaze, there can also be secondary water damage, as well. Fires can also have a serious impact on electrical wiring and plumbing. Investigating these secondary hazards is also important to check out, as they may also need to be repaired before the home is safe to occupy again.
Know the Health & Safety Risks
The health and safety of your family are the most important considerations when deciding whether to stay at home or relocate during the restoration process. Outside of the obvious structural damage that can pose a risk, the air quality is the largest secondary concern. After a fire, the air quality in your home can be severely compromised thanks to the smoke and other chemical residues. All of these pollutants can cause respiratory issues – especially with children, the elderly, or other individuals with pre-existing conditions. Mold and mildew can also emerge if water was used to extinguish the fire.
The cleanup process through restoration may also involve dealing with other hazardous materials. If things like asbestos, lead, or other contaminants were released or disturbed during the fire, they can also be prevalent in the cleanup process. Depending on the extent of the damage, the restoration and remediation process can involve extensive construction work. Open walls and floors, exposed wiring, and other hazards can be common during this process. It’s important to understand the extent of the cleanup so you know the risks of those potential issues during that construction.
Understanding the Restoration Process
Once you’ve got the damaged assessed and understand the safety risks, it’s important to have a grasp on what the restoration process is going to look like. Depending on the scope of the project, this is where you should be able to tell if staying at home is going to be feasible. The first part of the process typically entails boarding up the affected windows and removing any debris to prevent further damage. From there, the restoration professionals will conduct their detailed assessment to develop a plan for cleanup and repairs.
If water was used during firefighting efforts, all of that water is removed and the property is thoroughly dried to prevent any mold growth. The restoration company will then use specialized equipment and trusted techniques to remove any smoke and soot from the air – or from any impacted surfaces. Once all of the smoke damage is dealt with, the entire property will be cleaned and sanitized to remove any of those other contaminants listed above. The final part of the equation comes with the rebuilding or repairing of any damaged structures, electrical lines, plumbing systems, etc. This will ideally restore the home to its condition before the fire, but the process may be inconvenient, uncomfortable, or potentially hazardous.
Taking Your Family’s Personal Considerations into Account
The physical damage from the smoke and fire aren’t the only things to consider. The personal considerations of your family members should also play a considerable role in the decision to stay at home. Households that contain young children, older individuals, or people with underlying health conditions might find it more difficult to stay at home while the property undergoes the restoration process. Depending on the ages of the residents, work and school may be disrupted, as well.
The overwhelmingly thorough nature of remediation can impact daily routines, and can be very distracting when trying to accomplish activities for work or school.
If you have pets at your home, they can also be very sensitive to the changes in their environment. Animals are much more sensitive to negative changes in the air quality around them, and there can be a lot of noise and distraction that’s associated with restoration work. Relocating to take them out of the home can also be beneficial for their physical and emotional wellbeing. Pets aren’t the only family members that will get stressed out by this. The emotional stress of staying in a damaged home can have a significant impact. Relocating even temporarily might give a change of scenery, but it can also provide a sense of normalcy and reduce the anxiety during this stressful time.
Know Your Options
If you decide that relocating during the restoration process is your best option, be sure to check out all of the different avenues that might be able to help you. Check out your insurance policy. You’re obviously going to need it to deal with the aftermath of the fire damage, so look and see if there’s anything that can help. Many homeowners’ insurance policies include coverage for temporary living expenses if your home is uninhabitable due to a loss that’s covered in the policy. This can help tremendously with the cost of a hotel, rental property, or other accommodations.
If the remediation is going to be just a few days, hotels are obviously an option. However, if the restoration process is expected to take several weeks or more, short-term rentals can offer a more comfortable and stable living arrangement. Some companies also specialize in providing temporary housing for individuals displaced by disasters, and can usually offer flexible lease turns for furnished accommodations. And don’t forget about friends and family. Staying with familiar people can provide a supportive environment during the restoration process, as well.
Making the Right Decision
The decision to stay or relocate comes down to what’s the most comfortable for your family during what is obviously a difficult time. There are a lot of factors involved, but it’s important that you make an informed decision. Don’t be afraid to talk with the professionals about it. Your trusted restoration company should be able to give you a clear scope of the work that’s necessary, the timeline of when it will be finished, and any other potential hazards that could go along with the process. They should also know the extent of the damages, and if it’s even safe to live inside your home while that work is being completed.
Look at your insurance policy. If your policy covers temporary relocation and living expenses, take advantage of it. You’re paying those premiums for a reason, so don’t be afraid to use all of the perks of the policy you’ve been paying for. Of course, the top priority is the health and safety of your family when making this decision. You’ll need to assess the impact on your daily routines, as well as your family’s emotional wellbeing, during a time where your life has been shaken up.
Nobody plans for a fire, and dealing with the aftermath can be a trying ordeal. Even as you are planning the restoration process, be sure to plan for contingencies. Timelines can change, and having a flexible plan can help you more easily adapt to any unforeseen changes. This can be a complex decision that requires careful consideration. For more information, reach out to the experts at Remedics Restoration today.
