Home Restoration After Major Water or Fire Damage
After a flood, fire, or mold outbreak, your home may need more than just cleaning — it may need to be rebuilt in part or completely. That’s where home restoration services come into play. Home reconstruction often includes rebuilding walls, floors, ceilings, and roof or floor joists. The goal is to restore your home to a safe and livable pre-event condition.
In this guide, we’ll look at when home reconstruction is needed after a fire or flood, at the stages, and whether or not your insurer will accept your claim. You might be dealing with structural damage or preparing for the next steps after mitigation, so understanding the home restoration process will help you move forward confidently.
The Home Reconstruction Process After Fire or Water Cleanup
Rebuilding a home after significant damage — from fire, water, or another disaster — can feel overwhelming. Familiarizing yourself with the process helps you prepare for the days, weeks, or even months of construction work. Whatever the timeline, most remodeling projects follow a familiar process, from assessment to construction to moving back into your home.
1. Renovation Plan: Damage and Safety Assessment
The first step in the reconstruction process is assessing the damage and then making a plan going forward, including the following items.
- Conducting a walk-through with professionals
- Checking for structural safety
- Turning off utilities and securing the property
- Pictures of the damage for the insurance claim
The preliminary safety inspection is the most essential part of the reconstruction plan.
2. The Renovation Process Starts With Damage Mitigation
Before you can start rebuilding, you must control the current damage. If leaks are still happening or fire is smoldering, it’s critical to get it under control. This initial cleanup phase sets the stage for everything that comes next and usually includes:
- Water extraction and drying: Remove any standing water. Then, dry out the affected areas and re-check for mold and structural damage.
- Smoke and soot removal: After a fire, specialized cleaning experts will be needed to remove harmful residues and eliminate odors.
- Board-ups, tarping, and debris removal: Secure broken windows, doors, or roof sections. You might need to use tarps temporarily to protect your home from the elements and vagrants.
- Mold prevention and air purifier: Air scrubbers and antimicrobial treatments often ensure indoor air is safe and mold doesn’t take hold.
Once you’ve stopped the current damage from continuing, you can safely move on to restoring your home to normal.
3. Professional Reconstruction Evaluations and Planning
Depending on the extent of the damage, you’ll need professional assessments and a well-thought-out plan of execution to get your home back to normal, including:
- Structural: Structural engineers, contractors, and consultants address the big problems
- Systems: Electricians, plumbers, and HVAC professionals assess the damage to your home’s systems. They look for hidden problems.
- Reconstruction Plan: A reconstruction plan coordinates multiple contractors and keeps the reconstruction project on schedule. Keeping tradespeople on a reliable payment schedule ensures they’ll see the job through without interruptions.
- Schedules: Timeline and budget considerations are significant concerns for homeowners who dread unexpected issues. With proper communication with their insurers, they’ll likely be given the all-clear from their insurance company.
Once the reconstruction plan and project area are settled, your contractor can arrange for the tradespeople to start working on budget and on time.
4. Structural Damage Impacts Your Remodeling Project
The next phase is rebuilding, which requires a lot of contractors and can take weeks or even months to complete. But the home starts to take shape and includes the following.
- Framing, roof repairs, and foundational fixes: Safety is the primary focus when rebuilding. This includes rebuilding damaged framing, roofing, and foundation cracks.
- Bringing systems up to modern code: Keeping the rebuilding milestones on point with current building codes is essential. Code enforcers must sign off on electrical, plumbing, and roofing repairs or rebuilds.
- Rebuilding with disaster-resistant materials (if possible): Many homeowners take this opportunity to invest in fire-resistant roofing, moisture-resistant drywall, or other long-term protection materials.
Once the framing and major repairs are done, it’s time to update the essential systems and ensure everything is safe and up to code.
5. Why Home Renovation Includes Systems Restoration
The next step is restoring the essential systems that make your home functional and livable. This phase focuses on rebuilding what’s behind the walls — ensuring everything operates safely and efficiently.
- Rewiring electrical and plumbing: Damaged wiring and pipes must be replaced. All such repairs must meet safety standards and pass code.
- HVAC repair or replacement: Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems are inspected and restored, or replaced if compromised by fire, smoke, or water.
- Inspections to ensure code compliance: Local inspectors verify that all systems are up to code before the walls are closed and finishing work begins.
It’s time to start the interior finish work once the structural and systems issues are repaired.
6. When Your Home Remodel Includes Interior Finishing
When the interior finishes and work starts, your space feels like a home again. With the walls finished, floors installed, and final details in place, you can finally see the result of all the hard work coming together.
- Drywall, flooring, trim, and cabinetry: Rebuilding the interior includes installing drywall, laying down new flooring, and replacing or updating trim and cabinetry.
- Painting and aesthetic decisions: This is your chance to choose colors, finishes, and design elements
- Appliance installation and fixture updates: The finishing work includes bringing new appliances, lighting, and plumbing fixtures. At this step, the homeowner usually starts to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Interior finishing work can get expensive; therefore, communicating clearly with your insurer will greatly help get your claim approved, which will cover the cost of the remodel renovations.
7. Insurance Coordination and Home Renovation Budget
Navigating insurance is critical to the reconstruction process and will help guide your renovation budget. Understand your policy and work closely with your adjuster to receive the maximum coverage you’re entitled to and avoid costly delays.
- Start by thoroughly documenting all damage — take clear photos, keep notes, and save any receipts — then file your claim as soon as possible. An insurance claim adjuster will assess the situation and let you know what’s likely to be covered.
- To understand the limitations, review your insurance policy and identify what types of damage are included, what your deductible is, and whether any exclusions apply.
- Most insurers require approval of estimates and contractor plans before work starts, so timely coordination is vital.
Stay in close contact with your insurer. The last thing you want is to be forced to take out a home equity loan to cover the reconstruction costs.
8. Final Inspections and Certificate of Occupancy
Before moving back in, your home must pass final structural, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire safety inspections. Once everything is approved and up to code, a final walkthrough can address minor fixes like trim or hardware. After that, you’ll receive a Certificate of Occupancy and can confidently return home.
Once the inspections are completed, it’s time to move back into your home.
Home Reconstruction Services in Denver
Depending on the extent of the damage, getting your house back to its pre-disaster condition following major fire or water damage can be a long and often stressful process. Even if the reconstruction costs are carefully monitored, unexpected costs could occur for the homeowner. As such, the reconstruction process will include communication with the insurer and planning and executing the reconstruction plan.
Advanced 24/7 Restoration provides premium mediation and restoration services following fire and water damage. We work with many clients on everything from cleanup to insurance communication to restoration so that disaster survivors can move back into their homes safely and securely. We know reconstruction can be time-consuming, depending on the extent of the damage.
Contact us online if you have questions, or call us at (720) 722-4777 to answer your restoration questions.
Advanced 24/7 Restoration’s mission is to provide unparalleled care and support to our valued clients. Delivering the best solutions for your property restoration needs. Our vision is to be the top-rated damage restoration company in Denver, known for our exceptional services, professionalism, and dedication to customer satisfaction. Water damage, fire damage, flood damage, and more.
