Smoke Damage: What's your next step?

Published by: Francine Maglione
Published on: 2010-01-10 15:26:13

Fires can cause plenty of damage to a Connecticut house immediately, but sometimes the aftermath can be far worse. The resulting damage from smoke can make getting your home back to normal a difficult process. If you find smoke damage after a fire in your home, no matter how small the fire was, it is important to hire a professional smoke damage restoration contractor in Connecticut to get your house feeling clean again.

Smoke can destroy many objects in a house like photographs, art and electronics. It can also ruin paint on walls as well as spread odor, debris and potentially toxic fumes around your home. Once you find smoke damage from a fire, you shouldn't try to clean it up yourself. Many times this can cause more damage or not get the smoke odors out completely. Some smoke damage needs to be handled differently than others and only a professional knows how to do this properly.

The first step you should take when dealing with smoke damage in Connecticut is contacting a smoke damage contractor. Finding a professional and trustworthy contractor can sometimes be a difficult task. There are many variables to consider such as if the contractor has enough training and if they will do the work correctly so that it satisfies your insurance company. Popular Mechanics  recommends checking the contractor’s professional affiliations and training, as well as contacting prior customers.

The Los Angeles Times also reported that checking a contractor's references is a must before hiring him. Homeowners should ask for the phone numbers of the last five clients, and insist on an itemized contract of all work to be performed, materials to be used, and a commitment to a completion date.

It may be tempting to just hire a general contractor because they are much more abundant than disaster restoration specialists, but experts caution against this. The Los Angeles Times writes, "While a restoration contractor may hire subcontractors to do some of the work, his real specialty is getting things done right and in a way that meets insurance contract requirements. A general contractor may have the expertise to rebuild a wall, but he won't know much about getting the smoke residue off your furniture."

Our highly trained contractors are available to provide you with reliable smoke damage restoration in Connecticut and Westchester County, New York. To find a local smoke restoration contractor near you, feel free to contact us online or give us a call toll free at 866-370-9314.


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