9 Factors to Consider Before Choosing a Fire Restoration Contractor in Glastonbury

11/7/2020 (Permalink)

Do you have Fire Damage? How to Hire a Fire Restoration Contractor in Glastonbury.

Fire disasters at home or business premises can cause both property and emotional damage. It causes panic, messes up your life, and leaves your home severely destroyed. But it’s not only fire that will damage your property, the water used to put it off causes destruction as well.

Even after such a disaster, you need a good fire restoration contractor to cover your back at these trying times. A restoration company should offer services like cleaning, refurbishment, construction, and coordination. It’s not time to dwell on the damages anymore but work on restoration.

Selecting any contractor out there isn’t going to help you. You need someone to give you the best restoration services and handle your situation with compassion. 

Choosing a good contractor isn’t a walk in the park as there are many considerations to put in mind. This article outlines some of the factors you should consider to make your search easier. 

1. Work With Fire Restoration Contractor Within Your Local Area

There is no better way to find a fire restoration company than to consider those within your locality. In the spirit of supporting local businesses, you’ll also find reliable contractors. A local contractor knows how to deal with issues affecting the locals.

Besides, those within your locality are easier to access in case of an urgent problem. If you live in Glastonbury, you need to work with a contractor in the surrounding area. In case you need emergency services, they should be able to reach your home as soon as possible.

Local contractors are established and known in your area. They have worked in that specific place for long enough and built a reputation. They have all the valuable knowledge regarding the city hence will do a better job than a contractor from a different area.

Make sure you sample several fire restoration companies from your city. Go through their websites and learn about their services. Don’t hesitate to ask around from people who’ve worked with the company before. Their former clients will never lie about the kind of services they received from the company.

If you don’t get any recommendations from your friends and family, you can find connections online. You can search for companies via the International Cleaning and Restoration Association’s website. They connect homeowners to the best local restoration contractors that offer reliable services. 

2. Check the Company Credentials

Working with licensed and certified fire damage restoration contractors will give you peace of mind. For a restoration company to get licensed, they need to meet requirements that certify them to perform specific tasks. Licensing also means that the company is reputable with no client complaints against it. 

A certified company works with a fully trained and experienced team. They care about their customers and always want to deliver the best services. 

Check if the company takes its team through regular training. Continuous training is necessary to improve their skills and knowledge about the latest industry standards.

Working with a company that it’s not certified puts your property at risk. This means that the company is not licensed to do the restoration work. 

You won’t manage to file a complaint if the fire damage restoration isn’t satisfactory. You’re never guaranteed quality restoration work if you work with an uncertified company.

Another credential to check is fire and water restoration contractors’ insurance. The insurance works as a shield between the contractor and the property owner. In case of accidents or property destruction, you won’t be held liable for anything.

The general liability insurance covers the technicians and the homeowner against any injuries and damages during the restoration process. You will not undergo any further losses due to damages or injuries because the insurance has got your back.

3. Check the Referrals of Your Fire Restoration Contractor

Friends and family are the first people you should go for when looking for referrals about a restoration company. Think of a friend who experienced fire damage before. It could be a neighbor to your friend or a colleague. 

They probably worked with a restoration company before. Ask them about the company they worked with. What was their experience with the company and the cost of restoration? 

Were they pleased with the results? Were they responsive to your queries? Can the friend comfortably recommend the company? 

The secondhand reference comes from online reviews. There are several places to get references online, including social media, websites, and forums. These places have plenty of information from past customers, including those satisfied and those disappointed with the services.

If you check sites such as Facebook, you will find reliable leads to good restoration service providers. They’ll tell you what you should expect from their services and the amount to pay. They can also provide ratings and reviews from previous customers so that you know what you’re getting into.

4. Your Fire Restoration Contractor Should Use Modern Equipment

A good restoration company should employ state-of-the-art equipment and the best techniques. There is a lot involved in fire damage restoration, including cleaning, clearing debris, construction, smoke odor removal, among other services. They shouldn’t hesitate to invest in the best equipment that will offer value.

Good equipment speeds up the process and provides quality work. They ensure everything within your premises, including documents and artwork, are taken good care of. The equipment used should make the work easy for both of you. 

Professional companies are equipped with the right type of equipment to handle specific tasks. They go out of their way to specialized kinds of inventories specialized in home fire safety and restoration. They’ll come fully equipped to deal with the damage in the best way possible and ensure nothing but satisfactory results.

5. Works With Experienced and Well-Trained Team

It doesn’t matter how many years the company has been in operation. What is it that keeps changing employees all the years it’s been in operation? The team that the company works with, their expertise, and experience are what matters most. 

The company is not going to do the restoration work but its employees. Everyone in the company should be up to the task starting from the customer care personnel to restoration technicians.

Consider the team’s expertise and their level of training. Check the qualifications of their restoration specialists. Make sure the people contracted to work on your premises have completed their training and certification.

The company should work with a wide range of professionals who have expertise in different areas. They should be in a position to handle even the most complicated tasks with ease. They should stay updated with the latest fire damage restoration standards and unique techniques.

6. Consider the Kind of Services the Contractor Offers

The kind of services your fire damage restoration company provides is very crucial when hiring. Check the services they’re willing to offer at a specific price and make sure they’re all that you need. They should give you a complete list of all services they offer, their requirements, and costs.

Some of the fire damage restoration services include emergency contact smoke, shoot removal, cleaning, restoration, repairs, etc. It’s advisable to work with a company that offers full-service for convenience.

7. The Company Availability and Response Time

Disasters such as appliance fire can happen unexpectedly, causing a lot of destruction. No one is ever prepared for this, but your company should be ready all the time. The faster they take to respond to the problem, the sooner you’ll restore your home.

It’s essential to reach your company whenever you need their help. They should take the shortest time to reach your home in case of an emergency. Your company should respond to calls 24/7. They should start cleaning immediately and prevent your home from getting exposed to additional damages.

This means your restoration company should also serve as emergency response teams. You should have your contractor’s contacts on your fingertips so you can call them any time and get them to help you with your emergency.

They should be available for the services and respond to your promptly whenever you have questions or concerns. A responsive company is easy to work with and keep its customers’ desires first. Make sure their customer service team is available 24/7 and willing to attend to all your needs.

8. They Should Offer a Quote

While most of the time, quality of service matters more than price, it’s still important to consider the price. You should not go for cheap companies because this will mean getting poor quality services. Also, be careful not to get overcharged because you can still get the best services at affordable rates.

An experienced company should have years of experience in their work; hence can easily work out the cost involved in your work. They can comfortably approximate the cost of your fire damage restoration. They’ll then provide you a complete quotation that gives you a clear picture of everything involved, so you prepare.

Your restoration company should also tell you if there are other additional costs to expect after the initial. There are some hidden damages in your property that need additional expenses, and you should never get surprised when unexpected costs show up.

If the prices seem out of your budget, you should consider negotiating for better charges. Who knows, your restoration company could be more than willing to give you a discount. They should also recommend alternative restoration techniques that can reduce fire damage costs.

Don’t be afraid to ask for quotes from different companies and compare them before settling with one. The restoration company bids should breakdown all the expenses, including labor costs, material, and other miscellaneous expenses. 

Understand what every contractor includes in their bids and make sure the fees are reasonable. Once you find a good deal with all the services you need, don’t hesitate to hire. 

9. A Good Restoration Company Should Inspect the Property First

No reputable company can start working on your premises without inspecting the magnitude of the damage. In fact, they should do the initial inspection before even providing you with a quotation. Accessing the situation and knowing everything the work will entail helps make the entire process easier.

While the first inspection might be accurate, they are not final numbers for the complete restoration service. They’ll comfortably say what they need for the restoration, the complete quotation, and the duration after the final inspection.

You should never trust a company that starts working right away after you contact them. When they don’t do a thorough inspection, they might send the wrong team or work with the wrong equipment for the restoration. An initial assessment will minimize damages and ensure quality work.

After doing the inspection, your company should come up with a detailed plan for the entire project. The plan will help the company restore your property to its normal shape after massive destruction.

They should not only offer you an accurate assessment of the property damage but also a plan they need to have in place for the restoration. They must make the right decisions regarding the project and how they intend to proceed with the restoration work. 

You’re Responsible for Choosing a Good Contractor

Getting your home damaged by disasters such as fire can expose you to a stressful situation. But having a good fire restoration contractor should reduce this stress and give you peace of mind. It also ensures your property will be safe and comfortable to live in even after the disaster.

If you’re in Glastonbury, you don’t have to look any further than SERVPRO of Glastonbury and Wethersfield. Contact us today and let us help get your property back to its initial state or even better than before the fire damage.