Repairing your home after fire or water damage

Most people believe it will never happen to them, but fire is one of the greatest risks to damage of property in Canada today. Residential fires currently account for the greatest number of fires in Canada each year. And even if you escape a fire without injury to you or your family, it’s unlikely that your home will fare so well. Modern building practices (using synthetic materials) are thought to be accelerating the speed at which fire can spread through your home—way faster than the seven-minute response time currently aimed for by the nations fire services. Fire can cause a lot of damage in seven minutes. And then there’s the additional damage that’s caused by the water used to douse the flames. Water will rot wood, rust metal, delaminate surfaces and, perhaps worst of all foster the growth of mould. Mould will spread through your home and can cause severe health problems—especially the young and the elderly.

So, once the fire fighters, police and insurance company have left the scene, and you’re left to pick up the pieces, literally, where do you start?

The first and only step you really need to make is to call in a renovation company that’s experienced in disaster recovery. A company such as this will be comfortable in dealing directly with your insurance company, and will be able to put your home back together again—just the way it was before the accident. There are three phases to an efficient disaster-recovery service.

Phase one: emergency services
A contractor will arrive promptly to remove accumulated water. This will enable drying out to begin immediately and minimize the risk of mould.

Phase two: recovery
Items that were left undamaged by the fire or flooding will be packed up, removed from the property and placed into storage for the duration of the renovations. Salvageable items will be collected and cleaned or repaired as necessary, and any remaining debris will be removed.

Phase three: restoration
The damaged area will be restored to the way it was pre-disaster efficiently and quickly, so you can get back to normal as soon as possible.

There are many general contractors in the Montreal area, but not all are equipped to offer disaster-recovery services. Dilamco are a montreal general contractor with extensive experience and expertise in disaster recovery. Should you experience the tragedy of fire or flood in your home, don’t leave anything to chance. Call Dilamco.

http://safety-council.org/campaigns/national-home-fire-safety-week-2010/