A fire outbreak is hardly a pretty sight. Watching your property go up in flames as it makes crackling noises and gets spat out of the fire is hardly a cause for joy. However, when the fire burns out or is put off, then the worse is over. Or is it? Well, depending on the size of the fire and the extent of the damages, it can be far from over. These two factors are what play major roles in determining the extent of the fire damage repair that will be carried out.
Another factor that would affect the cost of fire damage repair that will be carried out is the sort of material that the fire burnt up. If the materials burnt up are most natural, then you can expect less soot to be left in the fire’s aftermath. If on the other hand, there was a lot of synthetic materials in the burnt area as is typical of many homes, then the cost incurred in cleaning up will be relatively more as more soot would have been produced.
The method used to put out the fire is another factor that might affect the cost of carrying out a fire damage repair. Considering three known methods which are;
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Powerfully Hosed Water
While these are probably the most effective when it comes to speed of putting out a fire, they possess their own demerits. One of such is the fact that the hosed water can soak up everything that could have been salvaged from the fire, and these would need to be cleaned (incurring a further cost). Another demerit is that the water can destroy walls; it can either weaken the integrity of the wall by increasing its moisture content, or it could make it a breeding ground for mold and mildew.
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Sprinklers
Sprinklers are better options to power hoses with respect to the damage they incur. They, however, might not be very efficient in the event of a large fire.
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Fire Extinguishers
These usually use carbon dioxide in putting out fires. They are considered the safest option with regard to damages incurred and the level of toxicity it generates. It is however quite pricey and might not do much in very large fires.
While the first method would incur a lot of costs when you start making repairs, the remaining two would attract way less.
Certain Cost You Might Incur When Carrying Out a Fire Damage Repair
When a fire occurs, there are certain costs that are almost inevitable. Consider the following.
- Cleaning and Drying Out the Carpet: this is applicable if the fire hasn’t burnt it out or rendered it completely useless.
- Dehumidification: putting out a fire normally involves water. Thus to avoid future problems such as the growth of mold and mildew, you must dehumidify the house before you resume living in it.
- Cleaning Out Soot: if the fire was a complex one (one which involves the burning of mostly synthetic materials), then you’d be left with soot all over the place. All of which requires thorough cleaning.
- Deodorization: fire and smoke go hand in hand, and the latter comes with a distasteful smell that could linger in your home if proper action isn’t taken. This would have to be eliminated by the use of special deodorizers.
- HVAC Cleaning: if you don’t want to keep breathing in smoke and debris for the foreseeable future, then you must clean out your home’s conditioning system.
- Structural Repairs: the fire might have resulted in severe damages to the building’s structure, and some aspects of your home might have to be repaired, and some things replaced.