The process of restoring a building to a pre-loss state after sustaining damage by water is widely known as water damage restoration. This procedure comprises the cleaning, refurbishment and renewal of the exterior and the interior of the entire building and the rebuilding of any severely damaged external structure.
The government of the United States does not have any policies with regard to the formulation of any set restoration procedures, but two important institutions recommend a set of standard guidelines for this work. One of the institutions is the IICRC and the other is the RIA. The IICRC’s standard is the S500. The majority of restoration companies follow the IICRC recommendations as they are based on sound restoration principles, reliable research and a wealth of experience gained from many years of practical work from a variety of sources.
International and local trade federations, chemical conglomerates, scientific groups, suppliers of equipment, professionals to the trade, and insurance assessors for the restoration industry are the main contributors of the data for the S500 standard. The recommendations contained in the standard are being reviewed constantly in order to stay abreast with new processes, testing techniques and technology.
Specific steps and guidelines have been laid down for the process of restoring buildings, homes and other structures which have sustained water or sewage damage and which require special precautions.
The materials lost after being affected by water contamination, will be professionally appraised by restorers, using the standard pricing guides currently available, to establish the correct value of the residence’s lost materials.
Services for the inspection of water damaged areas include the use of water detecting instruments such as probes, and various infrared devices to locate the source of the damage and the extent of the affected area.
Now, restoration procedures may be started to dry the structure out, sanitize the contaminated areas and deodorize the materials in the areas. Once this has been concluded, the specialized apparatus to recover water damaged areas can be brought into play. This apparatus consists of air scrubbers, dehumidifiers, air movers, wooden floor drying machines and sub floor dryers. A re-evaluation then takes place after a period of about 2 to 3 days to monitor the status. Any equipment not required after this evaluation, is removed from the premises in order to reduce charges.
The workers engaged in the restoration process often perform their duties surrounded by the home contents. The contents may comprise furniture, books, electronics and any other water damaged materials. Moving the contents around is called contents manipulation and restoration firms may levy a charge per hour for doing this. Special treatment may also be required to recover house contents from damage by water.
Once moisture content, humidity and temperature have been brought under control, all apparatus would be removed and the restoration procedure would have been completed. Many homeowners, building supervisors and property managers use their own people to recover their premises for financial reasons but, in the long run, hiring professionals is highly recommended.
Learn more about water damage services. Stop by George Archer’s site where you can find out all about fire damage services and what it can do for you.
Tags: floods, home, home flooding, home improvement, water damage