Start with permission to enter
Wait for the fire department or other responsible authority to tell you whether entry is safe. A fire that is out can leave structural, electrical and air-quality hazards. Do not turn utilities back on or enter damaged rooms to prepare a quote. Give the answering business the incident date, whether entry has been cleared and what you already know from outside.
Build a room-by-room work plan
Ask which rooms and materials will be assessed, which areas need protection and what emergency stabilization is proposed. Restoration may involve smoke cleaning, water removal, drying and material decisions. Rebuilding, roof repairs and electrical work require their own scope. Ask who coordinates those trades and who authorizes changes if concealed damage is discovered.
Keep decisions and records together
Request photographs, itemized findings and a written proposal before comparing prices. Identify what can be retained, what requires removal and how belongings are handled. Ask what completion evidence will be provided. The business confirms the accepted job, full address, visit charge and scheduling; a website cannot establish condition or availability.
Rooms, materials and separate trades
The assessed room count, damaged material layers, contents handling and temporary protection shape a proposal. Trade repairs and reconstruction may be separate. Ask for those boundaries, charges and the method for approving hidden findings; a telephone inquiry cannot establish a fixed price or completion date.
Prepare the next step
Use the first-steps checklist and estimate comparison guide to keep your observations and questions organized.
- Entry permissionResponsible authority sets access limits.
- AssessmentBusiness records rooms, materials and work limits.
- Written scopeYou clarify charges, exclusions and approvals.
- Completion recordsKeep findings before the rebuilding handoff.