What to do after a fire - Part 5 of a 5 part series

Obtaining financing

You may need extra financing to complete all the work that should be done. Check with your financial institution to make sure that the money will be there if you need it. A little preplanning can save lots of stress. That’s important after a fire.

Improving your home during restoration

Restoration work may also be a good time to upgrade your house. If the upgrades are really needed or highly desirable and you can afford them, seriously consider doing them during the restoration or immediately after restoration. Remember that there may be financial support for energy upgrades, which can give you some tax relief or money back.

Air tightness improvements

Especially after a fire, a healthy house is a tight house, so that still-contaminated air cannot leak into your breathing air through walls, ceilings or basement floors. Most houses are too leaky for good indoor air quality or energy efficiency. Leaks do not guarantee good ventilation, except in the coldest and windiest weather, but they do ensure contamination of in leaking air since air leakage paths are normally contaminated, even in normal houses. Consider having your house envelope tightened by a specialist and install a mechanical ventilation system to ensure good air quality. The combination is needed for a really healthy house.

Ventilation improvements

Good ventilation is almost always mechanical ventilation, because wind and temperature differences are too variable to give you reliable ventilation. A heat recovery ventilator (HRV) system is the most cost-effective way to ensure good ventilation. It is very beneficial to run it at high speed for the first few months after a fire restoration to improve air exchange and the removal of restoration contaminants. Seriously consider installing an HRV in your fire-affected house. It will help make your house a healthier home.

Energy upgrades of surfaces and appliances

Many of our houses are not insulated as well as they should be. Restoration will likely be a good time to improve the energy efficiency of surfaces like windows, walls or ceilings. While that is being done it may also be cheaper to upgrade other, undamaged windows, walls or ceilings. Check out the possibilities because you will have a better home in the long run if it is more energy efficient. It is also true that well insulated and airtight homes are less likely to grow mold if an HRV is also in place and running. If your appliances were in any way damaged, consider replacing them with Energy Star™ units, which consume much less energy. They may be much cheaper when the cost of electricity is included.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this About Your House is for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical, legal, financial, or other advice and it should not be relied upon in that regard. Neither United Fire & Water Damage Inc. nor any of its employees, agents, or advisors shall have any liability for any damage caused by or related to the use of the information contained in About Your House.