Fire Damage Remediation Is Crucial For Your Safety

Since fire was invented, man has benefited from it enormously. The cave man used fire to cook food, keep him warm and it also protected him against predators. This definitely made his life easy. But fire also had the power to burn down everything to ashes. Since the beginning of time there have been several events where fire has swallowed families, houses and other structures. But, of course man has found answers to every challenge and fire is no exception. Today, we have special agencies and people who are fire damage remediation experts. Whatever the extent of the damage they promise to restore the fire sites to their normal condition.

If someone ever becomes a victim of fire accidents, it is traumatizing and devastating. This condition does not allow him to restore his place. And even if he might want to do it, he did not have the necessary knowledge on how to do it. This gives way to fire damage remediation experts. The y train the remediation workers to fix things up after a fire accident. Once they arrive at the site they take a comprehensive assessment of the reason for the fire accident and its extent. They assess the structure's stability and check if the structure has integrity to stand by itself or not. And all this is one using special instruments and trained workforce.

After the assessment they start working on the cleanup and restoration part. They use special chemicals to remove the soot. They would remove all sort of soot, including the one caused by protein smoke. Thy remove the odors caused by smoke from the site. They devise extreme clean up, sanitizing and deodorizing solutions to restore the place. In fire accidents time is everything; so the faster the restoration starts, the better.

The first thing that people must do after a fire accident is call up the insurance company and make fire insurance claims. Explain the entire problem to them. These agencies have 24-hour call lines, so getting to talk to them at any point of the day is not a problem. Once the agent has all the details of the accident, ask him what your coverage is under the fire insurance policy. Getting to know this gives a fair idea of getting things fixed. Fire damage remediation restoration is a job best done by professionals, so victims must leave to the experts to fix things and not doing it themselves.

We all hope to never be there, but when a disaster happens to your home you want to be sure that you have the right coverage on your insurance to help you through those tough times. You don't want to have to think about all of details like fire damage remediation, damage repair assessments, and insurance claims. Finding a great company online to handle all of this for you would be the best option for you and your family.


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Categories and Classes of Water Damage Mitigation

Water damage mitigation means to control or contain / make smaller. It's to control the cost of the loss and prevent further damage from occurring by taking reasonable and prudent steps to secure and protect the property from on-going damage.

Water damage is generally arranged in 3 different categories. Scope of work and remediation process depends on category of loss. There are 3 categories of water damage restoration.

Category 1: "Clean Water" water source that does not pose substantial harm to humans. Example of category 1 includes water damage caused by a pipe, washer machine, etc.

Category 2: "Gray Water" water containing some degree of contamination. Has the potential to cause substantial discomfort or sickness.

Category 3: "Black Water" grossly unsanitary. Contains pathogenic (disease causing) agents.

Example of category 3 include water from the outside (flood damage), sewage, etc.

In addition to the water damage category, there are also different classes of water damage.

Class 1 is considered as "Slow rate of evaporation" which affects only a portion of a room. Materials have a low permeance/porosity. Minimum moisture is absorbed by the materials.

Class 2 is considered as "fast rate of evaporation" which means that water affects the entire room of carpet and cushion. May have wicked up the walls, but not more than 24 inches.

Class 3 generally is the "fastest rate of evaporation" water generally comes from overhead, affecting the entire area; walls, ceilings, insulation, carpet, cushion, etc.

Class 4 is "specialty drying situations". This involves materials with a very low permeance/porosity, such as hardwood floors, concrete, crawlspaces, plaster, etc. Drying generally requires very low specific humidity to accomplish drying.

What to do when you do have water damage? Thorough extraction along with contents protection is necessary in order to decrease overall drying time and reduce the possibility of rust and furniture stains. Do make sure that the water damage source have been stopped and repairs have been made. Turn off electrical power to affected areas - Only if safe to do so. Wash hands after handling any wet items. Remove all small furnishings out of the affected area, making ready for the restoration technicians. Remove any paper products off the floor; books, wrapping paper, etc. to prevent damage both to the flooring materials and to the paper products. Check everywhere a remote chance of water may exist somewhere. Check all adjoining areas to the obvious affected areas, behind baseboards, under and behind cabinets, vanities and built-ins, crawl spaces - most often missed. Remove a portion of the floor insulation under the affected area and check for moisture. You will probably be surprised what you find.


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After water damage has occurred, leave the clean up process to the professionals....call Easton Construction Group, Inc. We specialize in property and structure restoration. ECG INC is a full service restoration provider. We provide a Single Claim Solution (SCS) for all property and structure damages resulting from fire damage, water damage, smoke damage, storm damage, vandalism and structure damage caused by vehicle impacts.  We are here to help when you need it. Providing first response to your needs 24 / 7. 

925-757-6000 Corporate

510-473-5070  Alameda

209-910-5070  San Joaquin

Water Damage and How to Avoid Common Mistakes

If you're a homeowner looking at a house filled with water damage, you have two options. One, you can try to restore the place yourself. This is going to be difficult, as you have no experience working with what can be a very delicate situation. Your other option is to call in a professional. The benefits of doing this are numerous, but it can be expensive. Then again, losing most of your belongings (and potentially your entire house) is expensive as well. Whichever path your choose (or if you decide to go somewhere in the middle, doing what you can and then calling professionals for the rest), here are some common mistakes you'll want to avoid.

The Vacuum Cleaner

There are two important reasons to avoid using a vacuum cleaner to remove flooding from your home. One, you need to be very careful about using electricity of any kind when your floors are wet. Water damage experts advise turning off the electricity to any rooms that are affected by the flooding. You should also wear thick rubber boots to insulate yourself from any potential shocks. But the main reason you don't want to do this is that it simply won't work. Vacuums aren't meant to work in this kind of situation. You need a specialty tool, such as a Shop-Vac, to pick up moisture.

Structural Problems

When people think of water damage, they usually think about ruined furniture and books that have been waterlogged beyond salvation. These are real problems and you'll almost certainly have to deal with them. But a far more insidious issue involves the weakening of your home's structural integrity. Be very careful that you don't put yourself in danger. Look for signs of ceiling sag. If there are any, stay out of the room where it is an issue. You'll want to do the same for your flooring. If things have reached the point where the house is simply unsafe, stay out and call in the professionals.

Carpeting

If you intend to save your carpeting, don't start lifting it up yourself. Many a homeowner has found that this is not easy to do once water damage has set in. With the help of a professional team, your carpet may be salvageable. But if you start pulling it up without the right experience, you risk tearing it and subjecting it to shrinkage. Leaving it as it is and simply hoping it dries out will almost certainly lead to mold growth and other assorted problems. Make sure you get the help you need.


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Emergency Service Response

Easton Construction Group is here to help when you need it. Providing first response to your needs 24 / 7. Our team will be dispatched to your loss, will assess the damages, explain the course of action required and with your approval start immediately preventing further loss and damages.

Post loss condition of a structure or dwelling can vary and is specific to each type of loss and the severity of the damage that has occurred. Determining the cause of the loss and the effected area is the first step and often most important. How and what steps are taken have can major impact further damages and what is necessary to prevent or limit further damages to a structure. ECG provides all emergency or temporary service solution which your property may require.

Fire and Water Damage? Leave It to the Hands of Disaster Restoration Companies

During heart attack, time is muscle. But during fire and flood, time is your home. That is why it is very important to act upon the damage as soon as the fire is put out or the flood has subsided. The wisest and most practical thing that you could do to successfully restore your home is to choose the right disaster restoration companies one as soon as possible.

About Fire and Water Damage

Fire and water damage is not only a form of structural damage. It is also a potential threat to your health, not only for the accidents that you and your family might encounter, but also for the diseases that you might acquire along the way. Before you re-enter your home and assess the damage on your personal belongings, check out your home first and see if the walls, roof, stairs, ceiling, electrical wiring, pipes, sewage, and floor are damaged. If you want to play safe, hire disaster restoration companies. After all, they know more than you do when it comes to assessing your home and in taking measures that will restore back to its normal state.

Hiring Disaster Restoration Companies

Fire and water damage does not only affect your home's structural integrity, it also makes it filthy and a breeding ground for molds and mildew that cause airborne toxins. Getting exposed to these harmful particles can cause respiratory illnesses and even if the fire or water damage is only concentrated on a certain part of you house, the bacteria could still spread through your home's HVAC system, which could put your home under jeopardy in no time. That is why it is very important to contact a disaster restoration company 24 hours after the damage has occurred.

Benefits of Hiring Disaster Restoration Companies

Tapping the services of efficient and reliable disaster restoration companies is always the best and wisest decision that you could do to restore your house after a serious fire or water damage.

Specifically, hiring the services of an expert will help you assess the actual extent of the damage, thereby giving you the accurate condition of your home. A professional restoration expert will also be generous in telling you the steps that need to be done not only to restore your home back to its former glory but also to prevent damages in the future.

Using the most up-to-date techniques and equipment, disaster restoration companies can do job quickly and efficiently. This greatly reduces the burden of restoring your home as well as the stress that comes after this job.


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Professional Fire Restoration Services

Disaster can occur at any moment. If you experience severe loss from fire in your home or commercial property, you will need a professional fire damage repair or restoration service.

Professional fire restoration services help you get back to normal quickly. Emergency fire damage professionals will assess your home, give you an estimate and then, once approved repair your home to the standard it was previously. They make a detailed assessment of the damage. You might have conducted your fire damage assessment first and might think that the damage caused by fire could result in a total loss. However, a professional fire damage service can help repair fire damage and restore your home or commercial building and other possessions to their original condition.

Sometimes, water used to extinguish the fire may cause more damage to your property than the fire itself. Professional fire restoration starts by cleaning up the water damages. They use special equipment to prevent further damage to your property and restore it to its original state. Some messy things, if left unattended, may cause significant damages to your building. Hence, the professionals give special attention to clean them up. They use high powered equipment to remove any standing water and moisture from furniture, wood and carpets. Removing moisture can help prevent your home or office building from mould, mildew and bacterial growth. They even help restore your expensive carpets to their original size and condition. They know that fire damage restoration and water damage restoration go hand in hand. Hence, they use appropriate techniques and tools to make the restoration process more effective.

Professional fire restoration also includes cleaning up smoke particles, as they are acidic and therefore corrosive. Smoke can leave risky chemical traces and unpleasant odours. They have great expertise in restoring both wet smoke and dry smoke damages. They use powerful cleansers to remove the smoke and soot residues easily and efficiently. The professionals analyse the area damaged by smoke and fire carefully before providing you with a full report about the damage and loss. If fire has damaged the furniture and timbers fully, they remove them cautiously.

Damages from soot can be frustrating and hard to clean up. Professional fire damage restorations helps you remove damages caused by soot carefully. The professionals use effective chemicals that remove soot, without causing any damage to painted walls and wallpapers. Fire restoration experts can also help restore and refurbish your damaged residential or commercial property, including curtains, furniture, electronic items and other valuable things. They are dedicated to restore as much of your property as possible.


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5 Common Home Renovation Mistakes Every Homeowner Should Avoid

A home is one of the most valuable possessions a person can have. This is why a responsible homeowner makes sure that his/her home is always in top condition and properly maintained. Otherwise, there won't be much value left to it. A carefully planned renovation project also increases the value of a home and makes it a more pleasing place to live in. However not all renovations turn out successfully. There are some renovation projects which cause more frustration than satisfaction to the owner.

Remodeling a house may not be as easy as it seems. But there are ways that can make it a lot less daunting. If you are thinking of giving your humble abode a make over, here are some remodeling mistakes that you should avoid.

1. Not having enough budget

A renovation project does not come in cheap, though there are ways on how to make it more affordable. Some people fail to realize the cost of remodeling a house. When you put down a wall, you may find other things that require fixing that is not in your budget. This is why it is necessary to set aside some money for the unplanned repairs. You need to come up with an appropriate and realistic budget. Otherwise, you might end up buying cheap materials or worse leave the project hanging because you couldn't afford it anymore.

2. Buying cheap materials

Contrary to common belief, buying cheap materials does not help you save money. This is because materials that come in cheap are usually of low quality. Thus, you find yourself spending more money on repairs or replacements. Furthermore, since low-grade materials easily wear out, it is more likely that you will keep on renovating your home which will eventually weaken its entire structure.

3. Not getting proper permits

All homeowners know that a person should acquire necessary permits from the local authorities before he/she can put up a house. But not all of them know that a renovation or a home extension project would also require permits before it can start. Prepare the necessary documents for your home renovation project to avoid violations and penalties.

4. Hiring the wrong contractor

One of the most common mistakes homeowners do when remodeling their house is choosing contractors with the lowest bids. You need to know when something is too good to be true because most of the times it is. People who hire cheap contractors often end up with poorly renovated homes. So, make it a point to only hire reputable contractors by doing some research on the Internet or asking referrals from some of your trusted friends.

5. Ignoring proper lighting requirements

One of the most important aspects of remodeling that people often forget is lighting. So, make sure that even the paint colors of your wall add up to the lighting of your home.


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Doing Regular Checks and Maintenance Will Help Prevent Water Damage

No homeowner wants to deal with fixing flood or water damage in their home. The best way to stop flood damage from ever happening is to take the necessary steps to check for potential leaks and complete the necessary home maintenance that will not only keep the home in good condition, but keep water intrusion out of it! Here is a basic list of tasks homeowners should do to decrease their chances of water damage occurring in their home.

• At least every 3-5 years, replace washing machine hoses. It's important to check occasionally to make sure there is not moisture around the ends of the hose because that is a good indication there may be cracks.

• Check the water heater and see if there are areas of rust on the tank or if there is a wet area on the floor nearby. If you feel any moisture when touching the water heater, that is a sign that it may have a leak.

• If water is not drained properly, it can cause wood structures to rot around the roof. A leaky roof can definitely cause water damage so it's important to keep gutters free from debris like leaves and rocks that can get in the way of water draining from the roof. You might want to purchase a roof preservative to keep the amount of water your roof takes in to a minimum.

• Be sure to add a thin metal strip around doors, windows, chimneys and roofs (called flashing) to prevent water from seeping in at the point where two different building surfaces meet.

• Check all vents to make sure they have hoods, exhaust to the outside, are all in working order and have boots. Check drain pans of your air conditioner to make sure they drain freely and that no standing water is present. Make sure drain lines are clear and there is no obstruction. Have a professional do a spring check-up of your air conditioning unit before using it for the first time in that season.

• Check the materials between bricks, pipes and other building materials, known as expansion joints, to make sure they are in good condition otherwise water can come in. If there are cracks in the joint sealant, you will need to put in a backer rod and fill it with new sealant.

• Check wood siding and sheathing and see if there is any water damage. Make sure any wood-sided walls have at least 8" between any wood and the ground.


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Why You Should Hire Professionals for Your Fire Damage Repair

As a homeowner, there are few things that are worse than being hit by a fire. The damage that can be caused by a flood or other disasters are less when compared with that caused by fires. With other forms of disasters you can still do some repair, but with a fire the damage could be total, even if you are lucky enough to escape with your life.

Even if the fire that affected you was not a full blown one, the damage and trouble that it could cause can still be substantial. It is also not easy to repair the damage that it can cause. It presents some complications that makes handling it rather difficult.

Why Fire Damage is Difficult to Take Care of- As mentioned, a fire causes some damage that are particularly tricky to take care of. It might burn just a portion of a room, but the repair would have to involve the whole place. The smoke could also cause grime to appear on the walls and the ceiling, which could render the place a total waste.

Making use of ordinary cleaning methods will not work in removing the marks from the fire and the smoke. Leaving parts of the house that were only partially damaged by the fire can also be dangerous, since you can no longer trust its strength.

Professional for Fire Damage Repair- There is a special type of contractor that specializes in handling damages from fires and other disasters. If you are thinking of hiring someone to take care of the fire damage in your home then these specialists are the ones to go for.

Fire and Water Damage- It is not only the fire that causes the damage during a fire. The water used by the firemen to put it out can cause damage to your property and the house itself. The water can cause mold build-up which is something that you should avoid at all costs and professionals would need to have the right equipment to take care of that.

Safety- Another reason why it is beneficial for you to hire professional fire damage cleaners is your safety. When you do your own cleaning and repair on a fire damaged house you might be unable to assess if the place is already safe and you could be putting yourself in harm's way. Contractors would be able to assess the condition of a building based on their knowledge and experience.

These are just some of the reasons why you should go for hiring a contractor in order to do fire damage repair. The good news is that there are many contractors offering this type of service now. You should be careful about signing with just anyone because you have to be sure about the service that they could provide first.

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The Most Common Sources of Water Damage

No matter where you live, a water leak can create a serious issue in your home. Getting to know common sources of water leaks and knowing the best ways to prevent and repair them can help save you and your family lots of time, money and hassle. Though each leak is different and depends on your location, home type and a variety of other factors, going through the following checklist is the perfect place to start whenever you inspect your home for possible water damage.

The first place to look is the kitchen. Water leaks are common and frequently occur in kitchens. Check all caulking around the sink to ensure that it is firm and creates a full seal. If there are any cracks, fill them with a caulking tool. You can now move to inspect under the sink for any obvious signs of water damage. This includes standing water, small puddles, wet spots, drips or moisture. You should also check for signs of mold and mildew at this time to indicate any past or infrequent water damage.

After you have checked the sink, inspect your dishwasher hose connection for any signs of leakage. Check around the dishwasher itself for any signs of spotting, discoloration, water drainage or damaged flooring. A water leak will eventually show itself in these areas.

After you have checked these areas, take a close look around the refrigerator, both inside and outside. Is there any usual condensation that could indicate a water leak somewhere? Is the icemaker hose fastened securely to the water line? Check also for any water spots on the floor, as these are typically clear signs of a water leak somewhere.

Now that you have inspected the kitchen, you can take a look at your bathrooms. This is another place where heavy amounts of water are used in your home to flush your toilet, use a shower or bathtub and groom yourself at the sink. Check the seal around your sink and bathtub to make sure that all of the caulking is sealed and intact. At this time you should also be looking for any leaking or damaged pipes and other plumbing elements that could be causing a water leak.

Showers and bathtubs are common culprits of water damage. Check caulking and grout for any crumbling and separation. These are also great places to look for mold. When checking around your toilet, check all caulking, seals and on the floor for any floor damage as a result of a water leak. Similar to in the kitchen, look under the bathroom sink for leaks, spots or dripping to point you in the direction of water leaks and damage.

The last places that you should check are the accessory areas of your home. This includes the laundry room, garage and basement. You will want to check the connections on hot water tanks, washing machines and any utility sinks that you may have. Always do a quick scan of floors in this area, as this is one of the first places that you will notice a water leak. With diligent repairs, inspection and maintenance, you can typically avoid or fix most leaks before they cause any significant damage.


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