How Long Does It Take to Restore a House after a Fire?

6/11/2022 (Permalink)

Many families are in a difficult place after a fire occurs inside their home. A frequently asked question that fire damage restoration companies receive is how long the process will take after a fire. This question is often very challenging to answer until after they are able to conduct a thorough inspection of the damage.

However, homeowners can get a general idea of how long the restoration will take by examining the size and severity of the fire and water damage that occurred. By learning more about the process and a tentative idea of how long it takes, homeowners can properly prepare and make necessary arrangements until their home is fully restored. 

Dependent Factors of Timeline

There is a range of factors a professional fire damage restoration company will consider early in the process to provide the homeowner with a tentative idea of how long the process might take. These factors include the size of the home, how many rooms the fire spreads to, and the overall severity of the damage. 

With that said, it is often hard to predict how long the process will take. A broad estimate is between a week and four months to restore a house after a fire. In the most severe cases, it may take up to six months, and some restorations have been completed within a few days. The following is an overview of the more notable factors that affect how long the process takes. 

House Size 

One of the main factors in determining how long a fire damage restoration will take is the size of the house. Naturally, a larger home will require more extensive repairs, but it is not always that simple. One of the main determinations is the type of rooms that are damaged. 

If the fire causes damage to rooms that require extensive repairs, such as the living room and kitchen, then the restoration may take longer. If the fire occurs in a room or rooms in which there are not as many items, such as a spare bedroom, then the repair may not be as complex and subsequently, it will take less time. 

Keeping in mind that every situation is unique regardless of the size of the home, fire damage restoration to a small home may only take around three weeks or less. For medium-sized homes, the restoration may take up to two months. For large homes that need extensive repair, the fire damage restoration can take as many as six months. 

Size of the Fire

Another major factor that affects how long the restoration process will take is the size of the fire. A small fire has less potential to spread, and if it is put out early then it may not cause much damage. In this case, thoroughly cleaning the area that was subject to the fire, removing a minor amount of soot, and cleaning and sanitizing the area might be all that is required. This may only take several days to a couple of weeks.

For larger fires, the threat of the fire spreading is larger. If the fire spreads into multiple rooms, then the restoration can take several months to complete. Of course, there are additional factors to consider as well, including how long it takes for the homeowners (or neighbors if the homeowners are away) to call for assistance.

Overall Damage

Fire damage restoration professionals examine a lot of factors when determining how long the restoration will take, but the ultimate deciding factor in how long the process takes is the overall damage. This is determined by the size of the home, how many rooms the fire spreads to, the type of rooms that are affected, and how soon after the fire the restoration company is able to begin its process. 

If the fire does not cause any serious damage to hard to repair items, such as the roof or interior of the walls, and only requires minor restoration, then the restoration process may take anywhere from several days up to a month. 

On the other hand, if the overall damage is severe, then the restoration can take up to six months. This is because a lot will have to be done before the actual restoration begins, including removing all water, soot, and smoke and cleaning and sanitizing the affected areas. The process may also take longer for more severe overall damage if issues such as roof replacement are required. 

Consider Working with a Fire Damage Restoration Company

Our team at SERVPRO of Highland Village offers professional fire damage restoration. If your home was damaged by fire and water and you need a prompt response from a reliable damage restoration company, then give us a call today. We can provide more insights into the restoration process, and we offer 24/7 emergency service.