Insurance Restoration Contracting: Startup to Success Book

Contents

Introduction, 5

1. Is Insurance Restoration the Business for You?, 7
   The Pros and Cons of Insurance Restoration Contracting, 8
   An Overview of How Insurance Restoration Works, 15
   The Three Elements of a Loss, 17
   Understanding the Insurance Industry, 19
   A Look at Insurance Restoration Jobs, 20
   The Three-Legged Stool, 25
   Specialized Training, 26
2. Understanding the Basics of Insurance Policies, 29
   Understanding the Terminology, 30
   The Basics of Named Perils, 32
   Content Coverage, 37
   Is Stupidity Covered?, 39
   Deductibles, 39
   You Can’t Profit from a Loss, 40
   Building Code Upgrades, 42
   Mold Coverage, 43
   Outside Living Expenses, 43
   What if it Isn’t Covered?, 46
3. Understanding Water & Water Restoration Equipment, 47
   What is Restorative Drying?, 48
   IICRC Certification Classes, 48
   Why Use Specialized Equipment?, 49
   Your Equipment Investment, 50
   The Basic Drying Process, 52
   Equipment Prices & Purchasing Options, 54
   How Much Equipment Do You Need?, 72
4. Water Losses & Restorative Drying, 75
   The Drying Process & the Repairs, 76
   Ten Basic Steps in the Drying Process, 78
   Winterizing a Loss, 104
5. Mold Remediation & Contaminated Water Losses, 107
   Mold Losses, 111
   Contaminated Water Losses, 126
   Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), 131
   HEPA Equipment, 135
6. Specialty Drying Situations & Other Water Loss Considerations, 139
   Class 4 Water Losses, 139
   Natural Wood Floors, 143
   Drying Other Wood and Synthetic Floors, 147
   Coming in After Someone Else Has Done the Drying, 151
   Leaving a Job Before It’s Dry, 152
7. Understanding Fire & Smoke, 155
   Training & Safety Considerations, 156
   What is Fire?, 159
   What is Smoke?, 163
8. Structural Fire Losses, 173
   Typical Fire Loss Situations, 173
   Major Structure Fires, 190
   Total Losses, 195
   Reconstruction & Building Permits, 196
   Structural Engineers, 200
9. Structural Cleaning & Deodorization, 203
   Training, 203
   Your Primary Smoke Objectives, 205
   Five Basic Steps in Smoke Odor Removal, 208
   Duct Cleaning, 227
   Other Odors, 229
10. Wind, Snow, & Other Storm Damage, 231
    Wind Damage Losses, 232
    Ice Damming, 236
    Snow-Load Damage, 239
    Hail Damage, 243
    Lightning Damage, 247
11. Impact Damage, Vandalism & Trauma Scenes, 251
    Tree Impact Losses, 251
    Vehicle Impacts, 257
    Explosion & Blasting Damage, 262
    Vandalism, 266
    Trauma Scenes, 270
12. Mobile, Manufactured & Modular Homes, 275
    Manufactured Home Construction, 279
    Manufactured Home Loss Repairs, 286
    Building Permits & Structural Engineers, 303
    Modular Home Losses, 304
13. Contents, 305
    The Separate but Equal Parts of a Loss, 305
    What Are Contents?, 307
    Contents and Your Liability, 309
14. Contents: On-Site Storage, Loss Inventories, & Nonsalvageable Items, 325
    Moving Contents During an Emergency Call, 325
    On-Site Storage, 328
    Contents That Aren’t Salvageable, 333
    Content Loss Inventories, 339
    Tenant Contents, 343
15. Contents: Pack-Outs, Cleaning, & Off-Site Storage, 345
    Content Pack-Outs, 346 Content Cleaning & Repair, 353
    Processing Smoke-Damaged Contents, 358
16. Getting Set Up for Emergencies, 371
    Setting Up Crews for Emergencies, 373
    Handling Emergency Calls 24/7, 377
    An Emergency Response Van, 386
    It’s One of the Best Parts of Restoration!, 394
17. Responding to Emergency Calls, 395
    Arriving at the Job, 396
    Mitigating the Loss, 398
    Emergencies in Unoccupied & Vacant Homes, 408
    Multiple Losses, 409
    Paperwork, 411
18. Your Business Plan, 417
    Making a Business Plan, 418
    Getting Some Help, 420
    Gathering Your Team of Professionals, 422
    Your Business Structure, 428
    Buying an Existing Company, 429
    The Franchise Option, 431
19. Setting Up Your Company, 435
    Name Recognition, 435
    A Space to Operate Your Business, 437
    Company Uniforms, 440
    Company Vehicles, 443
    Company Operations, 449
    Legal Paperwork, 453
20. Staffing Considerations, 457
    Your Staff, 459
    Finding & Hiring Good Employees, 468
    The Employee Handbook, 473
    Some Finals Thoughts about Employees, 475
21. Finding Work, 477
    Promotional Materials, 477
    Advertising, 480
    Introducing Your Company, 486
    Success Will Come, 495
22. Working with Insurance Adjusters, 499
    The Role of the Insurance Adjuster, 500
    Different Types of Adjusters, 504
    Working Out-of-Town Jobs for Adjusters, 508
    Insurance & Code Upgrades, 511
    Overlapping Claims, 517
    Not Every Job is Worth Taking, 518
    Some Thoughts on Working with Adjuster, 520
23. Structural Estimating, 523
    Unit Costing, 528
    Find & Stack the Categories, 535
    Overhead & Profit, 542
    Matching Materials, 544
    Five Rules for Successful Structural Estimating, 548
24. Estimating Books & Software, 553
    A Word About Estimating Books & Programs, 554
    National Renovation & Insurance Repair Estimator, 555
    Xactimate, 561
    The Need for Estimating Books & Programs, 568
25. Dealing with Finances, Remodeling & Clients, 569
    Managing Finances & Collections, 569
    Doing Additional Remodeling Work, 573
    Disclosure Laws, 590
    The Emotional Side of Restoration Work, 590

Insurance Restoration Contracting: Startup to Success

Insurance restoration — the repair of buildings damaged by water, fire, smoke, storms, and other disasters - is an exciting and challenging field of construction. It also offers contractors lucrative work that's immune to economic downturns — pipes still break, buildings still burn, and trees are still blown over, regardless of the economy. And with the insurance companies funding the repairs, your payment is virtually guaranteed.

But not just anyone can repair fire and water-damaged buildings. You need the knowledge and the equipment to get the job done right, and that's what this book is all about. From understanding fire repairs and smoke odors to restorative drying methods, mold remediation, and handling contents, you'll not only learn how to provide top-notch property and content restoration services, but also how to become the person homeowners and insurance companies turn to first in an emergency — putting yourself first in line for all the best jobs.

In this practical manual you'll find all the information you need to enter into and thrive in this highly- specialized field of construction, including:

• Starting & Running Your Business
• Creating a business plan
• What training classes to take
• Setting up and staffing your company
• How to find work
• Understanding the insurance industry and insurance policies
• Effective advertising and marketing techniques
• Estimating strategies and unit costing
• Equipment needs — now and in the future
• Safeguarding yourself against liability
• How to handle a 24/7 operation
• The pros and cons of franchises
  
  
• The Restoration Work
• Water losses and restorative drying
• Structural fire and smoke damage restoration
• Structural cleaning and deodorization
• Thermal fogging, ultrasonics, and ozone
• Effective mold remediation
• Damage from storms, impacts, vandalism, and trauma
• Proper handling, restoring and storage of contents
• How remodeling and restoration go hand-in-hand
• Mobile, manufactured, and modular homes

This is the first complete manual designed to help vuu start and succeed with your own insurance restoration company. Written in easy-to-read language by an author with decades of restoration and writing experience, it's filled with real-world stories and practical tips.

About the Author:
Paul Bianchina has over 35 years of experience as a contractor, author, syndicated columnist, and community college instructor. He and his business partner built a thriving insurance restoration business from the ground up, which included all aspects of structural and contents restoration. His goal in writing this book is to share decades of hard-won, practical knowledge with other contractors who are entering the insurance restoration field, and to help them succeed.