How to Choose the Right Restoration Company
For hundreds of millions of Americans, a residential or commercial property represents one of—if not the—largest investments they’ll ever make. Families look toward their homes as a haven of safety and security—a place where memories are made, and relationships strengthened. For business owners, a commercial property is the outward expression of our vision, our ambition, and our very livelihoods.
So when flood waters rise, mold spreads, or fires lash out, how can you get back to life as you know and love it with minimal disruption and maximum quality?
Choosing the right restoration company can save you thousands of dollars, shorten your recovery time, and get you back to life and work faster. But what qualities does a good restoration company have? How can you tell if they’re the ones to trust with your family home, your business, and your hopes for the future?
How to Choose the Right Property Restoration Company
As a nationwide property restoration firm with over 25 years of experience, DRYmedic knows what a production recovering from disasters can be. Our rapid emergency response crews have seen the best, the worst, and everything in between. But we’ve also seen other restoration companies come and go—some less helpful than others.
Here’s what we’ve gleaned in our quarter century of experience about choosing the right restoration company when disaster strikes your home or business.
Licensing, Insurance, & Certifications
Like our parents, yours probably taught you not to assume the worst of people. That’s a smart guiding principle in life and in business. But when it comes to the timely restoration of your residential or commercial property, gambling on a restoration company’s good word alone is less than advisable.
Restoration companies need to be licensed in the state where your property is located. Next, you’ll want to ask and receive proof of insurance before moving forward. Otherwise, you could be on the hook for the damages your restoration company causes. Ideally, your restoration company would have the following certifications:
- Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC)
- National Association of Mold Professionals (NAMP)
- Membership in the Restoration Industry Association (RIA)
At DRYmedic, we’re proud to hold these certifications and too many others to list, but we understand that not every restoration company feels the need to go as far.
Capacity
Throughout Michigan and the nation, widespread natural disasters are becoming more frequent and more intense. Destruction across a wide area naturally strains human resources too. And if you have multiple affected properties rather than just one, getting the restoration help you need after fire damage, mold damage, or flood damage could be even harder.
To get the professional property restoration help you need, you want a company with abundant resources. Capable restoration companies should have the right:
- Amount of employees
- Amount of trucks
- Amount of equipment
- Expertise in specific restoration jobs
In certain situations, other restoration companies may be too busy or too small to deliver the help you need. A larger restoration firm like DRYmedic has the resources to help whole communities recover.
Reputation
Every day, “likes” are bought and sold. Good reviews are purchased. But even in the 21st century, reputations still have to be earned. By reading reviews before choosing a restoration company, you can save time, money, and your property from ruin. Due diligence is key and trustworthy reviews are abundant.
Before making your choice, click through reviews on Yelp, Google, Angi (formerly Angie’s List), or even at the Better Business Bureau. While one-star reviews are telling, the number of two- and three-star reviews may be even more revealing.
Process
Truth be told, with the right equipment and crew, removing standing water from a basement is a relatively simple task. But of course, there’s quite a bit more to restoring storm damage or flood damage than drying out the affected structure. Water affects numerous subsystems within a building, from electrical wiring to drywall and insulation. Knowing where to look for damage is roughly half the battle.
Fire, too, poses unique challenges. Smoke damage and lingering odors require experience and constant training to identify and remove. Naturally, any restoration company worth its salt needs a dedicated content cleaning service to save as many of your belongings as possible. When taken together, the property restoration process is complex and constantly evolving.
Having the right equipment and rough working knowledge to use it aren’t differentiators—they’re prerequisites. Dedicated restoration companies are constantly growing and learning so that they can offer the most superior service.
Technology, Equipment, & Materials
Simply put, tools are made to save us time and effort. For the owners of damaged properties, time and effort are everything. Two similar restoration companies with different equipment and technology will produce different results. The equipment they bring and the familiarity they have with their tools make them faster or slower, more thorough or less.
Like the restoration industry itself, our tools are always changing for the better. Successful restoration companies reinvest their profits into the tools they use. Thermal imaging makes detecting hidden sources of water damage easier, while mobile dehumidifiers ensure health and wellness after floods or fires. To get the job done quickly and to a high standard, you need a restoration company with the right tools and the right know-how to use them.
Claim Process
In every restoration project, in addition to the property owner and the restoration company representative, there’s a third party—the insurance company. But while insurance is a necessary part of modern life, those who hold the purse strings don’t always have a home or business owner’s best interests at heart.
Naturally, your restoration company wants what you want—quick, diligent service with happy results all around. But sadly, not every restoration company will fight on a property owner’s behalf to that end.
At DRYmedic, we take your restoration project personally. That’s why we leverage our quarter century of experience throughout the claims process. In other words, the right restoration company shouldn’t just be a service provider—they should be an advocate for your home or business too.
A Capacity, Reputation, & Process You Can Trust: DRYmedic
Water damage, flood damage, and fire damage are more common than you think, especially for a nationwide restoration company like DRYmedic. But we don’t limit our services to disasters alone. We’re expert builders, certified asbestos remediators, and so much more.
To see how long it would take DRYmedic to reach you right now, visit us online. If you’ve been affected by property damage of nearly any kind, reach out to us immediately at (248) 605-3519!
Don’t Bet Your Property On Just Any Damage Restoration Company
No building is “just a building.” Our homes are where we cultivate peace and fulfillment. Our businesses are where we make a living and chart a course to the future of our dreams. To get back to life, work, and everything in between, trust a restoration company with all the advantages listed above. Call DRYmedic today at (248) 605-3519 or contact us online.