What Makes a House a Home? A Homeowner’s State of Mind After a Loss

What makes a house a home? Is it the belongings we’ve accumulated over a lifetime? Maybe the memories shared amongst a family as they grow and mature together or when we finally purchase our little piece of the American dream. Either way, a home is normally the single largest investment we make in our lifetimes. We seek the right location and brood over every little detail. Finally, after making a decision, we begin “nesting.” We fill our home with all our favorite things, from family photos to big-screen TVs.

We shelter most of our possessions and loved ones in this place we call home. What happens to this home and our state of mind when disaster strikes? How does it impact us when the worst of the worst happens, such as a fire? How is that going to influence your life? What kind of relationship is formed between homeowner and contractor?

From the prespective of  large loss fire, homeowners are strained with overwhelming thoughts of “What do I do now?” Still in shock, the first thing they do is report the fire through a toll-free number and call their insurance agent to report the claim. In today’s modern insurance world, most insurance companies know quality fire restoration companies that can rehabilitate the home and personal belongings. This is the beginning of the claim process experience for homeowners. At this point, a homeowner will have only briefly spoken with a claim representative from their insurance company. In some situations, they may have been told to contact a local company, while in others, the insurance company contacts a fire restoration vendor through a direct repair program. Response times vary greatly dependant on the claims handling processes by the insurance company. It can be as soon as the fire department finishes putting out the fire to as late as a week later.

In the case of the quick response, the restoration vendor is the first person on site as the fire department is wrapping up. When the restoration contractor becomes involved early on in the process, a higher level of trust is bestowed to the restorer. This is the person responsible for salvaging or restoring all those items that made the house a home. They are the person the homeowner will deal with on a daily basis. Many times, the contractor becomes almost a part of the family. It’s not an intentional bonding; however, the homeowner just went through a traumatic experience and most restorers want to restore normality to their customers’ lives, making the induction process easy.

To start, the restorer guides the customer through the restoration process. They discuss what can be salvaged, what part of the structure can be repaired and how much of the home must be rebuilt, all within the first few hours of the loss. The next interaction the homeowner has is with the adjuster. Normally, adjusters are assigned within the first day or two of the loss. The adjuster contacts the homeowner and the restorer to do a walkthrough of the property, again discussing what can remain and be repaired. The same scenario happens again when a content adjuster is assigned. At this stage, the homeowner has dealt with three insurance company employees, each fulfilling a specific role. The homeowner has only dealt with one restorer who shows empathy, establishing trust.

Once the adjusters have come and gone, the scope of work has been agreed upon and costs have been determined, adjusters become just a voice on the other end of the phone. The restorer is onsite every day while the cleanup is well underway. Belongings are packed away and transported to a separate location to be processed by the restoration company. Through the cleaning process, the home is deodorized, overcoming any horror stories from friends and family about how the house will never smell right again.

Once it is time to rebuild the home, the owner is faced with a multitude of choices. These choices can range from color of paint to what kind of cabinets and countertops. Allowances are made for each category (lighting, cabinets, appliances, flooring, etc.) and the homeowner is sent shopping. Choices are made then reviewed against the budgeted allowance to ensure they are within the scope of work. Sometimes they are; many times they are not. Due to the level of trust established early in the customer-contractor relationship, the expectations being placed are normally on the face they see daily: the contractor. This conflict can put a strain on their relationship, especially if minor conflicts have built throughout the job due to limitations of the scope, coverage or lack of correspondence. Communication and setting expectations are critical early on in the process.

The restoration project continues until the rebuild is complete. Contents are returned to the homeowner and all final invoices are settled. This is when the homeowner doesn’t really see that the insurance company chose a great contractor to help them get back to normal. Remember, in many cases, the customer has been recovering for 90-120 days. The relationship between the owner and contractor may have taken many ups and downs, but superior customer service will always wind up on top.

Although homes are insured by companies, they are restored by individuals. Contractors take on this temporary insanity to help people return to the life they once had. These relationships are not only part of the job, sometimes they last much longer. If the contractor focuses on service, they can retain that relationship for life. We restore so they recover.

Rainbow International provides “best practices” with integrity and the highest of standards in restoration and cleaning services. Utilizing the most advanced equipment, innovative technologies and a built-in accountability system, our professional emergency crews complete every job rapidly to assure an uncompromising commitment to service excellence and customer satisfaction. Ultimately, we don’t just restore homes and businesses; we restore value, stability, and peace of mind. Established in 1981, Rainbow International, a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group®, offers over 300 global service locations. As a premier provider of restoration and cleaning services, Rainbow International deploys professional emergency response crews with advanced equipment, state-of-the-art technology and training to restore property, contents and, ultimately, peace of mind. Insurance, commercial and residential customers depend on Rainbow International to mitigate damage and restore contents for businesses and homes suffering from water, fire, smoke, odor and mold situations. For more information please visit www.rainbowintl.com/nwi. For additional white papers or to offer suggestions for future topics, please visit www.rainbowintl.com/best-practice or join our “Rainbow International Restoration and Cleaning” group on LinkedIn.