What does fire damage restoration cost in Ontario?

Why a small fire can be a large claim

The flames may have stayed in one room, or one pan. The smoke did not. It travels on warm air through every doorway, into closets and cupboards, and through the heating system. Cleaning a whole house of soot and odour, including everything in it, is labour-intensive work. That is why the bill after a “small” fire surprises people.

We publish no figures, because the range runs from a few days of cleaning to rebuilding a house. This guide explains what makes up the cost.

The main cost drivers

1. How far the smoke spread

One room, one floor, or the whole house. Whether the furnace fan was running, which carries soot through every duct.

2. What burned

Different materials make different residues.

• Wood and paper: dry, powdery soot that cleans relatively well
• Plastics, foam and synthetics: black, greasy, smeary soot that takes more work
• Protein, from burned food: a nearly invisible film with a strong, persistent odour
• Oil furnace puff back: oily soot through the duct system

3. Structural damage

Charred framing, roof structure, floor joists or a damaged exterior. This brings demolition, a structural engineer, a building permit, inspections and carpentry.

4. Water from firefighting

Hoses put a great deal of water into a building. Walls, floors and the storey below need extraction and drying, and saturated materials are removed.

5. Contents

Every item in a smoke-affected home needs a decision: clean, or replace. A full contents job means inventory, packing, transport, cleaning, deodorising, storage for the length of the rebuild, and return. It can rival the building repair in cost.

6. Odour

Removing smoke odour properly means removing the residue: cleaning framing and cavities, sealing surfaces, cleaning ducts and treating the air. Skipping any of it leaves a smell that returns in humid weather.

7. Hazardous materials

In older houses, damaged materials may contain asbestos or lead paint and must be tested and handled accordingly before demolition.

8. Code upgrades

Rebuilt areas must generally meet the current building and electrical codes. In an older house that can add wiring, insulation, alarms and other work the house did not have before.

9. Finishes

Kitchens are expensive rooms. Cabinets, countertops, appliances, tile and flooring cost far more to replace than a bedroom’s drywall and paint.

What the work includes

Emergency

• Board-up and roof tarping
• Temporary power and, in winter, heat or draining the plumbing
• Water extraction and drying

Mitigation

• Inventory and pack-out of contents
• Removal of burned and unsalvageable materials
• Asbestos abatement where needed
• Soot removal from the structure, by dry methods first and then wet
• Duct and furnace cleaning
• Odour treatment and sealing

Reconstruction

• Structural repairs, roofing and exterior
• Electrical, plumbing and heating
• Insulation, drywall, flooring, cabinets, trim and paint
• Permits and inspections

Contents

• Cleaning, deodorising, storage and return
• Replacement of what cannot be restored

Three levels of loss

Smoke only. A pot left on the stove, a small appliance fire, or a puff back. No structural burning. The work is cleaning, deodorising and usually repainting. The cost follows the size of the house and how much it contains.

A room or two. A kitchen or bedroom burned, with smoke through the house and water below. Demolition and rebuilding of the affected rooms, whole-house cleaning, contents handling. The kitchen, if involved, dominates.

Structural. Burned framing and roof, several rooms or floors. Engineering, permits and substantial reconstruction over many months, with the household living elsewhere throughout.

What insurance pays

Fire and smoke are standard insured perils on home, condo and tenant policies. Subject to your policy’s terms, limits and deductible, a claim commonly includes:

• Emergency work to secure the building
• Cleaning and repair of the structure
• Cleaning or replacement of contents, up to the contents limit
• Additional living expenses while the home is unfit to live in
• Debris removal

Points that affect what you receive:

• Replacement cost or actual cash value. Many policies pay the depreciated value first and the balance when the repair or replacement is done.
• Guaranteed replacement cost on the building, if you have it, and its conditions.
• By-law or building code coverage. Without it, code upgrades are at your expense.
• Contents limit. Cleaning and storage count against it as well as replacement.
• Special limits on jewellery, cash, collectibles and similar categories.
• Living expenses limit, which a long rebuild can use up.
• Underinsurance. If the building limit is below the cost to rebuild, the shortfall is yours.

See does home insurance cover fire and smoke damage.

What reduces the cost

• Close doors. A closed door limits smoke and heat damage to the rooms behind it more than anything else.
• Turn off the furnace fan as soon as it is safe.
• Secure the building at once, to prevent weather damage and theft.
• Start drying immediately.
• Clean soot early. Residues are acidic. Left for days and weeks they etch glass, tarnish metal, yellow plastics and stain finishes permanently.
• Do not wipe soot yourself with water. Smearing makes cleaning harder.
• Do not throw things out before they are listed and the adjuster agrees.

Without insurance

Ask for a written scope in stages: securing and drying first, then cleaning, then rebuild. Priorities when money is limited are safety, weather protection, drying, and removal of soot from the structure before any rebuilding. Painting over smoke residue to save money does not work.

Reading an estimate

Check that it covers every affected room including closets, the attic and basement if smoke reached them, duct cleaning, contents, odour treatment, sealing before painting, and permits. See how restoration companies charge and how long fire damage restoration takes.

More: fire damage restoration.