Board-up and cleanup
$3k–$15k
- Same-day board-up and tarps
- Soot removal by type
- HEPA air scrubbers running
- Smoke odor treatment
- Contents inventory and photos
- Adjuster-ready documentation
Fire damage restoration · 24/7 line · Licensed & insured
Fire damage restoration from the first board-up
to the day you move back in.
Once the fire department releases the house, we secure it the same day with board-up and tarps, then document every room for your adjuster. Soot is cleaned by type, smoke odor is removed at the source, and burned structure is rebuilt under permit. You choose who rebuilds after the written estimate.
A crew lead answers day or night, meets you at the house and tells you what is safe to take out tonight.
- Same dayBoard-up and tarps
- 48hSoot cleanup begins
- 4.9410 reviews
- 24/7Emergency line
What happens after you text us
The first reply is about safety. The second is about securing the house tonight.
After a fire, people are exhausted and in shock. We keep the first messages short: is everyone safe, has the fire department released the house, and when can we board it up. The rest can wait until morning.
- A crew lead answers, not a call center
- Board-up and tarps arranged before the night is over
- Photos taken for the adjuster before anything is moved
We had a kitchen fire tonight. Everyone is okay. The fire department just left and two windows are broken, there is black soot everywhere.
Hi Angela, this is Luis, crew lead on the fire line. I am glad everyone is out safely. Did the fire department release the house to you? And please do not wipe the soot, it smears into surfaces.
Yes, they said we can go in but not stay. We are at my sister's.
Then we will board the two windows and secure the doors tonight, arriving around 10:30. Tomorrow at 9 I walk the house with you, photograph every room and start the list for your adjuster.
Thank you. Should I take anything out tonight?
Only medicines, documents, phones and chargers. Leave the rest, we pack and clean contents properly. See you at 10:30 at the house.
What fire damage restoration costs
Fire damage restoration costs $3,000 to $250,000. The line between smoke damage and burned structure sets the tier.
Most kitchen and single-room fires land in the Smoke cleanup and repair tier. When framing, roof or floors burn through, the job becomes a permitted rebuild. The estimate follows the line format adjusters use.
Smoke cleanup and repair
$15k–$75k
- Everything in Board-up and cleanup
- Burned drywall and cabinets out
- Surfaces sealed with odor blocker
- Wiring checked by an electrician
- Kitchen or room rebuilt to match
- Whole house repainted
Structural rebuild
$75k–$250k+
- Engineer's report and permits
- Charred framing replaced
- Roof and attic rebuilt
- New electrical and HVAC runs
- Insulation and drywall throughout
- Finishes chosen with you
Estimate the fire damage in seconds
Pick the tier, how much of the house the smoke reached and what the house is like. The range updates as you go, from the line items our crew leads write for fire losses.
A range, not a quote. Your written estimate comes after the visit and does not change once you approve it.
Typical range for your answers
Turn this range into a written fire damage estimateWhere the money goes
Cleaning and rebuilding cost about the same. Smoke reaches far more of the house than flames do.
Averages from our recent single-room fires with smoke through the house. The burned room is the visible cost; cleaning, sealing and repainting every room the smoke reached is the part most homeowners do not expect.
Get my itemized fire damage estimate
Clean and seal or tear out
Clean and seal what only the smoke touched. Tear out what the heat or flames reached.
Smoke leaves soot and odor; heat weakens wood and melts wiring. We test surfaces, probe charred framing and check wiring, then write down for each room whether it is cleaned and sealed or removed and rebuilt.
| If this is true | We recommend |
|---|---|
| Walls have a light, dry soot film | Clean and seal |
| Wood is charred deeper than a quarter inch | Tear out |
| Wiring insulation is melted or brittle | Tear out |
| Hard surfaces like tile and stone are stained | Clean and seal |
| Insulation in the attic smells of smoke | Tear out |
| Framing is sound but smells of smoke | Clean and seal |
How long it takes
The house is secured the same day, and cleaning starts within 48 hours.
Board-up happens the day of the call. Cleaning and odor work take one to two weeks. Repairs to one or two rooms take four to ten weeks, and a structural rebuild three to six months including engineering and permits.
Day one
Secure and document
Windows and doors boarded, roof tarped if needed, every room photographed for the adjuster.
Week one
Pack out and clean
Contents inventoried and packed out, soot cleaned by type, HEPA scrubbers running day and night.
Weeks two to four
Remove and seal
Burned materials removed, framing cleaned and sealed, wiring tested, estimate approved with you.
Final weeks
Rebuild and return
Walls, kitchen and finishes rebuilt, the house repainted and contents returned clean.
Remodeling concepts
Fire damage restoration: conditions and possibilities.
AI-generated examples of existing conditions and remodeling possibilities. Each image is a separate concept, not a documented transformation of the same home.
The methods and products we use
Every cleaning method is named in your report, so the adjuster knows what was done.
Fire restoration is paid for by method and material. Our reports name each product and procedure, so your adjuster can match the work to the damage, room by room.
Soot cleaning by type
Dry soot is vacuumed with HEPA filters and removed with dry chemical sponges; oily protein soot from kitchen fires needs degreasing cleaners.
HEPA air scrubbers
Filtered air machines run day and night to capture fine soot particles, so the air is safe to breathe while the crew works inside.
Odor-sealing primers
Shellac-based primers such as Zinsser BIN seal cleaned framing and drywall, locking in any smoke odor that could not be washed out.
Thermal fogging and hydroxyl
Deodorizing fog reaches the same cracks smoke did, and hydroxyl generators break down odor safely while the home is being worked on.
IICRC fire standards
Crews follow IICRC fire and smoke restoration practices for cleaning, deodorizing and deciding what can be saved and what cannot.
Contents pack-out
Belongings are inventoried, photographed and packed out for cleaning, with a list your adjuster can use for the contents claim.
Written into every contract
Six promises you can hold us to.
The approved price is the final price. Change orders only with your written approval.
A credit for every working day of delay we cause. Weather and inspections excepted, in writing.
Dust barriers, floor protection and a clean-up before we leave. Your home stays livable.
A text or email every working day with photos and tomorrow's plan, or the day is free.
Workmanship warranty in writing, transferable to the next owner, backed by a fixed address.
A small deposit, then you pay only for work that is already completed, inspected and photographed.
Who works on your house
One crew lead from the board-up to the day you get your keys back.
After a fire you should not have to explain your house to a new person every week. Every crew member is background-checked and introduced by name, and one lead stays your single contact.
Fire crew lead
Secures the house, documents the loss and works with your adjuster.
Restoration technician
Cleans soot, runs air scrubbers and treats smoke odor.
Rebuild supervisor
Runs framing, electrical and finishes once the estimate is approved.
Illustrative project scopes
Fire damage restoration: scope and budget examples.
Planning examples with illustrative budgets and durations. These are not completed customer jobs, invoices or promises about your project.
Stove fire, smoke only
- Example budget
- $9,800
- Example duration
- 2 weeks
- Record type
- Illustrative scope
Kitchen fire and rebuild
- Example budget
- $58,300
- Example duration
- 9 weeks
- Record type
- Illustrative scope
Attic fire, roof rebuilt
- Example budget
- $164,000
- Example duration
- 5 months
- Record type
- Illustrative scope
Your fire loss is not average
Every fire leaves a different kind of damage. See how the scope shifts for your fire.
Every fire job starts from the same three tiers, then changes for what burned, what the smoke reached and how the claim is handled. Pick the case closest to yours.
Working with an adjuster
We meet your adjuster at the house, share photos and soot test results, and write the scope in the same line format they use. You approve the estimate and decide who rebuilds; we never ask you to sign away your claim.
Book a walkthrough with my adjusterChildren or pets at home
Soot and smoke residue are irritants, especially for small children and pets. We seal off work areas, run HEPA scrubbers and tell you honestly when the house is ready to live in again, one room at a time.
Plan a fire cleanup with kids at homeAn older house with plaster
Plaster walls and old trim can often be cleaned and sealed rather than replaced. Before anything is cut, we test for lead paint and asbestos, which were both common in houses built before modern codes.
Get my plan for an older houseThe house is open to weather
Broken windows, a burned roof or doors forced by firefighters leave the house open to rain and intruders. We board up and tarp the same day, usually within hours of the fire department leaving the scene.
Call now for emergency board-upA rental or duplex
When a fire hits one unit of a duplex, the other usually has smoke damage too. We document both, keep the landlord and tenants informed in writing and plan the work so the undamaged unit is back in use first.
Book fire response for my rentalPaying without a claim
Small smoke losses from a stovetop fire are sometimes cheaper to pay directly than to claim. We give you an early number for cleaning and sealing so you can decide with your agent before a claim is filed.
Get my smoke cleanup priceA large or whole-house loss
When the roof or framing is burned through, the rebuild needs an engineer, permits and several months. We set a dated schedule, keep one supervisor on the job and send you photos of the progress every week.
Get my whole-house rebuild estimateRebuilding better than before
A rebuilt kitchen does not have to match the burned one exactly. We price like-for-like first, as the insurer requires, then show what any upgrade costs on its own line, so you pay only the difference.
Price upgrades during my rebuildWhat this service is
Fire damage restoration, defined from board-up to move-in.
Fire damage restoration is the securing, cleaning, deodorizing and rebuilding of a home after a fire, covering both the areas the flames burned and every room the smoke and soot reached. ProBuild Remodeling performs it as a licensed contractor: emergency board-up, soot removal by type, smoke odor treatment, removal of burned materials and the permitted rebuild, all documented for insurance.
The service covers board-up and tarping, soot and smoke cleaning, HEPA air filtration, odor sealing, contents pack-out and inventory, water drying from firefighting, electrical testing, and structural and finish rebuild. It does not include cleaning of fine art, antiques or electronics, which we send to specialists, or temporary housing, which is arranged through your insurer.
It is for homeowners after a kitchen, electrical, dryer or wildfire-related fire, landlords with a damaged rental, and families with smoke damage from a fire next door. It is not for small cosmetic scorch marks that a painter can fix, and it is not a substitute for the fire department's investigation.
The words you will see on the fire damage estimate
- Board-up
- Plywood fixed over broken windows and doors to keep weather and intruders out until the house is repaired.
- Dry soot
- Powdery soot from fast, hot fires burning paper or wood. It smears when wiped and is removed with dry sponges and HEPA vacuums.
- Protein soot
- A nearly invisible, greasy film from burned food. It smells strongly and needs degreasing cleaners to remove.
- Odor sealing
- Coating cleaned surfaces with a shellac-based primer to lock in smoke odor that washing could not remove.
- Pack-out
- Removing, inventorying and storing belongings during restoration, so they can be cleaned and the house worked on.
- HEPA air scrubber
- A machine that filters fine particles from the air, used during soot cleaning to protect the crew and the house.
- Hydroxyl generator
- A device that breaks down smoke odor in the air and on surfaces, safe to run while people are in the house.
- Like kind and quality
- The insurance standard for repairs: materials of the same type and grade as the ones that were damaged.
Questions about fire damage
The eight questions families ask the day after a fire.
How much does fire damage restoration cost?
Board-up, soot cleanup and odor treatment run $3,000 to $15,000. Cleaning the house and rebuilding one or two burned rooms runs $15,000 to $75,000. A structural rebuild after the roof or framing burns runs $75,000 to $250,000 or more.
How long does it take to restore a house after a fire?
Cleaning and odor treatment take one to two weeks. Rebuilding a kitchen or room takes four to ten weeks after the estimate is approved. A structural rebuild takes three to six months including engineering, permits and inspections.
Can smoke odor be removed completely?
Yes, when it is removed at the source. That means cleaning soot from every surface, replacing materials that absorbed smoke such as insulation, sealing framing with an odor-blocking primer and cleaning the ducts. Air fresheners and ozone alone only mask it.
Is it safe to stay in the house after a small fire?
Not until soot is cleaned and air quality is restored. Soot particles irritate the lungs, especially for children, older adults and people with asthma. After a small stovetop fire in one room, some families can stay once that room is sealed off.
What should I do first after a house fire?
Make sure everyone is safe and wait for the fire department to release the house. Call your insurer, photograph the damage, and have the house boarded up. Do not wipe soot, run the HVAC or turn on electrical items until they are checked.
Will my insurance pay for fire damage restoration?
Most homeowners policies cover fire and smoke damage, including cleaning, rebuilding and often temporary housing. We document the loss for your adjuster, but what is covered depends on your policy. You can choose your own contractor.
Can walls with soot on them be painted over?
Not without cleaning first. Paint over soot peels, and smoke odor comes back through it on the first warm day. Walls are cleaned, then sealed with a shellac-based primer, then painted. Walls charred by heat are replaced.
What happens to our belongings after a fire?
Items that can be cleaned are inventoried, packed out and cleaned off site. Items that cannot be saved are photographed and listed for your contents claim before disposal. We never throw anything away without your approval.
Fire damage restoration near you
Your remodeling address, within our service area.
Fire response crews work from local bases, licensed in each state we serve, so board-up can happen the same night the fire department leaves.
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Florida
- Check your remodeling address
Fire damage help now
Tell us about the fire in your answers. The house can be boarded up tonight.
A crew lead reads your answers within minutes, day or night, confirms the house has been released and sets a time to secure it before anything else is decided.