CALM AFTER THE STORM
How to tackle home restoration
With the recent flooding in Ontario and Quebec, I’ve been receiving countless questions on social media from concerned homeowners who want to know how to recover after a natural disaster.
When disaster hits, it can be hard to know where to start. You may think that by acting quickly you can have things back to normal in no time, but that’s not always the case.
You don’t want to enter into a recovery project too quickly, only to find out you’ve hired the wrong contractor, or misunderstood the scope of the damage.
Take your time and plan it right to keep your recovery from turning into a long-term catastrophe.
DON’T CALL THE CONTRACTOR — YET
When disaster strikes, it’s only natural to want to take care of it right away, but where do you start? You might think it’s proactive to get on the phone and call up a contractor as soon as possible — but you’ve got some things to do before bringing one in. Your first call should be to your insurance provider.
Your insurance people should be ready to take it from there.
Their job is to make things right for you to get back into your home by ensuring that the structure is sound and any systems, like your wiring, are safe.
They will also handle the cleanup. However, if things aren’t cleaned up to your satisfaction, it may be time to put on your protective clothing and get to work. No matter what, always wear proper gear like clothing, masks, goggles and gloves when doing this work. Once everything is up to your standards, you can truly assess the level of damage and figure out where you need to focus your attention.
Most importantly, take your time. Rushing into repairs can lead to costly mistakes and hiring the wrong contractor.
LOOK FOR THE RIGHT CONTRACTOR
You may be feeling overwhelmed by your circumstances and not taking the time to carefully consider all of your options. And I get it: You want your disaster mitigated as soon as possible. There are a lot of really good contractors out there whose goal is to help people with their recovery, but how can you know you’ve found one of the good ones?
First, slow down. In the case of a widespread disaster, good contractors will be busy. You may need to prepare yourself to wait for schedules to clear up before your major recovery project can take place.
Don’t just hire the first person who comes to the door. I say this no matter the scope of the project: Always go online and look for reviews, and ask for references from past clients. You want to get a picture in your head of what it’s like to work with this contractor. Did they complete the work as asked? Were there delays in the project, and how did they deal with them? Did they communicate with their clients clearly and effectively? And of course, always check that they are licensed and insured — but you knew that already.
Once you know what your repairs are going to be, educate yourself on the project. You want to know as much as you can about the work that needs to be done.
Not so you can do it yourself — the work still needs to be completed by an expert. You want to be knowledgeable so you can ask any potential contractors about the work and subtly test their mettle to see if they know how to do it the right way.
Trust your gut feelings; they’re usually right. If a contractor feels off to you, move on to the next one. It’s likely that your insurance company will provide you with a list of preferred contractors, but don’t feel pressured to use someone on their list. Research them like you would any other contractor, and if you’re not comfortable hiring them, go with next one.
If you’re dealing with the aftermath of a disaster, it’s important you take the time to carefully consider all your options. The emotional toll of a disaster can lead you to make some rash decisions, but believe me, you have all the tools to avoid making a rotten situation even worse.
Take your time, hire smart, and you can avoid the long-term damage from a nightmare that just won’t go away.
Good luck with your recovery. Watch Mike Holmes in his series, Holmes Makes It Right, on HGTV. For more information, visit makeitright.ca.