Fire damage
Fire Damage Reconstruction in Atlanta
The fire’s been out for days. The carpet squishes. Somebody taped a plastic sheet over the window the firefighters broke, and it snaps every time the wind picks up. The owner is standing in the doorway trying to figure out what’s salvageable.
Most of it isn’t. We start there.
Rebuilding after a fire in Atlanta
We’re the general contractor that puts the building back. We’ve been doing fire damage restoration in Atlanta since 1999, and we self-perform the non-specialty trades, so the crew that frames it is our crew.
Who does what matters on a fire job. We board up and weatherproof first, because an open roof lets rain finish what the fire started. Then we handle mitigation, demo, structure, and every trade through the final walk. Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC go to our licensed partner trades.
This page is for commercial and multifamily owners. If it’s your house, read our residential fire damage notes first.
The fire rebuild process, step by step
Every fire is different. The order of work isn’t. Here’s the fire damage restoration process we run.
- Secure the building (tarp, board-up)
We tarp the roof and board the openings. On one fire-damaged condo, our crew weatherproofed the roof the same afternoon and sealed it before the next day’s storm. More on that in our emergency roof tarping notes.
- Walk the loss and write the scope
We walk it, open what needs opening, and photograph everything. Our scope is line by line, so your insurance company can see what we’re pricing and why.
- Demo and haul-off of damaged material
Burnt and smoke-soaked material comes out down to sound structure. Smoke gets into insulation and framing cavities far from the burn, so we follow it. See how we handle demo.
- Structural repair and framing
We sister or replace charred joists, studs, and rafters. Anything structural gets checked before it gets covered, because you only get one chance to see it.
- MEP rough-in and inspections
Fire-damaged wiring gets replaced. Our licensed partner trades do the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC rough-in, and the city inspects before anything closes up. We pull the permits.
- Insulation, drywall, finishes
New insulation, drywall, paint, flooring, doors, trim. Our crews do most of this work themselves.
- Final walk and punch list
We walk it with you, write down every item, and close them out. Then you get the keys back.
The whole way through, you have one point of contact at MAC and shared project access, so you can see the project photos and updates yourself.
What fire damage repair costs
[PLACEHOLDER: fire cost ranges from Justin]
We won’t throw out a number before we’ve seen it, because fire damage restoration cost swings hard with a few things:
- Structural damage. Cosmetic char on drywall costs a fraction of replacing a roof system.
- How far the smoke went. Smoke travels through ceilings and wall cavities. The more rooms it reached, the more comes out.
- Code upgrades. A permit on an older building can trigger electrical or life-safety work the old building never had.
- Finishes. Matching existing tile or millwork costs more than standard material.
We’ll walk it and give you a line-item number.
Choosing a fire restoration company
You’ll probably talk to a few fire damage restoration companies in Atlanta. Ask who’s actually swinging the hammers, their crew or whoever they can find that week. Ask what they do when demo turns up damage the scope missed. Ask who you call when you have a question. The answers tell you how the last month of your job goes.
More on how we work with insurance on our insurance claim rebuilds page.
Recent fire rebuild
One recent fire rebuild came in at about $500K. Another was a 6,000 square foot home in Vinings, worth over $1M, where the build-back ran about $800K.
Water losses follow fires more often than people expect, so see our water damage repair page too. For business properties, see commercial fire and water restoration and our building repair work in Atlanta.
FAQ
- How long does a fire rebuild take?
- It depends on how much structure burned and how long permits take. [PLACEHOLDER: fire timeline range from Justin] A kitchen fire that stayed in one room moves faster than a roof that burned through. We’ll give you a schedule once we’ve walked it and the scope is approved.
- How much does fire damage restoration cost in Atlanta?
- We price it after we walk it, because the number depends on structure, smoke spread, code upgrades, and finishes. [PLACEHOLDER: fire cost ranges from Justin] You’ll get a line-item estimate, so you and your insurance company can see every quantity.
- Do you do the smoke and soot cleanup or just the rebuild?
- We board up, handle mitigation, and rebuild. Smoke-damaged material comes out during demo. For anything that’s staying, we’ll talk through cleanup on the walk and tell you how we’d handle it.
- Do I need permits to rebuild after a fire?
- Yes, almost always for structural, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work. We pull the permits and schedule the inspections, because the building can’t be closed up or reoccupied without them. A permit can also trigger code upgrades, and we flag those early.
- Will you work with my insurance company?
- Yes. We walk the loss with them when we can and explain our estimate line by line. Then we build to the approved scope.
- Can you tarp or board up the building right away?
- Yes, we do emergency roof weatherproofing and board-up. On one fire-damaged condo, our crew had the roof weatherproofed the same afternoon and sealed before the next day’s storm. Call us and we’ll tell you when we can get there.
Talk to us before you sign with a contractor.
Call us or email hello@macont.com, and send us photos of the damage through our contact page. We walk it, price it line by line, and tell you on the first call if we’re not the right fit.