The devastation of a disaster can hit you hard. You might have lost your home, your business, or both. You may have lost one or more family members or been separated from them and feared they were lost. However, despite it all, you are ready to rebuild and move on with your life.
The only problem is: how do you do it? This guide will help you get started by figuring out whether you want to rebuild your home or business or if it’s possible to restore the structure instead. Then it will talk about finding the right professionals to handle your reconstruction, as well as talking about where to look for financial assistance to help you pay the reconstruction costs.
Do You Want to Rebuild or Restore?
The first important question to answer for post-disaster reconstruction is whether it makes sense to rebuild or attempt to restore what remains of your previous structure. Restoration can potentially save you a tremendous amount of money as well as preserve your original home or commercial building. To make this decision, you will need the insight of a skilled restoration expert who can look at the damage and make an informed decision about whether rebuilding or restoring makes the most sense.
A skilled restoration expert will discuss all these considerations with you:
- Safety
- Cost
- Speed
- Code upgrades
- Legal restrictions
Of course, if the old structure is too damaged to be made safe, reconstruction is the only good option. Next, many people worry about the cost. In some cases, restoration will save a lot of money over reconstruction. In other cases, restoration might actually cost more. It’s important to have an inspection by someone who knows the restoration business to get the honest truth.
In many cases, restoration can be faster than rebuilding. However, other times restoration work might be time-consuming, especially if it involves lots of water damage remediation. The restoration process can sometimes get bogged down by required code upgrades. It’s sometimes cheaper, easier, and faster to build a new structure than to try to refit an existing structure to meet current building codes.
In some cases, legal restrictions might prevent reconstruction. If you’re in a historic structure, for example, you might not be able to tear it down and rebuild. You also might not be able to rebuild in a disaster-prone area. Sometimes it’s not an absolute restriction, but the new structure might not be insurable.
Who Should Handle My Reconstruction?
Once you’ve decided to rebuild, your next challenge is deciding who should handle your reconstruction. There are three potential options: a restoration company, a general contractor, or you.
Restoration Company
A restoration company is a firm that focuses specifically on restoration and reconstruction of buildings damaged by catastrophic events, including fires, floods, and storms.
Pros: A restoration company has all the experience necessary to assess the damage to your property and recommend the right course of action: restoration or rebuilding. They also have all the expertise necessary to handle every step of the reconstruction. They can do everything from the demolition to the minute finishing work to make sure your new property is exactly how you want it. They can even handle the restoration of your building’s contents. In some situations, restoring the contents can save you a lot of money.
In addition, restoration companies know the special demands of reconstruction, including the potential risks of building where a previous construction was destroyed. They also understand the importance of avoiding cost overruns and missing deadlines, so they’ll work hard to keep your project on time and under budget.
Finally, restoration companies frequently work with insurance companies, so they know how to document the damage to your home or business to help you file your claims properly. This can help you get the full amount you’re due under the coverage of your policy, and it can help you get payment faster.
Cons: A restoration company may initially seem more expensive. However, with savings due to content restoration and insurance claims, the cost may not be as different as it seems. In some cases, they may be less expensive.
General Contractor
A general contractor is a person or company that oversees a construction or reconstruction project. They will hire subcontractors to handle the actual construction work, but they will manage the project from start to finish.
Pros: A general contractor likely has experience managing construction projects, so they can marshal your reconstruction from beginning to end. They will have contacts with subcontractors who can provide all the necessary work on the reconstruction process.
General contractors may bid your reconstruction job lower than restoration companies.
Cons: General contractors don’t always have experience with reconstruction projects, which require different skills than primary construction. Being accustomed to generous timetables and budgets for primary construction might mean they aren’t sensitive to cost overruns or delays.
They likely won’t have experience working with insurance companies, which can lead to your claims being delayed or even denied. In addition, they probably can’t restore the contents of your building – you will have to hire a restoration company for that part of the process. Not knowing how to deal with insurance companies, they might require a bigger payment from you upfront.
You
You might also decide to head up the reconstruction process yourself.
Pros: If you manage the reconstruction process yourself, you can save the cost of hiring a general contractor or restoration company. You will also be involved more directly in the reconstruction process, so you will be able to make all the important decisions yourself.
Cons: Finding and hiring subcontractors can be difficult if you don’t have connections in the business. If you don’t have experience hiring subcontractors, you might end up spending so much on the subcontractors that it eliminates any savings. In addition, if you don’t have construction expertise, you won’t be able to provide meaningful oversight to your subcontractors, which can lead to shoddy work that will either need to be redone if an inspector catches it or will survive into the final structure, which will be trouble later.
Finally, you will have to deal with your insurance company directly, figuring out what documentation they need to pay your claim. Since insurance companies don’t like to pay claims, they may not be very helpful, leading to mistakes that can delay your claim or lead to it being denied.
Reconstruction Financial Assistance
After a disaster, you might find yourself in financial difficulties. You might not be sure that you will be able to pay for reconstruction. However, there are many possible sources of financial assistance after a disaster.
Insurance Coverage
Start by looking at your insurance coverage. Depending on your policy, some or all your reconstruction costs might be covered – if you document your claim properly. Coverage might even extend to temporary housing, food if your livelihood was affected, business expenses, and more.
FEMA and Other Federal Assistance
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) takes the lead when it comes to restoring areas after major disasters. When a federal emergency is declared, many people in the area will be eligible for grants and payments that can help you cover the costs of reconstruction. In other cases, FEMA assistance may be available for you to purchase a new home.
State Agencies
Your state government may have additional aid programs to help with reconstruction after a disaster. Sometimes, they are simply coordinating federal aid programs, but they may also have additional funds to disburse after a disaster, so don’t overlook this potential source of aid.
NGOs
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and other charitable organizations can provide assistance after a disaster. Often, the level of aid available is focused on immediate and individual needs. They may not have resources to help you with reconstruction, but it’s important to consider these resources.
Get Help Rebuilding After Disasters in
If your home or business has suffered extensive damage in a natural disaster in , let help you restore it to its pre-disaster condition, or even rebuild it if that makes the most sense. FLEET Response has been the leading restoration company in since .
We offer 24/7 emergency response services – just contact us and we will arrive quickly and ready to start work. We can handle both residential and commercial property restoration and reconstruction. With our meticulous process, advanced equipment, and choice of quality materials, you will get outstanding results with our work.
Please contact us today for help with your recovery after a disaster. FLEET Response serves customers in .