If you’re reading this right now, you may be standing in a parking lot or sitting in a neighbor’s kitchen, your hands still shaking, trying to figure out what comes next. We’re sorry you’re going through this. A house fire is one of the most disorienting events a family can experience — the structure you built your life around is suddenly off-limits, your belongings are inside, and you’re facing a process most people have never navigated before.
This guide exists to walk you through that process, step by step. Phase III Construction has handled fire damage restoration across SE Michigan — Wayne County, Oakland County, Macomb County, and beyond — for years. We know what the insurance company will ask for, what mistakes cost homeowners money, and how to get your family home safely and completely restored.
Take a breath. Here’s what to do.
1. The First 24 Hours
The decisions you make in the first day set the tone for everything that follows. Move through these steps in order.
- Do not re-enter the structure until the fire marshal clears it. Even when a fire appears out, the building may have compromised structural integrity, active smoldering in walls or attics, and toxic air quality from smoke, soot, and burned synthetic materials. The fire marshal will issue written clearance. Wait for it.
- Document from the outside. Walk the perimeter and photograph everything visible — exterior damage, broken windows, char marks, roof condition. Use your phone’s timestamp. This early documentation matters more than most homeowners realize.
- Call your insurance company to open your claim and get a claim number. Do this within the first few hours. Most carriers have 24/7 claims lines. Opening the claim early starts the clock on your Additional Living Expenses (ALE) coverage — which pays for your hotel and meals while you’re displaced.
- Call a restoration contractor before the adjuster visits. The insurance adjuster works for the insurance company. A qualified restoration contractor works in your interest to document scope, prevent further damage, and build the most complete picture of loss. Call Phase III at (734) 237-7322 before that adjuster walks the property.
- Arrange emergency housing if needed. Your homeowner’s policy almost certainly includes ALE coverage. This pays for hotel stays, temporary rentals, and meals above your normal food budget. You paid for it — use it.
2. Emergency Stabilization: What Happens Immediately
Once contractor access is granted, the first priority is stopping ongoing damage. Emergency stabilization typically includes:
Board-Up & Tarping
Open windows, doors, and roof penetrations become entry points for rain, animals, and vandalism. Covered by insurance — done immediately.
Water Extraction
Firefighting water saturates flooring, walls, and insulation. If not extracted within 24–48 hours, secondary mold damage begins. The timeline is not flexible.
Smoke Containment
Soot is corrosive and spreads through HVAC systems. Early containment prevents the scope of loss from expanding — protecting both your property and your claim.
3. Your Contents and Belongings
Personal property is handled separately from the structure, and how it’s documented determines how much you recover.
Pack-out. In most significant fire damage situations, salvageable contents are professionally packed, catalogued, and transported to a secure facility for cleaning, restoration, or storage while structural work proceeds.
Inventory. Every item is listed and categorized — make, model, age, condition, estimated replacement cost. This is your personal property claim. The more detailed the inventory, the stronger your position.
What’s salvageable. Professional content restoration can recover electronics, documents, photographs, clothing, and furniture that smoke and soot have affected. Items that cannot be restored are documented for replacement value.
Personal property vs. structure. Your policy covers these separately, often under different coverage limits and depreciation rules. Understanding which items fall under which category shapes the settlement conversation significantly.
4. Understanding ALE — Additional Living Expenses
ALE coverage is one of the least-understood — and most valuable — parts of a standard homeowner’s policy after a fire.
Here’s what it covers: the difference between your normal cost of living and what you’re forced to spend because you’ve been displaced. Hotel stays, temporary apartment rentals, restaurant meals, laundry costs, extra commuting — these are all potentially reimbursable under ALE.
Most policies cap ALE at 20–30% of your dwelling coverage. On a home insured at $300,000, that’s $60,000–$90,000 in living expense coverage. For a family displaced six months or more, that coverage is the difference between a manageable situation and a financial crisis.
Keep every receipt from the moment you’re displaced. You paid for this coverage — use it.
5. How the Insurance Claim Process Works in Michigan
Adjuster visit. After you open the claim, the carrier assigns an adjuster who visits the property and writes a scope of loss. This scope becomes the basis for the settlement offer.
Xactimate. The industry standard for estimating restoration costs. Most adjusters and restoration contractors use it. When Phase III walks your property, we build a parallel Xactimate scope. Discrepancies between ours and the adjuster’s are where negotiation happens.
First offers are almost always low. Adjusters work from what they can see at a single visit. Scope items get missed. Hidden damage in wall cavities, beneath flooring, and in attic systems often isn’t visible until demolition begins. First offers reflect first visits — they are rarely complete.
The appraisal clause. Most Michigan homeowner policies include a binding dispute mechanism that allows each side to hire an independent appraiser. If you and the carrier are at an impasse on value, this clause protects you. Most homeowners don’t know it’s there.
6. Common Mistakes Michigan Homeowners Make After a Fire
We’ve seen these errors cost families tens of thousands of dollars. Know them before you make them.
- Accepting the first settlement offer. First offers are almost never final and almost never complete. You have the right to negotiate and to submit supplemental claims as hidden damage is discovered.
- Doing cleanup before documentation is complete. Any work done before thorough documentation erases evidence. The carrier has no obligation to pay for damage it can’t verify existed.
- Hiring a GC without fire restoration experience. Fire damage is not remodeling. It involves insurance documentation, Xactimate estimating, and coordination with adjusters over months. A GC without that experience will leave scope on the table.
- Not invoking the appraisal clause. If you and the carrier are at an impasse, this clause provides a binding resolution mechanism. It exists to protect you.
- Not keeping ALE receipts from day one. ALE coverage is retroactive to the date of loss, but you need receipts to support it.
7. Timeline: First Call to Move-Back
Fire damage restoration in Michigan takes three to nine months for most mid-to-large scope projects.
Call Phase III — 24/7, Free Assessment
If your home has been damaged by fire, don’t wait. The first 24 to 48 hours are the most critical window for protecting your property and your claim.
Phase III Construction LLC — 37600 Ford Rd, Westland MI 48185
License #262000615 — BBB A+ — Serving Wayne, Oakland & Macomb Counties