Field Standards for the Working Contractor
Published by Phase III Construction LLC | phase3construction.com
Fire scopes fail at two predictable points — incomplete demolition and inadequate smoke remediation — and both come down to whether the contractor documented odor penetration and substrate contamination, not what the surface looks like.
Fire restoration scopes fail at two points: incomplete demolition and inadequate smoke remediation. The demo phase looks straightforward — remove charred and smoke-affected materials — but the line between what must be removed and what can be cleaned in-place is where carriers and contractors consistently disagree. The standard is not visual: it is odor penetration depth and substrate contamination level. Smoke particulate at 0.1 to 4.0 microns in diameter penetrates beyond surface finishes into substrate materials. Gypsum board, OSB, and dimensional lumber that tests positive for odor penetration must be removed, not encapsulated. Encapsulation failures generate callbacks that contractors own.
HVAC contamination is the most commonly omitted fire restoration line item. Smoke circulates through the duct system during the event and deposits particulate on duct surfaces, coils, and air handler components throughout the structure — including areas with no visible fire or smoke damage. A fire in a single room with functioning HVAC running at the time of the event produces contamination throughout the connected duct network. Document the HVAC system separately, include duct cleaning and coil decontamination in the Xactimate scope, and test with a HEPA-capture air sample before closing the job. Carriers that dispute HVAC scope do not dispute sample results.
Contents documentation is the third common gap. Carriers pay for contents replacement on residential fire claims, but the payment is tied to the inventory you provide. Items not documented are not paid. Build the contents inventory room by room before any item is moved, donated, or disposed of — photograph in place, note manufacturer and approximate age for depreciation calculation, and separate salvageable from non-salvageable with written criteria. A contents inventory built from memory three weeks after the fire will recover significantly less than one built before the first cleanup crew enters the space.
IICRC S500 establishes the drying standard for water-damaged structures, and the equipment specifications it requires are specific: dehumidifier capacity in pints per day per cubic foot of affected space, air mover placement at 1 per 50-100 square feet of affected flooring, and daily monitoring with logged psychrometric readings. Carriers increasingly require S500-compliant drying logs before closing water claims. A drying log that shows equipment deployed but lacks daily readings, room-by-room moisture measurements, and the final clearance readings does not meet the standard. Build the log from day one.
Get Phase III Specs →Hail events produce wind damage simultaneously, and the two damage types require separate documentation. Wind damage manifests as lifted shingles at ridge and hip lines, unsealed tab edges on older shingles, step flashing movement at vertical intersections, and — less visibly — driven rain infiltration at window and door rough openings where flashing tolerances have been compromised. Contractors who scope only the hail damage surface leave legitimate wind damage line items in the field. Walk the perimeter, check all penetrations, and document wind indicators separately from impact indicators in the inspection report. They are covered under the same storm event but they are separate Xactimate categories.
Call Phase III →Michigan contractors encounter mold on virtually every water loss that sat unaddressed for more than 48 hours. The protocol question is whether the mold scope falls within the contractor's license and insurance, or whether a licensed mold remediation contractor must be brought in before restoration work can begin. Michigan does not require a separate mold remediation license for contractors performing incidental mold removal in conjunction with covered water damage restoration — but "incidental" has limits. More than 10 square feet of contiguous mold growth, any Category 3 water loss, and any HVAC system contamination should route to a licensed remediator with air sampling before and after remediation. Document the trigger, the decision, and the referral. The liability for proceeding incorrectly is not limited to the carrier dispute.
Consult Phase III →Phase III Construction holds Michigan Builders License #262000615 and operates across Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, and Monroe counties. Every fire and water restoration we take follows IICRC S500 (water) and S520 (mold) standards for documentation and execution. Our field teams document with pre-work, in-progress, and post-completion photography on every job. For fire restorations, we maintain a separate HVAC documentation protocol and contents inventory process that protects clients through the carrier review cycle.
Published quarterly. Free to working contractors, inspectors, and restoration professionals. For field consultation, call (734) 237-7322.
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Published quarterly by Phase III Construction LLC — 37600 Ford Rd, Westland MI 48185