Articles

Limiting Demo During Water Damage Restoration

During a residential Category 1 water intru­sion, water flows under cabinets and wicks into the wall assembly behind them. In a commercial Category 1 water intrusion, water flows across the floor into a metal framed, insulat­ed wall assembly covered with gypsum board and ceramic tile. In both projects the restorer is faced with a cross­road: dry in place or demo to open these assemblies. Traditionally, in the residential example we would see the restorer remove the cabinets, cut open the wall, and dry the assembly behind. In the commer­cial example, we would see most

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Dear David: The Public Adjuster has Gone Rogue

Dear David, Our public adjuster has gone rogue. He is not listening to our needs and a restoration contractor they recommended has said they ethically cannot say what the public adjuster wants. The public adjuster is asking them to say the mold cleaning is larger in scope and price. The public adjuster wants us to sign a proof of loss that we know is not accurate. What can we do? Dear Accomplice to Fraud, Fraud is strong term, but it seems like it could fit your situation.  When a policyholder signs a proof of

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Talent Magnet: Restoration Company Turned Life Academy

I know, everyone hates meetings. I thought that for years myself. I abhorred meetings so much I even held them in hallways where everyone had to stand up so we would get to the point and make them brief. I was not going to fall victim to “death by meeting”. As the company began to shift to a younger workforce, I began rethinking many of the ideas I had about culture, work, and how our Millennial and Generation Z team members felt about our company. To keep good people in the building, I needed

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A Winning Team Puts People First

Today it seems to be in vogue to lead from a “people first” position. Kindness and acknowledgment to Team Members is now talked about and celebrated. For many leaders and organizations this is not new. To others it just does not seem to make sense. For some, maybe more skeptical, it is only good if it “works.” The truth is that it has always worked. I am humbled to have been asked to write on this topic as it has always been my desire to celebrate Team Members at Paul Davis. It’s been clear

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Five Ways to Get Paid With the RIA’s AGA

The nature of restoration work, connected as it often is to unexpected damage and urgent needs for repair, is inherently uncertain. But what shouldn’t be uncertain is whether you will be paid a sufficient amount to cover your costs and make a profit from your business. This is why the Resto­ration Industry Association (RIA) created the Ad­vocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) committee. The AGA is continually working to develop tools and resources restoration industry professionals can use to ensure you are being paid fairly. As the new Chair of the AGA, Jeffrey Gross, CR,

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Measuring Drying Performance

This month we are diving into some big-brain concepts regarding structural drying. I think it is safe to say there are a ton of restorers actively working in the industry who do not understand even the most basic concepts of vapor pressure and the crucial role it plays in drying. I could be wrong – but I doubt it – especially when it comes to the “old school” restorers. Each time I have taught WRT, students have a noticeable “AHA” moment when they learn how they can use vapor pressure differentials to formally evaluate

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I’m Thinking About an Exit Plan, What Should It Include?

Q: I’m thinking about an exit plan, what should it include? JT says: A basic exit plan should not be complicated. Key answers should include: What is my business worth? When is the best time to sell? Who should help? How will a sale likely be structured? What is my after-tax yield? How do I preserve those funds for my best retirement? Obviously, there can be dozens more surrounding real estate, key employees, buyer types, confidentiality, finer points surrounding deal structures, the possibility of working after a sale, non-competes, etc.… including asking yourself “What

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A Mould Problem: Cleaning 650,000 Damaged Books

Publisher’s Note: We are thrilled to bring a case study from Down Under into this issue of C&R! We are pre­serving their terminology – like mould vs. mold – and hope you enjoy their incredible story! When AllAces Cleaning and Restoration was faced with the challenge of a lifetime, their team banded together – and got in­novative. In 13 weeks, they cleaned 650,000 mouldy books; that’s one every three seconds. Scope of Work This story started with a simple email. A project manager reached out to AllAces Cleaning and Resto­ration because a university in

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Best Practices for Remediation in Controlled Environments

Remediation work within controlled environ­ments requires careful planning and consid­eration between a variety of service providers, processes, and products. Key considerations are: Safety Efficacy Synergy Chemical Burden Cost Time Working to diligently address concerns and par­ticipate in the formulation of an effective plan at the outset will avoid problems during and after remedia­tion activities are completed. We can define a controlled environment as any indoor space that has a heightened requirement for sanitization or overall cleanliness due to use or oc­cupants. Examples would include hospitals, nursing facilities, or laboratory environments. Facilities that house or

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The Evolution of Abrasive Blast Media

Media blasting is a term that’s been coined in the very recent past. Prior to the 1990s, the process of blasting with abrasive media was more commonly (and more correctly) called sand blasting. Back in the early days of blast­ing, the predominant abrasive of choice was sand. Silica sand is the more appropriate name – based on the fact that common sand is primarily comprised of mineral quartz, which itself is composed of silica, and oxygen. Silica sand was used because it’s cheap, readily available, and effective for many applications. These were simpler times

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