Restoration
Fire Damage Restoration Cost Calculator
Prices fire restoration, where the water from firefighting is often the larger loss.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus materials, equipment and the call-out. A fire loss is three overlapping problems. There is the fire damage itself, which is structural and localised. There is smoke and soot through the building, which travels far beyond the burn and is chemically aggressive. And there is the water used to extinguish it, which is a water loss in its own right and frequently affects more of the building than the flames did. Pricing only the visible burn understates the job substantially.
What moves the number
- What burned, since soot chemistry differs and determines the cleaning approach.
- How far smoke travelled, which is usually much further than the fire.
- Water damage from extinguishing, which is a full water loss scope of its own.
- Whether contents need cleaning, packing out and storage.
Where this one goes wrong
Soot is corrosive and it keeps working. Acidic residues etch glass, pit metal, discolour finishes and attack electronics, and the damage continues until the residue is removed, so delay converts cleanable items into losses. That is why emergency stabilisation, including removing residue from vulnerable surfaces, happens before any reconstruction planning. Protein fires from cooking leave a different residue again: little visible soot, a strong persistent odour and a greasy film that needs quite different cleaning, and treating it as ordinary smoke fails. Structural assessment comes first on anything that burned, since heat affects framing and connections.
Before you quote
- Stabilise and remove corrosive residue from vulnerable surfaces early.
- Identify what burned, since soot chemistry sets the cleaning method.
- Scope the firefighting water as a water loss in its own right.
- Get a structural assessment before planning reconstruction.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Why is fire restoration more than repairing the burnt area?
Because a fire produces three losses. The burn itself, smoke and soot that travel through the whole building and keep damaging surfaces until removed, and the water used to put it out, which is a water loss of its own. The water frequently affects more of the house than the flames did.
Does soot keep causing damage?
Yes. Acidic residues etch glass, pit metal, discolour finishes and attack electronics, and the damage continues until the residue is cleaned off. That is why emergency stabilisation happens before reconstruction planning, since waiting converts cleanable items into losses.
Why does a kitchen fire smell so different?
Because a protein fire leaves a distinctive residue: very little visible soot, a greasy film and a strong persistent odour. It needs a different cleaning approach from ordinary smoke, and treating it as standard soot leaves the smell behind, which is the complaint that follows.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 22 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $135.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $1,300.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 22 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $135 |
| Parts and materials | $1,300 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $4,365 |
| Labour | $2,970 |
| Before tax | $4,365 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $4,365: $2,970 of labour, $1,300 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $68 | $2,891 |
| $101 | $3,617 |
| $135 example above | $4,365 |
| $203 | $5,861 |
| $270 | $7,335 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 22 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $135.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $1,300.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.