Restoration
Smoke Damage Restoration Cost Calculator
Prices smoke damage, where the odour outlasts the visible residue.
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. Smoke restoration is cleaning every affected surface and then dealing with odour, which are two separate problems. Cleaning follows the residue type and the substrate. Odour control is sequential: remove the source material, clean the surfaces, then treat what remains with filtration, thermal fogging, hydroxyl or ozone depending on the situation, and only then seal surfaces if needed. Skipping to the last step is why odours return.
What moves the number
- How far smoke travelled, including through HVAC ducts and wall cavities.
- Residue type, which determines the cleaning method and the chemistry.
- Whether porous contents and soft furnishings can be cleaned or are losses.
- Whether the HVAC system needs cleaning, which it usually does.
Where this one goes wrong
Odour cannot be sealed over a source that is still there. Sealing or fogging before the residue is removed masks it briefly and it comes back, which is the most common reason a smoke job is revisited. The sequence is removal, cleaning, then treatment, then sealing if required. The HVAC system is the other thing routinely missed: smoke travels through ducts and settles in them, so a building cleaned room by room with a contaminated duct system will smell again as soon as the heating runs. Ozone has safety constraints and cannot be used in occupied space, which affects scheduling rather than being a detail.
Before you quote
- Remove and clean before any odour treatment or sealing.
- Clean the HVAC system, since smoke travels and settles in ducts.
- Observe occupancy restrictions on ozone treatment.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Why does the smoke smell keep coming back?
Because something is still holding residue. Odour treatment and sealing applied before the source is removed and surfaces are cleaned masks the smell temporarily. The sequence has to be removal, cleaning, then treatment. Untreated ductwork is the most common hidden source.
Does the HVAC system need cleaning after a fire?
Usually, because smoke travels through the ducts and settles inside them. A building cleaned room by room with contaminated ducts smells again as soon as the system runs. It is one of the most commonly omitted parts of a smoke scope.
Can everything be cleaned or do some things have to go?
Hard surfaces and many contents can be cleaned. Heavily affected porous items, particularly soft furnishings, mattresses and some textiles, can hold odour permanently and are often losses. Deciding item by item, with documentation, is how that is handled on an insured claim.
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.