[vivaro 013]

been ask to prices up a job on a 2 bedroom  house, were there  been a fire with smoke and soot damage
only the kitchen was damage by the fire the rest of the house just has smoke and soot on the walls and ceiling plus carpets
house is used for letting out
agent what a prices to clean house fully plus carpets and full repaint
does soot easily remove from walls and ceiling and also carpets
would any body have a stab at prices what to charge
2 bedrooms
bathroom
landing
stairs / hall
living room
dining room
kitchen
not forgetting house  need fully repainting

[The Great One]

Hi

A fire, Flood restoration pro can give you a much more detailed idea but to repaint you should be looking at around the £2000-2500.

You will need to neutralize the smoke odour with a fogger + product and then wash all affected areas down with a chemical sponge. The soot and smoke damage with penetrate porous surfaces (walls etc)

I would say around £5-6000 all in.

Regards

Martin

[vivaro 013]

thanks for your  reply
is that what companies are charging who specialising in fire restoration
no wonder he ask me to qoute for all the work
i was looking at 2500 which includes
full clean all house which is a terrace  house
full paint ceiling and walls , gloss were reqd
carpet clean were reqd 4 room in total
clean laminate two room
fit new back door and frame
and reskim kitchen ceiling and paint
ill be rechecking my qoute before ringing him 

[The Great One]

Hi

a full repaint with Glossing will probably take you 2 weeks + on your own with about £100-200 in materials. New back door & frame will take all day + materials plus re-skimming the entire kitchen, waiting for it to dry + painting and before all that you have to treat the smoke damage and clean the walls.

I think you are looking at 3 weeks to a month for the entire job if working solo.

Rood luck

Regards

Martin

[gwrightson]

I suggest you get a c/c  pro in for the carpet clean if you are not a c/ cleaner as the soot can be a problem, I would also say even then , depending on the contamination that replacing might be an option through insurance company.
What `about the rest of the furnishings ? the seating and the curtains etc, they will also need attention wont they ?
Geoff

[John Kelly]

You need to completely decontaminate the property. Be aware that during a fire, pressure builds up and forces the smoke into every nook and cranny including behind sockets and light switches. These will all have to be either cleaned or better replaced.
To remove the smoke residues you need to spray with a high alkaline cleaner with deodouriser added (smoke is acidic and the alkaline neutralises the acid) and wipe with a cloth, using a clean cloth once they get dirty. Don't try using buckets as once you rinse the cloth out you have a bucket of oil.
Soot sponges may remove some of the residues but they are only effective on "dry" residues. Usually kitchen fires produce "wet" residues. These have to be washed off. Always start washing from the bottom up as runs and streaks are easier to remove from an already treated surface. Don't expect it to look clean after you've finished because it won't. All you have done is removed excess contamination ready for re-decoration. Prior to re-decoration the bad areas will need a sealer coat as smoke residues can bleed through ordinary paint. Unibond will do it.
Don't under estimate the work involved here it will take a good couple of weeks with staff and if by yourself at least a Month to carry out the workand as Martin says I would look at between 5-7k.
Don't neglect the loft as this will probably require deodourising as well.

[JandS]

Depending on how bad the fire has been you might be looking at a full re - plaster as the smoke will have been forced into the plaster and the smell will still be there.
Like John Kelly says it will be behind the sockets and plugs and every little opening and if it has been especially fierce, even though confined to the kitchen, it may involve a full stripping out of the house.
Why anybody would want to keep carpets that have been smoke logged is beyond me, claim for them.
Never underestimate smoke damage.
And by the way I hope it wasn't a chip pan that's even worse.
Don't forget smoke rises so check out the roof space as well.

John

[vacman]

You are all assuming the property was insured though...my guess is that it wasnt, hence why the landlord is having to arrange the repairs. As i say, a guess.

[John Kelly]

You may be right but its a stupid person who owns property and doesn't insure it. There is a major downturn in fire & flood work at the moment. My guess is the insurers are asking people for estimates hoping to save some money as they are major losers in the credit crunch. They are principally investment companies and use your premiums to invest which obviously aren't providing much of a return at the minute.

[vacman]

Well yes, a stupid person indeed and FWIW i do agree, BUT if the house is mortgage free then buildings insurance is a matter of choice. I have no idea where insurance fits in with a 'proper' landlord.

Could be that the insurance company (if involved) are asking only for a quote (with no intention of using the cleaning company) or indeed as you say it could be that they are willing to cash-settle to save money. Having said that though, were i the landlord, i'd sooner use my insurers own contractor to avoid the hassle. But again, its choice i suppose.