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Water damage can be caused by a variety of factors including flooding, a burst pipe or an overflowing washing machine. No matter what the cause of the water damage, it is critical that it is repaired as quickly as possible to avoid serious financial and health consequences.

If water damage is left untreated, you run the risk of the structural integrity of your home deteriorating. Water damage can lead to floors bowing, ceilings caving in, and walls becoming weak. Repairs for this sort of damage can run very high and put you in a difficult spot financially. In addition to the financial cost, if the structural integrity deteriorates enough you may not be able to stay in your home as repairs are being made due to safety concerns.

Mold is also a significant concern when dealing with water damage. There is a 48 window to dry out the home before the mold can grow. Once mold starts to grow, it is costly to remediate in addition to the various health risks it poses to you and your family. Due to the short window of time to dry the water damaged area, it is recommended you bring in an experienced professional who has the right equipment to get the job done.

Once the area has been completed dried, it is essential to get the affected areas cleaned as soon as possible. The water especially if it is flood water is filled with bacteria and has often been contaminated by the sewer water. It is essential to use professional grade cleaner and focus on all of the areas the water seeped into including all the wall surfaces.

If your home has been affected by severe water damage, it is an extremely stressful time especially if you have lost your personal belongings. Bringing in a professional water damage company will make sure the job is done correctly and quickly, allowing you to start feeling better.

If you need water damage repairs, contact the team at ICON Restoration today.

You have been thinking and dreaming about it for a while. Now you have finally bought your land and you are ready to build your dream home. Here are some things you should do first:

• Consider the time frame: If you are paying workers to do every step of the house building, remember that building a house takes time. Get an estimate of how long building will take and expect it to take longer.
• Seek out the right people: Get plenty of referrals for each job. There is nothing worse than paying for a job badly done, or finding out that the guy you hired to do the framing does not communicate with you on a timely basis.
• Hire a designer: Designers are not the same as builders. Designers can save you a lot of time in the decision-making process, and know how to cut costs while still making your house just perfect for you and your family’s needs. You can save yourself a lot of time and stress researching by hiring a good designer.
• Plan your cabinet and furniture layout: Put your future storage and furniture into your design. Otherwise, you might plan out your kitchen or bedroom and then realize that your bed or table don’t really fit, or wish you had set the wall back that much further.
• Consult with an attorney: Have your attorney write up a building contract if you are working with any contractors or workers. If something goes wrong or someone doesn’t show up to do the work, the law will be on your side.
• Make a budget: After you have chosen your team of people to work with you it’s time to put all the numbers together and see how much it will cost you to build your dream home. Is it feasible to build your home, financially speaking, without draining your finances?

Building your custom home can be a lot of fun and a lot of work. The more preparation you put into it beforehand, the better the results. Enjoy the process, expect the unexpected, and enjoy your future home for years to come. If you’re looking for reliable Michigan builders to custom build your home or need water damage restoration, contact the team ICON Restoration today!

For most people in the USA, no matter which state they live in, owning a house is of paramount importance. Plus, most house owners want their homes to be something different than others – they want it customized. Of course, it would take a considerable time for your contractors to build a fully customized house for you, and most of them would provide you with a presumptive timeline before breaking ground. In this short blog, we will explain you the steps involved and the amount of time it would require.

• Before breaking ground, you will likely need all the permits, a stable financing source, and a detailed final plan. For some people, it would take only one or two months to get these things sorted, whereas for others it might take even a year.
• On average, you might need around one month for laying out the foundation of your house, cleaning the surrounding area, and leveling out the ground.
• Next, framing would take you to two months. But in case of emergencies such as bad weather or accident, it might take more time. But once you have your roof up, you will not have to bother about environmental emergencies anymore.
• Once your workers are done with the outside of the house, they will get started with plumbing and electrical works. On average this step would take around one month.
• Once your house has a solid structure and has all the amenities ready, the contractor would start giving it a more “house-like” look. Interior finishing is a rather long step and would likely take around two months.
• Finally, your contractor is finishing things off! He is laying out the floor, doing the paintings of your rooms and finishing the plumbing and electrical tasks. Your house is ready now, and this final step would generally take two months to complete.

If you’re looking for Michigan builders or need a claims consultant, contact the team ICON Restoration today!

Flooding in the basement can cause a lot of damage. It could lead to loss of your valued possessions. If you act quickly, you have high chances of reducing the damage caused by the water. Water damage should not be taken lightly. If you leave your basement damp or you leave damp items in the basement you are creating the perfect conditions for mold growth. Mold not only ruins your furniture and walls but also leads to poor indoor air quality which could lead to respiratory problems such as asthma. Below are the steps you should take if you experience flooding in your basement.

Step 1: Disconnect the power
You should never go into the basement before you turn off the power. If you do so you risk being electrocuted. If the circuit breaker is located in the basement then you should call a professional electrician.

Step 2: Drain the water
Before you can drain the water, first check where the water is coming from and ensure you close the water gauge to that section of the house. It is wise to use the old fashioned way to dry the water using buckets, towels and mops. You can pour the water down the drain or on your lawn. You can also opt to use a vacuum but be careful to plug it in away from the water. After draining all the water dry the basement using a fan or a dehumidifier.

Step 3: Deal with the damp objects
After successfully draining the water and drying the basement, you should not leave behind the damp items. Remove all the wet items from the basement and place them in an area where they can dry. Dispose all the items that cannot be salvaged.

Lastly, take the necessary steps to ensure that mold does not grow as this could cause health concerns for those living in your home.

If you have water damage and need repairs or need a skilled claims consultant, contact the team at ICON Restoration today.

The longer water damage is left unattended, the worse the damage will become. Mold, fungus, saturation, and electrical damage will only get worse with time. Here are some important tips to help you clean up after a major flooding event safely and effectively.

Turn the Power Off

Before doing any work, be sure there is no chance that any standing water may be electrified. This it the greatest and most immediate hazard associated with flooding and water damage.

Call the Mold Professionals

When a large bloom of mold or fungus has formed in your home, it can be tempting to tackle it yourself. But doing so can cause toxic spores to be released into the air multiplying the health risks significantly. Get your local mold experts to do the work.

Sort out Damaged Items

Saturated items such as furniture, carpet, sheet rock and millwork, cabinetry and flooring should be removed and thrown away. There is going to be a lot of things that are simply unsalvageable. While you may be tempted to hold on to certain things, remember that mold and structural damage are just not worth the risk.

Hire a Dumpster

Get the largest commercial rental dumpster you can. You are going to have to dispose of an awful lot of material. There’s just no way around it. Having a massive dumpster alleviates the problem of what to do with all of the garbage.

Work With Your Adjuster Closely

When the adjuster visits, make sure you are there. It’s a good idea to have your contractor present as well. They will look at the damage and discuss what it will take to rectify the situation.

Call the Appropriate Specialists

Water remediation specialists, mold specialists, and others can help you to sort out the damage appropriately. Water damage from flooding is a major undertaking and can be extremely complicated. This is not a DIY project. Make sure you call on the right experts to do the job safely and correctly.

If you need water damage repairs or building contractors, contact the team at ICON Restoration today.

There are certain benefits from having a custom built home- below we discuss some of the best benefits of building a custom home.

Choice Of Lot

Before you even begin building your custom built house, you will first get to choose where it is going to be built. You can decide if you want to live in a populated area or in the country, and you can decide how you want the landscaping to be done. In addition to this, you will get to choose how you want the house to be situated and how close or far away you want to be from your neighbors.

Functionality

When you go with a floor plan that is mass produced, it may have features that will not serve your purposes. When your home is custom built, everything in it will be designed with a purpose in mind. That means that you can have a spiral staircase if you want it and that you will comfortably be able to live your life inside the house once it is built.

It Can Be More Energy Efficient

Most stock house plans do not employ every trick of the trade to see to it that the house will retain heat in the winter and stay cool in the summer, and the average construction firm is not going to necessarily equip your home with the latest and greatest technologies to save on energy. When your home is custom built, you can do your research, and you can make sure your home is constructed with the materials and technologies that you want.

Quality Will Be Higher

Houses that are built to spec will require a different process than either the prefab or the mass marketed blueprint. It will require more time and care, and more will go into its design. The entire process will take more thought, and as a result, nothing will be left to chance. All of this means that your home will be built with purpose and with a higher standard of quality.

If you’re looking for Michigan builders or need a claims consultant, contact the team ICON Restoration today!

In a business that sees a lot of charges coming through from different parties, oftentimes relying on the information submitted by those parties, claims can seem like they are out of control. Company after company have experienced a rising trend of cost increase with claims processing-despite putting in measures for prevention, awareness, vetting and validation. It’s in these situations where a claims consultant can be a really helpful resource in identifying areas where improvement can be made via expertise.

A claims consultant brings to the table a number of things a business can use right away.

First, they step into the issue with an outside perspective and will analyze current business processes to determine where things are being done that are not necessary.

Second, the claims consultant brings outside expertise on tools, methods, and options available in the wider market a business internally may not know about.

Third, the consultant provides experience on the type of claims problems others have seen and how they can be fixed. All of these elements are germane and an added benefit to what a company needs to combat a rising claim cost trend that seems out of control.

Granted, a consultant should not be brought in at the first blush of an issue. It is a resource that should be relied on once a business has really vetted all of it internal alternatives and realized they will not solve the problem adequately. Once that threshold is reached, the company should have a good amount of analysis information already gathered about the problem, the options tried, and why the didn’t work. With that, the consultant can go to work right away on the core issue and address it with focused effort versus rehashing old homework already known internally.

For more information on hiring a claims consultant or need help with water damage repairs, contact the team at ICON Restoration today. 

When it comes to your home, keeping it maintained is as important as making your payment. If you don’t maintain your home on a regular basis, then the value of your home will drop substantially, especially when it comes to water damage.

Water damage is the product of an in-home flood or a leak. Fortunately, there are easy ways to determine if you have water damage.

You Have Mold

Mold loves water. If you see mold anywhere around your home, then it’s likely you have water damage. If you notice mold on your wall, in a crevice in your basement, or on your vinyl siding, then you should contact a professional immediately.

You Smell Mildew

Mildew is the musky smell that’s associated with mold. It’s a stench that’s undeniable. Unfortunately, if you smell mildew in parts of your home, it could be due to the fact that you have water damage.

You See Warped Wood

If you are like many homeowners who choose to install hardwood flooring, then warped wood may be a sign that you have water damage. In fact, if your wood warps, then you may have significant water damage in your home. Water and wood simply don’t mix. Over time, water can make the panels in your flooring split and warp.

You See Water Stains on Your Ceiling

Another telltale sign you have water damage is brown, circular stains on your ceiling. These stains may be the result of water leaking into your home due to a roof leak. If you notice these stains, you must take action immediately. Without fixing your roof, you could make matters worse.

You Have Sagging Paint On Your Wall

Finally, if you notice that you have sagging paint or wallpaper on your wall, then it’s possible you have water damage. Sagging paint and wallpaper is common when you have water damage due to pipes leaking in your wall. When you notice this, your best option is to contact a local plumber immediately.

If you notice any of these signs, remember, hope isn’t lost. Your best resource to help you maintain your home is your local plumber.

If you have water damage and need repairs, contact the building contractors at ICON Restoration today!

Building your own custom home can be a very exciting time, and it is important to do certain tasks before you even break ground. Here, we will cover a few things you need to know before building a custom home.

Know Where You’re Building

This one goes beyond just having a piece of land on which to build. You will need to know where you will want your house to be situated and in what direction you will want it to face. You’ll have to take things like drainage fields and perk tests into account, and also things like whether you’ll be too close to your boundary lines. If you’re on a hill, you will need to account for building a road, and if your area is wooded, you’ll have to clear it first.

Know What You’re Building

A custom house is just that. You will be making all the decisions about what goes in it. You will need to either have your blueprints chosen or drawn up with all of the optional interior construction plans selected at the onset. Major external fixtures like decks should already be planned for before the building begins.

All Things Financial

You will need to know how large your budget is so that you can plan for your home adequately, and you will want to have your financing secured with the bank of your choice. You will also want to have a rough estimate of how much your home is going to cost. This will need to include all of your interior choices as well.

Time Frame

Lastly, it is good to have an idea of how long the various stages of building will take. Remember that this will be a rough assessment of the time involved and that schedules are apt to change with weather delays and because of other unforeseen occurrences.

If you’re looking for Michigan builders or a claims consultant, contact ICON Restoration today to get started on your dream home. 

Most people who have lived in a residential building have had problems with water damage at some point. Maybe the rain leaks through the roof and falls onto the floor. Sometimes a flood can rush into the home from the outside. Other times pipes from the refrigerator or washing machine become disconnected and flood the home. Some people think that cleaning up the water isn’t all that is necessary; however, the damage that results can also cause structural damage. A few of the ways that water damage can lead to structural damage are discussed below.

Water Damage Warps the Wood

Many people have heard about wood warping and the problems that this can cause. For those that don’t understand, wood warping refers to a change in the shape of the wood due to the damage from water. While some people think that wood warping is merely an aesthetic issue, remember that wood is used in walls and roofs as well. If the wood warps, it is no longer straight and the alignment that was used to keep the walls and roof strong has been moved out of place. This can lead to support problems for the structure of the home.

Water Damage Can Degrade Metal

Water damage can cause the metallic fabrication in the home to rust. People depend on metal to carry air conditioning fluids, heat, and clean water through the plumbing system. Many people have also reinforced parts of their home with metal. Water reacts with the metal and can cause the metal to rust over. This damages the integrity of the surface and can contaminate drinking water or decrease the efficiency of a heating system. People should have water damage treated to preserve the integrity of their piping and fabrication.

These are only a couple of the ways that untreated water damage can have important impacts on the structure of a home. Treat water damage to prevent them from happening.

Have water damage? Contact, ICON Restoration for expert claim consulting today.