Fire and Water Damage: Mitigating Risk with Specialty Contents

The carpet squelches when you walk on it, there are soot stains on every surface, and the homeowner is sobbing. The aftermath of fire or water damage creates a very dramatic scene.

When a homeowner's expensive furniture and collectables are damaged in a flood or fire, the insurance adjuster or restoration company representative can feel as overwhelmed as the homeowner. How do you begin to know how to evaluate so many different kinds of water- and/or fire-damaged furniture? What if you throw away something valuable or invest in repairing something unremarkable? How can you be expected to evaluate these pieces when you've never studied art or antiques? It’s OK and we completely understand.  It's intimidating!

You can eliminate many pain points by finding a specialty contents restoration company. A company like Mumford Restoration can help you make tough judgement calls on burnt, soot-covered, or water-damaged furniture, upholstery, art, metals, pianos, grandfather clocks, and other specialty items.

More often than not, we immediately see that we can repair damaged furniture and collectables! We can help you assure a homeowner that, yes, we can get that smoke smell out of their wood furniture. Yes, we can make that couch  useable again with some new upholstery and repairs. Yes, we can clean and rewire that antique chandelier.

Choosing the right specialty contents company

The most important choice you will face is selecting the right specialty contents company. Mumford Restoration assumes liability as well as storage responsibility for all specialty contents as soon as we take them in our care. We are proud of our high-quality work that has garnered stellar Google reviews and earned countless repeat clients. We stand by our work and will work with the insured to ensure that the results match their expectations. 

When you work with Mumford Restoration, you eliminate your risk and reduce your stress. You know that the homeowner will be pleased with the results and that you will only need to do the work once. 

Mumford Restoration streamlines communication. If you are a restoration company, we are happy to work directly with the adjuster and remove some of that responsibility. If you're the adjuster or insurance company, we're happy to work alongside the insured and help manage expectations, timelines, and outcomes.

Many insurance adjusters and fire and water companies have unfortunately learned hard lessons about working with unprincipled and less-meticulous "restorers." In one case, a restoration company brought a homeowner's table, a cherished family heirloom, to a cheaper furniture restorer. The restoration company was not aware of the furniture restorer's reputation for less-than-ideal results. The other furniture restorer refinished the table, but used the wrong stain and did not apply the lacquer properly, which resulted in a hazy,  translucent finish. The homeowner was heartbroken--and livid. At the distraught homeowner's instance, the restoration company ultimately brought the table to Mumford Restoration for proper treatment and refinishing. In the end, the restoration company paid to have the table refinished twice. In spite of the additional cost of correcting the other refinisher's poor work, the insured still lost a portion of their trust in the company. Fortunately, the homeowner did not turn to social media to vent their frustrations regarding the original refinish. The mistake could have become a messy and publicly embarrassing incident that would have discouraged potential homeowners from working with the restoration company. A few minutes of researching a specialty contents company's online reviews can save you from a sticky situation! Don't jeopardize your relationship with the homeowner!

On a more positive note, let's talk about what a restoration company did right! Several years ago, a collector of Japanese art suffered a house fire. The fire and water restoration company inventoried the home and saw that several fragile, nineteenth-century Japanese vases, appraised at over $625,000, had been damaged. The company knew that these vases had to be treated with extreme care in order to maintain their value, keep the customer happy, and avoid a $625,000 liability. They contacted Mumford Restoration for our help. We traveled to the customer's home, painstakingly wrapped and packed the vases, and then transported them to our art studio. The restoration company's contents manager stated, "I was overwhelmed with not only the number of delicate items that I knew our team couldn’t handle but the fact that they were also very high-value antiques. I knew Mumford Restoration  was well- qualified to  handle the restoration of these pieces and would store them, so I didn’t have to worry with the liability and logistics of it all."

When the vases arrived at our art studio, our art restorer inspected them for structural issues, determined the gentlest cleaning method, and then restored them to their original appearance. Finally, Mumford Restoration repacked the vases, transported them back to their home, and placed them in their original location. The customer was overjoyed to have their cherished vases back and the restoration company was relieved to know that they were not responsible for over $625,000 worth of art. The restoration company owner told us, “The impact to our contents team was significant. Mumford Restoration handled things that normally we’d be liable for or trust a lesser experienced vendor with and hope for the best. ”

Ultimately, the company saved time, avoided a potential $625k liability, and the homeowner was beyond grateful that they found the right specialty contents company to restore and protect her pieces.

BEFORE mumford arrives on the scene

But you may wonder what you can do before we show up. The homeowner needs reassurance, but so do you! You’re worried about throwing out valuable pieces of furniture, but you don’t know how to evaluate the value for that damaged furniture, heirloom, or collectable. Let’s tackle your anxiety head on and focus on what absolutely HAS to be restored. 

What do you put in the “keep” category when it comes to fire and/or water damage restoration? These are the pieces you can and should save because of their value. But value is very subjective. What kind of value should you look for?

For specialty contents, there are 3 general categories of value: Sentimental, Monetary, and Craftsmanship/Quality. These categories can be entirely separate, but they can and often do overlap. 

Sentimental Value

Objects with sentimental value may be unique works of art or they could be simple, mass-produced pieces. You only learn of their sentimental value after you chat with the homeowner and ask the history of each damaged piece. Their worth lies in the homeowner’s emotional connection to them.

For example, 1930s waterfall bedroom sets were common during that era. Although they are beautiful, they are not sought-after rarities. You can readily find a set for under $500 on Facebook Marketplace. But if a homeowner's grandparents owned the bedroom set in question, the piece possesses sentimental value. It becomes unique to the owner. There is no other bedroom set in the world like it because their grandparents only owned THIS particular set. 

Monetary Value

Monetary Value lies in a piece’s rarity and collectability. These pieces are often purchased as investments or as items for a collection. The owner will usually tell you outright that they paid a large price for an object and have had the piece in question appraised. The math for these objects tends to be more straightforward.

The replacement value for a highly collectable antique or vintage item, depending on the market, can be far higher than the cost of restoration. In these cases, you should reach out to a reputable antique restoration company for an expert evaluation, treatment plan, and quote.

Mumford Restoration has completely restored many seemingly “unsalvageable” fire- and/or water-damaged furniture and collectables. In the end, the homeowners were thrilled that the item regained its original appearance and the insurance adjuster was relieved to have optimized the insurance policy and was able to direct the saved funds to other priorities. 

The chandelier in the photo above was destined for the landfill following a house fire. Mumford Restoration noticed it in a construction dumpster in front of the home. The restoration company informed us that the chandelier was valued at $30,000, but it had been evaluated as "unsalvageable" after the fire. Our restorers disagreed. We removed it from the dumpster and determined that it would only require $3,500 of cleaning, rewiring, and refinishing work to be fully restored. After we restored the chandelier, you'd never know it was in a fire. The insurance adjuster was relieved that they could then reallocate the saved $26,500 to the homeowner's other damaged items.

Craftsmanship Value

Craftsmanship or quality is our final and most nuanced consideration. How to you look at a piece and determine the level of craftsmanship?

It isn’t always enough to simply chat with the homeowner, as the definition of “good” furniture is rather subjective. An expensive piece of furniture isn’t necessarily well made, yet a “cheap” estate sale find can be a work of exceptional craftsmanship.

Antique furniture tends to be made of real wood (as opposed to manufactured wood products such as medium-density fiberboard or chipboard). Real wood is less susceptible to water damage and extreme temperatures than manufactured wood and can often be easily reassembled with fresh glue and then refinished or simply cleaned.

When you encounter a damaged item that doesn’t have apparent sentimental or monetary value, a reputable antique restorer can help you identify the material, style, and maker of the piece. The restorer will then be able to present several treatment options, based on the 3 considerations above. 

In the next installment of our series, we’ll explore common types of fire damage and water damage to furniture and discuss how this damage can be repaired. We'll also teach you how to determine what materials make an item less salvageable. In the meantime, just remember to reach out when you need advice! It could ultimately help you resolve the claim more effectively, redirect funds to more pressing needs, and increase customer satisfaction and trust.

mumford eliminates the headache

Mumford Restoration has over forty years of experience in specialty contents repair and restoration of furniture, antiques, & heirlooms that have been damaged by fire, water, and mold.

We are always happy to assist adjusters and restoration companies alike! Let us help remove the uncertainty from specialty contents claims. You'll be able to close claims faster and know your customers will be satisfied.

Your day might start with a headache, but Mumford Restoration will make sure it ends with a set of confident, informed solutions.

Not sure what to do with Fire and/OR Water DamageD Specialty Contents?

Whether it's a vintage bedroom set that grandma used to own or a priceless chandelier that collectors have spent two centuries clamoring over, Mumford Restoration has restored it all. We've worked with many adjusters and restoration companies who were feeling overwhelmed with specialty contents for a fire and water damage claim. Don't struggle alone when you have experts at the ready! Call us and we can help remove the stress and anxiety from a complicated evaluation. 

Fill out the form below to submit your inquiry or call us at 919.510.6310

At Mumford Restoration, we specialize in bringing timeless pieces back to life, ensuring they remain as stunning and functional as the day they were crafted. Whether you have a cherished heirloom, a museum-quality artifact, or a collector’s piece from any era, our expert team is here to restore its beauty and preserve its history.

Contact us today to discuss your restoration needs!