Residential Home Builders in Sonoma County – Was Your Home Affected by the Sonoma Wildfires?

If your home was one of the thousands damaged in the recent California wildfires, it can be difficult to know where to start.  Currently, residential home builders in Sonoma County – such as Holly & Associates – are seeing a huge influx of inquiries regarding how to begin the rebuilding process.  We want to help in any way we can, but there are procedures which must be followed for best results.

So today, we wanted to present a quick guide to how to proceed if your home was damaged in the fires.  It will make things go much smoother once you start talking to residential home builders in Sonoma County.

Five Things You Should Do If Your Home Was Damaged in the 2017 Fires

1. Call your insurance company

You’ve probably already done this, but we’re mentioning it to be clear.  The process begins with your insurance company.  They’ll help you understand your policy and start the claims process, as well as sending out agents and adjusters to survey the damage personally.  You will want to maintain open communications and keep a dialogue going between yourself and your insurance agent throughout the rebuilding process.

2. Bring in independent evaluators

You don’t want to rely entirely on your insurance company for claims and damage estimates.  It’s a very good idea to bring in a qualified independent fire damage assessor as a “second opinion,” particularly if you end up having disputes with your insurance company over claims.  This should happen around the same time as the official insurance surveys.

3. Schedule cleanup and/or demolitions

One way or another, your property needs to be cleaned up before it can be rebuilt.  This is a good time to start talking to residential home builders in Sonoma County.  If they don’t have the crews to handle cleanup themselves, they can refer you to qualified contractors.

4. Coordinate with your local government.

Once it comes time to start rebuilding, there will be plenty of paperwork.  This is something else your home contractor can usually handle on your behalf, but you should remain aware of the process and available for meetings if needed.

5. Hire architects, engineers, and builders

Finally, it’s time to make decisions regarding who’s going to rebuild your home and start drawing up the plans to do so.  Holly & Associates can help!  Contact us directly to consult on your rebuilding needs.