Fire and smoke restoration jobs are the highest-margin work in residential restoration, but only when priced correctly. The estimating mistakes that cost a few hundred dollars on a water job will cost five figures on a fire job, because the scope is broader, the equipment is more specialized, and the deodorization process has more legitimate billable hours than most operators capture.
This guide assumes you have read the restoration pricing master guide and understand the fundamentals of estimate construction. Here we focus on what makes fire pricing different.
Structure, Contents, and Deodorization Are Three Separate Estimates
The single biggest pricing improvement most restoration companies can make on fire jobs is treating structure cleanup, contents cleaning, and deodorization as three discrete scopes with three discrete estimates. Operators who roll everything into one estimate consistently under-price the contents and deodorization portions because the structure work feels like the visible deliverable.
The right model is three sequential workstreams: structure cleaning and demolition, pack-out and contents processing at your facility, and final deodorization with verification testing. Each gets its own estimate, its own crew, and its own milestone billing.
Structure Pricing for Fire Damage
Structure pricing on fire jobs starts with smoke and soot category (light, medium, heavy, or “wet smoke” from synthetic combustion). Each category drives a different cleaning approach and a different price per square foot. Documenting the category with photos at intake protects pricing throughout the job.
Core structure line items include: HEPA vacuuming, dry-sponge cleaning, wet cleaning with chemical sponges, drywall and texture removal, char removal, framing brushing, and seal-coating with shellac-based primer. Most fire estimates miss the seal-coating line, which alone is often a $1,500 to $5,000 omission on a residential job.
Contents Pricing: The Highest-Margin Line on the Job
Contents cleaning is where the best restoration companies generate a disproportionate share of their fire job profit. The discipline is treating contents as a per-room or per-cubic-foot line, not a flat fee. Pack-out, transport, processing, storage, and pack-back each have their own unit pricing, and each must be on the estimate.
Specialty contents — electronics, art, textiles, leather, soft goods — should always be flagged as separate line items priced at specialty rates. Operators who lump these into general contents cleaning consistently lose money on the highest-touch items in the home.
Deodorization: Five Stages, Five Line Items
Deodorization is not “ozone for three days.” Proper fire deodorization is a five-stage process, and each stage is billable: source removal, surface cleaning, sealing of porous materials, atmospheric treatment (ozone, hydroxyl, thermal fogging), and verification with re-occupancy testing. An estimate that shows one line for “deodorization” is leaving 60 to 80 percent of the legitimate billable work off the document.
Operators who break out the five stages typically see deodorization revenue per job double versus operators who roll it into a single line.
Equipment-Heavy Line Items
Fire jobs require more specialized equipment than water jobs: HEPA negative air machines, hydroxyl generators, ozone generators, ULV foggers, thermal foggers, and ultrasonic content cleaners. Each piece of equipment has its own daily rate, and each daily rate must be on the estimate when the equipment is on the job.
Cash Fire Jobs vs Insurance Fire Jobs
Cash fire jobs are rare but high-margin when they appear. The pricing strategy mirrors cash water work: tiered options, value framing, and walk-away discipline. Insurance fire jobs are about scope completeness and documentation. The largest fire job reductions come from missing scope items on the original estimate, not from line-item haggling.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average price of a fire damage restoration job?
Residential fire jobs average $12,000 to $50,000 for partial losses, with major fire losses ranging from $50,000 to $200,000+ when full structure cleanup is involved. Commercial fire jobs commonly exceed $100,000. The wide range reflects the variation in smoke category, contents value, and structural damage.
Should fire damage estimates be itemized or lump-sum?
Always itemized. Lump-sum fire estimates are nearly always under-priced because they hide line items the estimator forgot to include. Itemized estimates also defend better to TPA review and give the homeowner clarity on what they are paying for.
How do I price contents pack-out for fire jobs?
Contents pack-out should be priced per cubic foot with separate line items for transport, processing labor, storage time, and pack-back. The Xactimate pack-out matrix is a starting point; most operators find they need to layer specialty handling charges on top for electronics, art, and textiles.
Is ozone treatment enough for smoke deodorization?
No. Ozone is one of five legitimate deodorization stages. Source removal, surface cleaning, sealing of porous materials, atmospheric treatment, and verification testing are the full process. Operators relying only on ozone consistently see callbacks and re-treatment requests.
What gets cut most often from fire damage estimates?
The most commonly reduced fire line items are HEPA equipment days, seal-coating after demolition, contents specialty cleaning charges, and multi-stage deodorization beyond a single ozone treatment. Each can be defended with proper documentation of scope and method.
Leave a Reply