Most people considering remodeling or restoring their home from incidents such as fire and flood are uncertain whether they need a permit, and most don’t bother to find out. As per the building department of Central Florida, most home repair and remodeling jobs require a building permit by law.

Fire damage to your residential property is a devastating blow, and your priority from that point on is to restore it. The fire remodeling/reconstruction permits have several nuances, and zoning in on each requires expert knowledge and time. Looking into the permitting rules and preparing documentation can be an additional burden for any property owner. A smart move it to hire licensed contractors who can oversee the reconstruction and insurance documentation from scratch to finish.

What is a building permit?

Building permits are a county or city-issued written authorization to repair, construct or remodel a property. Most construction and remodeling activities require a building permit to ensure building, construction, and zoning code compliances in addition to work safety.  

Initial steps in fire permitting

The building department inspects the residential property to ensure that they comply with federal, state, and local codes, ordinances, regulations, and statutes.

Temporary power is set up to keep things going, such as pools, residential work equipment, and the cleanup process.

Preparing the site plan for the project is an important step. An extensive project requires an architect/design professional who can tailor a report after applicable plumbing and electrical inspections, roof integrity, and wall cavity audits.

Once a plan is created, an estimate for the fire damage restoration is calculated and submitted to the insurance company.

The insurance company assigns a building inspector to attend the fire scene and generate a building damage report to be forwarded to the company.

At Titan, we create realistic bids that align with the exact work to be completed, and each step of the work is documented for the insurance company. For example, 25% of the windows are damaged and need to be replaced; we look into the law and ornaments in the corresponding insurance policy to determine whether the insurance company could cover this.

We are experts in insurance laws and loopholes and can make the right decision in the property owner’s interest to ensure the cost-effectiveness of the entire repair work.

Once we have a plan and details of the damage and the works needed, we submit for approval and start post-approval. Getting the plan and documentation for the insurance company is a time-consuming process, and this is where a certified professional and your ordinary contractor can make a big difference. At Titan, we have expert permit consultants who handle permitting and all corresponding paperwork, follow-ups and notify us if we need to address something. Our permit consultants know exactly how each building permitting department wants things submitted.

All these things are significant for the project, and they can save months of time. With Titan, we follow a comprehensive approach to planning and documenting; for example, we always check whether a property is in flood zones or not; if it is in a flood zone, we look at sourcing elevation certification and plans. Suppose the property is in a flood zone. In that case, an elevation survey should be carried out before any repair work can be done, and if the property is below the required elevation levels, it has to be raised or demolished. No insurance or flood policy will cover these works; this is where Titan can help you make strategic decisions.

What are the benefits of hiring Titan Restoration Construction for getting fire permits?

• We have a team of specialized architects and engineers to ensure that the construction follows code.
• We are familiar with the process and the county inspector’s and building department’s requirements. Our preexisting relationship with the county can always work to your benefit.
• We understand how to start and finish the work based on realistic timelines to ensure that you get your property back as soon as possible.
• Our architect can advise whether there is any code upgrade requirement that needs to be documented for your insurance company.