Bigger or unusual job? Compare bids from local pros and you pick who does the work.
The service
What fire, smoke & soot damage restoration is, what a visit covers and where the line is.
The short answer
Fire, smoke and soot damage restoration is the cleanup done after a fire to remove soot and smoke residue from walls, ceilings, floors, ducts and belongings, treat odor, and prepare the building for repair. Fire, Smoke & Soot Damage Restoration in Los Gatos is booked through pros who cover its 4 ZIP codes, in neighborhoods such as Downtown Los Gatos, Almond Grove, and Belgatos. In Los Gatos, the dry season from late spring to fall is the easiest time for outside work, and the fall calendar fills before the first big rain. Pros on NorTech are independent, set their own price and warranty, and are chosen by you.
If fire, smoke & soot damage restoration is an emergency
After a fire the building can be unsafe, and soot spreads when disturbed. Stay out until you are cleared, keep the air moving only if it is safe, and protect what has not been touched.
Treat it as urgent if
- Doors, windows or roof openings are open after the fire
- Rain or storm water is entering the damaged areas
- Soot or ash is visible on walls, floors or belongings
- Firefighting water is still standing on floors or in the ceiling
- Smoke smell is spreading through undamaged rooms or ducts
What a fire, smoke & soot damage restoration visit includes
What is included depends on the jobs you pick and on how each pro sets up their visit and timing. You see the exact scope with each pro's price before you book.
- Safety check and assessment of fire, smoke and soot damage
- Board-up or protection of openings if needed
- Removal of loose soot and debris
- Cleaning of walls, ceilings and salvageable contents
- Odor treatment and air filtration
- Documentation and handoff to the repair contractor
Pick what is on your list
Tick what you want done, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, and you can describe anything else when you book.
Assessment and protection
Tick what you want done. One visit can cover several.
Tick jobs above, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, so they see exactly what you need before they arrive.
What shapes a fire, smoke & soot damage restoration job
These are the things that make one job different from another. Mention them in your notes so each pro can scope your job properly.
What is not part of fire, smoke & soot damage restoration
Knowing where the line is keeps the visit on track and keeps you safe. When a job belongs to a specialist, NorTech tells you before you book.
- Any job where labor and materials together reach $1,000 or more is done by a licensed contractor. NorTech flags this before you book.
- Structural repair, framing, roofing and rebuild after the fire. That is a licensed contractor, see Fire Disaster Rebuild.
- Repair of gas lines, electrical systems and fire-protection systems. Those are licensed trades.
- Determining the cause or origin of the fire, which is done by fire officials and investigators.
- Hazardous material abatement such as asbestos, which needs its own testing and licensed abatement.
- Restoring antiques, art, electronics and documents that need a specialist.
License and permits for fire, smoke & soot damage restoration
Cleaning after a fire is done by independent restoration pros. Work on fire-protection systems, gas, electrical or structure belongs to pros who hold the license that trade requires, and they list it on their NorTech profile.
Cleaning usually needs no permit, but rebuilding after a fire commonly does, and fire-protection system repairs may need one and an inspection. Local rules differ, so ask the pro and the repair contractor what applies.
Check the pro's profile for licenses, ask for license numbers if you want to confirm with the issuing agency, and ask for copies of any permit the repair contractor pulls.
Plan your visit
How booking works, how to get ready, and what to expect where you live.
How booking fire, smoke & soot damage restoration works
Say what needs doing
Add your ZIP and a few words about the job.
Compare pros near you
Each pro sets their own price and warranty. NorTech does not pick for you.
Book the pro you pick
Add photos and details on their page. Your card is held and only charged after the work and the photos.
Photos and a warranty
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free.
Before you book fire, smoke & soot damage restoration
Quick things that save a trip. Tick them off as you go; none of it is required to book.
Photograph before anything is moved
Take wide and close photos of every room, the soot patterns, the water damage and your belongings. Date them and keep copies in more than one place.
Make a list of what is damaged
Write down items by room as you remember them, with approximate age and where you bought them. Do not discard anything until the pro has assessed it and you have photographed it.
Keep the HVAC off
Running the system pulls soot and smoke into the ducts and spreads it to clean rooms. Leave it off until the pro says the system has been inspected and cleaned.
Throw away food and medicine exposed to heat
Items in open containers, the fridge after a power loss and anything near the fire may need to be discarded, so ask the pro what to keep. Make a list of what you discard for your records.
Ask for a written scope
Ask each pro to list the areas to be cleaned, the methods, what is being removed and what stays. A written scope helps you compare pros and helps the repair contractor.
Plan where you will stay
Soot and odor make a home hard to live in even when it looks usable. Ask the pro whether the home can be occupied during cleaning and what rooms should stay closed.
Say where in Los Gatos you are
Add your neighborhood, for example Downtown Los Gatos, Almond Grove, and Belgatos, or your ZIP code to your notes. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, and it tells them how far they have to travel.
How where you live changes fire, smoke & soot damage restoration
Often booked together with fire, smoke & soot damage restoration
Book several services with one pro. Pros set their own bundle discounts.
Belongings can be cleaned and stored while the building is cleaned and repaired.
Stubborn smoke odor in fabrics, ducts and rooms can need a separate treatment.
After cleaning, burned structure, drywall and finishes are rebuilt by a licensed contractor.
Firefighting water soaks floors and walls and has to be dried.
Around Los Gatos
Where in Los Gatos the work happens, and the cities close by.
Fire, Smoke & Soot Damage Restoration across Los Gatos
Pick your neighborhood to see what homes there tend to need. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, so enter your ZIP code to see who covers yours.
Cities near Los Gatos
Pros often cover more than one city. The rings show 5 and 10 miles from the center of town.
Other services in Los Gatos
Each one has its own page for this city.
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See pros in Los GatosTrust and answers
What backs the work, who is licensed and insured, what customers say, and your questions.
Backed by your provider’s warranty. If covered work fails, your provider makes it right, free.
Done by a licensed contractor
This work is booked only with an independent contractor who holds the California license it requires, and whose license NorTech has checked against the state record. It is never handed to someone who is still working toward one.
Claiming this on your insurance?
Your pro photographs the damage before work starts and records each step in the NorTech app. From the job in your portal you can add your claim number and print an Insurance Claim Pack to send to your insurer. NorTech does not file or negotiate claims, and your insurer decides what it covers, so ask it what it needs before work starts.
Read the insurance answer in the FAQLos Gatos homeowners
Fire, Smoke & Soot Damage Restoration reviews in Los Gatos
Verified fire, smoke & soot damage restoration reviews from Los Gatos homeowners will appear here.
Be the first fire, smoke & soot damage restoration review in Los Gatos
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free. Book with confidence and tell Los Gatos how your pro did.
Book Fire, Smoke & Soot Damage Restoration in Los GatosFrequently asked