Kelmann Property Restoration - Straight Forward

Empathy as Policy

2012-03-01T07:27:00.000-08:00

Beingin the emergency restoration field, we can be called to see people on what maybe one of their worst days. A simplesink overflow may not seem that tragic. However, if that water ran into a basement area destroying family heirloomsand pictures, the emotional impact could be significant. So as part of our day to day business acumenwe must always be mindful of our customer’s emotional state. The initial impression we make as well as howwe react to the situation at hand could have an enormous impact on both the workflow well as the project outcome. Realizethat often times just sitting and talking to the customer about things otherthan the problem at hand can have a positive effect. Part of the education of an emergency service firstresponder should be related to understanding and dealing with a customer’semotional condition. Daily, we work withpeople whose life has been disrupted by, fire, flood, vehicle crash intobuilding, sewage back up, wind or lightning damage and even some resultingbodily injuries. Building trust and confidence in any business transaction is alwaysvital. Simply empathizing and listeningto the human side of one of these events can build this confidence and pay greatdividends at the end of a project. Andquite frankly, you would be performing a service to your customer by doing so. Of course, the restoration technicians will bebusy dealing with the mitigation issues at hand while the first responder is workingthe human aspect. It’s the right thingto do and straight and forward restorations contractors understand that it’s anessential part of our business competence.

Working on the Peripheral

2011-12-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

We have to be extraordinarily adaptive in the restorationworld. The way we see things…how we react…the perception we reveal all have toadjust based on the situations we encounter. We can labor in desperate situations where a basement is flooded 4 feethigh in sewage water. Floatingkeepsakes, personal belongings and memories are turned into unadorned debris. We see the ravage of fire where homes andbelongings are lost…..or worse. However,one of the more challenging situations we deal with is that of a commercial orbusiness loss. Our focus has to bemultifaceted regarding these situations. We must always “keep our eye on theball” regarding best practices and how to deal with the core circumstances.However, we also realize our goal is to keep business - in business. It’s counterintuitive for a company not to beselling, trading, manufacturing or servicing. That’s what business does. So a straight and forward restoration contractor’s job is to mitigate damage while still allowing abusiness to operate at some level. Weneed to adjust to the needs of our customer, allowing business to be transactedwhile still abiding by the principles of our training and experience. Now sometimes we need to work on theperipheral of those philosophies, stretching the boundaries slightly toaccommodate the needs of the business. Setting detailed containment, managing air flow, HEPA scrubbing theair, working a 2^nd or 3^rd shift, removal of dryingequipment during business hours and deploying it during non-work hours are allstrategies we utilize to keep business up and running during a project. Certainly we look at commercial restoration abit differently than residential. However, the goal line we always race towards is one of performing ourservice in a fashion that is appropriate to the needs of our customer andwithin the boundaries of our industry’s standard of care.

Marketing the Unthinkable

2011-12-01T10:05:00.000-08:00

Being in the emergency restoration business puts us in very unique positions. I offer this scenario: After the Kelmann Property Restoration business development staff come back to the office after attending a public trade show, a NARI show for instance, we are always asked, "How did it go?" Unless someone walked up to our booth whose home or business was on fire or flooded, our response will be, "Well, we talked to a lot of people." In the emergency restoration business, we really don't sell anything that people want. We do some remodeling, but Kelmann's core business is water and fire restoration. Ultimately people, in the unfortunate throws of a disaster, need our services. However, few people can really even imagine an upfront need. Really, who could envision their home on fire? A pipe breaking and pouring water all over their belongings and home? A wind storm pushing a tree through their bedroom, splitting it and the bed in half? For heavens sake, a car hitting your home - pushing your couch into the kitchen? My impression is that people not only don't prepare for calamities, they do everything in their power not to even imagine them. So it is our intention, when we market our company at trade shows, on TV or at other public functions, to make people aware that the unimaginable can happen and that we are here to help them. This is not an easy task. It is one that we take very seriously however. Each and every day we try to determine another viable avenue to get the word out: In a straight forward manner we let people know, "We are there to help when the unthinkable happens.

Ethics of the Mold Remediation Contractor

2011-11-17T13:15:00.000-08:00

Dealing with indoor mold related issues for almost the last ten years has given me perspective on many fronts. Among other things, I am a remediation contractor who takes calls, listens to people, makes sight visits, writes proposals, works with environmental consultants and supervises work sights. While I have overall faith in the human race, my patience is tested regularly by both opportunistic contractors and consultants.

Today I again visited with a potential customer. Her mother is selling her lovely & high-end condo. A potential buyer saw what appeared to be mold staining on the basement ceiling. The buyer, of course, immediately had severe breathing problems and pulled out of the negotiations. The seller’s real estate agent called for a “remediation” contractor to assess the mold problem and write an estimate to remediate. The contractor took moisture readings in the basement and stated that building materials were near saturation. He wrote an estimate to clean the basement and treat with chemicals. He also included the cleaning of the upstairs living area due to spreading of the mold during his companies work. Total price tag: $6700.00

Here is the Straight and Forward scoop:

The mold found on the basement 2X8 and OSB ceiling system has been there since the condo was built, some 30+ years ago. All building materials were of normal moisture content. This old, dormant mold is a common derivative of wet building materials staying damp during construction. This is apparent as adjoining boards have a completely different appearance. The boards installed already wet, became moldy when, for instance, the cement floor was poured thus adding a lot of moisture / humidity into the air. Moisture + organic material + time = mold. It’s simple nature. So the staining has been there for 30+ years. The mold staining can be cleaned to aid in the selling of the house but there are no set rules that state that you have to have this work done.

Our fix is one day of dry ice blasting. I’ll blog on that process down the road. Chemical treatment is not the industry standard of care. Cost will be one third of the previous contractor’s quote. My question is: Why? Why tell someone completely false information? Why inflate an estimate to perform work not needed. Why scare people? This is a 350K real estate deal! I don’t know. It must be my Midwest naiveté. Let’s all hope those unscrupulous types get theirs in the end. It’s just not the way to do business. It’s not the way to live your life. Now that’s Straight and Forward.