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How to document a fire and smoke damage Xactimate estimate
By the Log Cabin team
A fire damage Xactimate estimate gets more scrutiny than most files. The burn room is easy to agree on. Everything around it is where the questions start: how far the smoke traveled, what can be cleaned instead of replaced, and why a room with no visible damage is on the estimate at all.
The reviewer wasn't on the job, and they didn't smell the house. Every one of those decisions has to be shown in the file. Here's what we look for when a fire and smoke file comes in.
Map the loss from the burn room out
Start with how the house was affected, not with a list of line items. A fire file is easier to follow when it reads like a path: the room where the fire started, the rooms that took heat or direct smoke, and the rooms that took residue or odor only.
For each area, capture:
- Overview photos from the doorway, so the reviewer can see the whole room
- Close-ups of soot on ceilings, walls, trim, outlets and HVAC registers
- Photos inside closets and cabinets, where smoke often settles and nobody looks
- The rooms that look clean, with a note saying what was checked
That last point matters. If an adjoining room is on the estimate, the file has to show why. If it isn't, a quick note that it was checked and found unaffected answers the question before it's asked.
Write down every clean-versus-replace decision
This is where fire files get sent back most often. For each surface or item, the estimate either cleans it, seals it, or replaces it, and the reviewer will want to know why that choice was made.
Support each decision with what was actually observed on site:
- Cleaning test notes: what was tried on the surface and what happened
- Photos before and after a test area was cleaned
- Notes on materials that can't be cleaned to an acceptable result, like heat-warped trim, melted fixtures or porous materials holding odor
- Where sealing is written, a note on what is being sealed and why cleaning alone isn't enough
IICRC S700 is the industry standard for fire and smoke damage restoration. When a scope decision follows it, say so in the line note. Point to the requirement, not an opinion.
Document odor and deodorization work
Odor is real, but it doesn't show up in photos. That's why deodorization lines need extra support. Record what was done, where, and for how long:
- Job notes on odor in each area, including rooms with no visible residue
- Equipment placed for odor control, with dates set and removed
- Any treatment of the HVAC system, with photos of the returns, registers and air handler
- Notes on cavities, attics or crawlspaces that were opened or treated
If the crew logged it, the estimator can write it. If nobody wrote it down, it's hard to support later.
Don't forget the systems and the structure
Heat and smoke reach places the eye skips. Make sure the file covers:
- HVAC: smoke moves through ductwork. Photos of the registers and returns help support cleaning or replacement.
- Electrical: melted devices, damaged wiring and fixtures near the fire area
- Windows and doors: cracked glass, warped frames and damaged hardware
- Attic and framing: charring, soot on the underside of the roof deck, and insulation that took smoke
- Exterior: siding, soffit and roofing near the point of origin
Demolition and rebuild should tie back to those photos. A line for replacing drywall in a room reads much better when the same room shows charring or heat damage in the file.
Keep contents separate and complete
On many fire losses, contents is a large part of the claim. Keep it organized so it can be written cleanly on its own:
- Packout photos of each room before items are moved
- An inventory listing which items are cleaned, which are stored, and which are not salvageable, with photos of each
- Storage records with dates
- Cleaning records for items that were cleaned and returned
We write contents and packout too. See contents and packout estimating for what that file should include.
Keep the cleaning scope and the build-back consistent
Fire jobs often have one scope for cleaning and deodorization and another for the rebuild. When they're written by different people at different times, they can contradict each other. A wall that's cleaned on one estimate and replaced on another raises questions about both.
Writing both scopes on the same file, from the same photos, keeps the decisions lined up room by room.
Quick checklist before you send a fire file
- Sketch in ESX format, or access to your Encircle so the sketch can be imported
- Photos labeled and organized by room, including the rooms next to the fire
- Close-ups of soot, heat damage and the inside of closets and cabinets
- Cleaning test notes and job notes on odor
- Equipment records with dates
- HVAC, electrical, window and attic photos where they were affected
- Contents inventory, packout photos and storage records
- The carrier estimate, if one exists
Send it over
If you've got a fire or smoke loss that needs the full scope written in Xactimate, see our fire and smoke damage estimating service, or send the file and we'll write it from the photos up.