Help With A Burn Out
I am looking at purchasing a foreclosure that had a fire in the kitchen. The damage is very minimal but the walls in the house are all covered with the black silt from the smoke. What is the best way to remedy this? We are looking to clean and paint the walls if this is possible. I believe the walls are plaster but may have some Drywall. Any help is greatly appreciated.
There is no need to rip out the walls. Contact a local company in your area that caters to the janitorial industry and ask for what is known as a chem sponge. Works great for removing soot! Also, after cleaning the walls, rent a ozone machine which will help with the smell and then seal the walls with a stain blocking primer. Hope this helps...Good luck!
I have done two burn outs of 1960s with plaster type walls. Unfortunately it was a while ago. Do a google search and you will find information. You can also call some smoke and fire companies and ask how they would clean it. I found some of these companies to be helpful. My handyman bought a degreaser from the janitorial store. He degreased the walls to get rid of the soot. Obviously all carpets, furniture, anything cloth, and probably kitchen cabinets need to be removed and then replaced. Then my handman sprayed bleach and let it dry. Then we painted oil based primer and then a latex paint.
I remember one day when I went by the house my handyman had the pressure washer inside the house. He said that he knew what he was doing so I just walked away.
Obviously you must replace any damaged drywall/plaster and insulation.
When it was all done I bought one of those plug in room fresheners that had a fan to make the house smell like vanilla.
you could just "cover it up" AKA (Kills) but, you are going to still have that burn house smell.
Drywall is cheap. Do it right rip it down to the stud and start over.
Do not rip out plaster walls just because they have soot on them.
If you want to know what the professionals would suggest, then call on of those flood, mold, fire restoration companies and see what they suggest. I guarantee that they will not want to tear out all the drywall in the whole house because there was a minor fire in the kitchen.
Start with a small section (maybe the driveway end) and only dig, frame, prep and pour that area. Try it and see if you want to continue or hire a contractor.
Jim
What you bid depends on what you think the property is worth (of course). You should know better than anyone what the house is worth and what the market is like. If this is your big chance, bid high and get it while you can. But if it seems like a bunch of other properties are about to come on the market, bid low and if there is a feeding frenzy just step back and wait for the next one.
What I really wanted to say is that 14% for the realtor is twice what HUD will allow, and more than twice what is reasonable just to put in a bid for you. You should be able to find someone to do it for 5-6%, tops.
Chris