You will hear IICRC like it is a secret handshake. It is a set of standards for water and mold work. A tech who can cite S500 and then ignore your wet closet is still a bad tech.
Xactimate is software insurers and many restorers use to price line items. It is not a court order. It is a common language for ‘how much to tear out 12 feet of wet drywall.’
Ask what those words mean on your estimate. If they cannot translate, the paper is for them, not you.
Do this now
- Ask whether the crew is working to IICRC S500 water-restoration steps, in plain English.
- Ask if the estimate is in Xactimate and whether you can have a copy with line items.
- Circle anything you do not understand and make them define it before you sign.
- Keep the estimate next to your photos so you can see if rooms are missing.
IICRC in a wet Houston house
The standard talks about water category, how fast you extract, and how you dry. Category 3 water (sewage, bayou, river) is not a wipe-down job. Anyone who wants to ‘sanitize and save’ soaked gypsum after Brays came in is selling hope.
Certifications on a website are a start. The person in your hallway should still meter the wall.
If they skip PPE in black water because ‘it is just rain,’ believe your nose.
Xactimate without the trance
Line items look like a foreign language. You still have the right to a copy. Check square footage against a tape. Check that they did not price a second story you do not have.
Insurers use the same software. That is why restorers write in it. It does not mean the first number is the final check.
If a public adjuster or a second company re-prices the same rooms, compare the lines, not the speeches.