OUR SERVICES

Building Restoration and Reinstatement

Once the immediate damage has been stabilised, dried, and treated, the next phase of recovery begins: returning your home to its pre-loss condition. Building restoration and reinstatement covers everything from the soft strip-out of damaged materials through to the skilled trades work needed to restore your property fully.

Technicians Carrying Out Skilled Work During Disaster Care Property Reinstatement

As a specialist disaster recovery partner, Disaster Care coordinates this phase of the recovery on your behalf.

Where we have branches within our network with their own building capability, they manage reinstatement directly. Where external building contractors are required, we coordinate the handover carefully to ensure continuity of service and clear communication with your claims handler throughout.

This is the phase of the claim where you begin to see your home return to normal. Our job is to make that process as smooth and as well-managed as possible.

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Technician Carrying Out Skilled Work During Disaster Care Property Reinstatement

What Building Restoration and Reinstatement Involves

Building reinstatement is not a single trade: it is a coordinated sequence of skilled work that brings a property back to a habitable, finished condition following damage. The scope depends entirely on the nature and extent of the original incident.

Following water damage, reinstatement typically involves replacing flooring and floor coverings, replastering walls and ceilings where drying has required plaster to be removed, redecorating, and reinstating any fixtures and fittings that were disturbed during the restoration. Following a fire, the scope is often broader and may include structural repairs, rewiring, replacement of joinery, plastering, and full redecoration.

Our network includes branches with dedicated building teams that carry out reinstatement work directly. For claims that require trades outside a branch’s direct capability, we coordinate the appointment of qualified contractors and manage the process through to completion, liaising with your claims handler at every stage.

How Building Reinstatement Works

Reinstatement follows on directly from the restoration phase. Where Disaster Care has carried out the drying or cleaning work, we are already familiar with your property and the scope of what is needed. That continuity makes the transition to reinstatement smoother and reduces the risk of things being missed.

STEP ONE

01.

Scope Assessment and Sign-Off

Once the restoration work is complete and the property has been signed off as dried and treated, we carry out a reinstatement scope assessment. This documents exactly what work is needed to return the property to pre-loss condition. The scope is agreed with your claims handler before any building work begins. You will be kept informed and involved throughout.

STEP TWO

02.

Soft Strip-Out

Where damaged materials need to be removed before reinstatement work can begin, such as wet plasterboard, damaged floor coverings, or affected fixtures, our teams carry out a careful soft strip-out. This is distinct from structural demolition: it is the removal of surface materials that have been damaged beyond restoration to allow new materials to be fitted.

STEP THREE

03.

Skilled Trades Work

Reinstatement work is carried out by qualified tradespeople. This includes plastering and drylining, electrical work where required, joinery and carpentry, flooring, tiling, painting and decorating, and plumbing where fittings have been disturbed. All trades working through our network hold appropriate qualifications and insurances.

STEP FOUR

04.

Coordination and Quality Oversight

We maintain oversight of the reinstatement work and coordinate between trades where multiple disciplines are involved. Progress is reported to your claims handler regularly. Any issues that arise during the work are managed proactively rather than passed to you to resolve.

STEP FIVE

05.

Completion and Handover

Once reinstatement is complete, we carry out a final inspection to confirm the work meets the required standard before formally handing your property back. Where contents have been in storage with our removals team during the works, their return is coordinated at this stage. We are available to address any snags or concerns after handover.

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Building Restoration and Reinstatement: Your Questions Answered

When does the reinstatement phase begin?

Reinstatement begins once the restoration phase is complete: the property has been dried, treated, and signed off as ready. There is no fixed timescale because it depends on the nature and extent of the original incident and the drying programme. We will give you a clear indication of when reinstatement is expected to begin as the restoration phase progresses.

Does Disaster Care carry out the building work directly?

Some of our network branches have their own building teams and carry out reinstatement work directly. Where a branch does not have direct building capability, we coordinate the appointment of qualified external contractors and manage the process on your behalf. Either way, you have a single point of coordination throughout.

Will the finished property look exactly as it did before?

Our aim is to return your property to its pre-loss condition, which means matching the existing finishes, materials, and fittings as closely as possible. Where exact matches are not available, your Aviva claims handler will discuss options with you. We will not make substitutions without your knowledge.

Can I be at home during reinstatement works?

In many cases, yes. This depends on the scope and nature of the work. Where reinstatement is straightforward and contained to part of the property, you may be able to remain at home throughout. Where works are more extensive or involve trades that make the property temporarily uninhabitable, your claims handler will have discussed alternative accommodation arrangements with you.

What happens if I find something wrong after the work is completed?

We carry out a final inspection before formally handing the property back, and we remain available to address any snags or concerns after handover. If something is identified after reinstatement is complete, contact us and we will assess and resolve it. We aim to leave your property in a condition you are genuinely satisfied with.

What is the difference between restoration and reinstatement?

Restoration refers to the specialist work of stabilising and treating the damage: drying, decontamination, mould remediation, and contents recovery. Reinstatement refers to the building work that follows: replacing damaged materials, carrying out skilled trades work, and returning the property to a finished, habitable condition. Both are part of the recovery journey and we coordinate them as a single managed process.

Building Restoration and Reinstatement: Standards and Qualifications

All building and trades work carried out through our network is undertaken by qualified tradespeople holding the appropriate accreditations for their discipline.