Questions to Ask Your Restoration Company

Last updated: September 2026

Why These Questions Matter

When water is pouring through your ceiling or your kitchen fills with smoke, you do not have time to comparison-shop. That is exactly when the wrong contractor can cost you thousands — or your insurance claim. The ten questions below take five minutes to ask, and the answers separate professional restoration companies from the ones you will regret hiring.

Key takeaways

• Ask whether the company answers every call with a live person, 24/7 — or routes you to voicemail after hours.
• Ask for a response time in writing. PuroClean of East Cobb responds in 60 minutes or less.
• Ask whether you’ll have one project manager from start to finish or be handed off between people.
• Ask about certifications — PuroClean of East Cobb’s technicians hold IICRC WRT, FSRT, ASD, and AMRT certifications, plus RSA Trauma Scene Clean-up and EPA Lead-Safe Certified firm status.
• Ask whether you get photo/video documentation on every job and a final walkthrough — both are standard at PuroClean of East Cobb, with no fine print.

1. Are your technicians certified — and in what, specifically?

“Certified” is vague, and vague is a warning sign. The restoration industry has a recognized standard: the IICRC, which certifies technicians in Water Damage Restoration, Fire and Smoke Restoration, Applied Structural Drying, and Applied Microbial Remediation. A good contractor names the certifications their technicians hold without hesitation. Every technician at PuroClean of East Cobb is IICRC-certified across all four disciplines, with additional training in Trauma Scene Clean-up — and our firm is EPA Lead-Safe Certified.

2. Will a live person answer when I call — at 2 a.m.?

Property damage does not keep business hours. Some companies route after-hours calls to a voicemail box or a call center in another state. Ask directly. At PuroClean of East Cobb, every call is answered by a live person, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — including holidays and weekends.

3. How fast can you actually get here?

A contractor who will not commit to a response window is telling you something. Ask for a concrete number, not “as soon as we can.” Our standard is 60 minutes or less from the time you call — because the first hour after water damage is when the most preventable destruction happens.

4. Who will manage my job — and will I see the same person twice?

Restoration projects fall apart when responsibility gets passed around. Ask whether one project manager owns your job from the first assessment through the final walkthrough, or whether you will be explaining your situation to someone new every day. We assign one project manager to each job, start to finish. You get one name, one number, and one person accountable for the outcome.

5. What is your actual process once you are on-site?

A professional company can describe its process in plain steps. Ours: assess the full extent of the damage, stabilize the property to prevent further loss, document everything for your insurance claim, then restore. If a contractor cannot walk you through their sequence clearly, they probably do not have one.

The Checklist, Part 2: Accountability

6. How do you handle my insurance claim?

This is the question that separates restoration companies from demolition crews. Water and fire jobs live or die on documentation — moisture readings, drying logs, photo and video records, proper scope documentation. Ask whether the contractor works with insurance carriers regularly and provides the documentation adjusters need. Our owner spent 16 years in the restoration and insurance industries, including time as a Property Claim Manager at a national insurance carrier, and we teach continuing-education classes for insurance agents. We speak the language your adjuster speaks.

7. Do you do the full job — including reconstruction?

Some mitigation companies dry the structure and leave you to find a separate contractor for the rebuild. Ask whether the same company handles both mitigation and reconstruction. One call, one contractor, and a complete restoration back to pre-loss condition is the standard you should expect.

8. What will this cost — and will you put it in writing?

You will not get a firm number over the phone, and any contractor who gives you one is guessing. But a reputable company will explain how pricing works — industry-standard estimating, line-item scope documentation, no surprise charges after the work starts. For context, published national averages put water damage restoration between $1,300 and $5,600, and the national average for fire damage repair at about $12,900 (Forbes Home). Your job will fall where the damage puts it, and we will document every line. No fine print. The right answer sounds like this: industry-standard line-item estimates, no vague lump sums, no fine print, no surprise add-ons. That’s our answer.

9. Can you show me real reviews from local customers?

Online reviews are easy to check — and easy to fake. Look for detailed reviews that mention the company’s name, the type of work, and specific outcomes. Then ask the contractor directly whether you can see their reviews. We are cleared to share any of our Google reviews, and we will point you to them.

10. What happens if something goes wrong after you leave?

Ask about the warranty or guarantee — and get the terms in writing before work begins. A contractor confident in their work has no reason to dodge this question.

Red Flags That Should Make You Keep Looking

• Certifications described only as “certified” with nothing specific behind the word.
• No committed response-time window — just “as soon as we can.”
• After-hours calls go to voicemail or an out-of-state call center.
• No clear process they can describe in plain steps.
• A firm price quoted over the phone, sight unseen.
• No mention of documentation for your insurance claim.

Any one of these is reason to keep calling. You are trusting this company with your home and your insurance claim — hold them to a standard.

Facing water, fire, mold, or biohazard damage in Cobb County? Call (770) 627-0900 — a live person answers, 24/7, and we will be on-site in 60 minutes or less. Ask us anything — calling costs nothing and there’s no obligation.

Want the full version of this checklist? Read our guide: How to Choose a Water Damage Restoration Company in Marietta, GA.

Areas We Serve

PuroClean of East Cobb answers every call with a live person and responds in 60 minutes or less, 24/7, across Marietta and these surrounding communities: Marietta · Roswell · Norcross · Buckhead · Atlanta · West Oak · Sandy Springs · Sandy Plains · Fair Oaks · Elizabeth · Dunwoody · Peachtree Corners · Mount Bethel

Related Services

• Our Restoration Process
• Insurance & Your Claim