Advice:
We consulted with a few attorneys immediately after the fire about our partially burned situation. They told us that dealing with smoke damage only is very difficult with insurance agents and that you should spend the money and hire a licensed hygienist to survey your damages and the livability of your home. (Because we had a combination of fire, water and smoke damage, we never had an issue with our insurance being not willing to pay for new flooring, dry wall, carpet, insulation, etc.—the issue was how much they were willing to pay to replace those things.)

Companies like Servpro and ServiceMaster also handle the smoke damage repair to the actual dwelling, versus personal property. I have heard good things about this from others who have done so. We still aren’t to the point in the building repairs to need their services. You want to make sure to fight with your insurance about getting your insulation replaced as part of this process. Thirteen months after the fire, our contractor was finally able to open up the ceiling in unburned areas of the home to prepare for the sprinkler lines (see building code upgrades).

THE HOUSE SMELLED LIKE SMOKE ALL OVER AGAIN. The smoke got into our insulation in unburned areas of the home even though we do not have an attic or central AC/heat vents. But, it would probably cost $100,000 to remove and replace the rest of our dry wall and insulation, and our repair costs have already exceeded our insurance coverage on the dwelling. We had to roll the dice. Some homes still standing in Fountaingrove—houses that did not have any fire damage to the structure—had issues with smelly insulation and had to have the repair done twice. Same with ozone treatments to try to get the smoke out of their drapes and carpets. Review your policy.  Ask Uphelp for advice. You are probably entitled to replacement if the damage is there.