Is this restoration quote fair?

Start with the published ranges

Job	Published range	Source
Water damage restoration	$1,200 to $5,000	Fixr
Ice dam removal	$600 to $1,800	Fixr
Fire damage restoration	$3,000 to $40,000	Fixr
Smoke odor cleanup	$200 to $1,200	Fixr
Mold remediation	$1,500 to $9,000	Fixr

National published figures. Full cost guide with sources.

Where restoration bills grow

• Drying equipment that stays too long. Equipment is usually billed per unit per day. Ask for the daily moisture readings; equipment should leave when materials are dry, not when the schedule says.
• A thin scope. "Water mitigation, $6,800" tells you nothing. Ask for square feet removed and equipment days. Ask what is cleaned versus discarded.
• Contents. On fire jobs, packing and cleaning belongings can rival the building work. Get the per-item or per-box pricing.
• Testing by the company selling the removal. Hire the tester separately if a test matters to you.
• Cash only, or most of the money up front. The FTC lists both as warning signs.

Forms to read twice

Work authorization. A plain permission to start is normal. Check whether it also makes you liable for anything insurance doesn't pay, and at what rates.

Assignment of benefits. A form that hands your insurance claim, or the right to be paid on it, to the company. You can decline it and still hire the company.

Direction of payment. A form telling your insurer to pay the company directly. Fine if you meant to sign it; a surprise if you didn't.

Your right to cancel

New Hampshire's home solicitation law covers sales of $150 or more made somewhere other than the seller's place of business, such as your kitchen table. The buyer can cancel before midnight of the third business day after the sale, by written notice mailed to the seller, preferably by certified mail (RSA 361-B:2). The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule is similar, but it excludes sales made to meet an emergency, which can include water damage work you asked for. Read the cancellation terms on anything you sign at home.

Red flags from the FTC

• Someone shows up unasked because they are "in the area" or have materials left over from a previous job.
• Pressure for an immediate decision.
• Payment demanded in cash or in full up front.
• A request that you get the permits yourself.

Questions to ask before you sign

1. What exactly is wet or damaged, and how did you measure it?
2. What comes out, room by room, and what gets dried or cleaned in place?
3. How are equipment and drying days billed, and who decides when drying is done?
4. Will I get photos and moisture readings at the start and the end?
5. Do you rebuild, or is that a separate contractor and a separate price?
6. Is anything here an assignment of my insurance benefits?
7. Can I see your certificate of insurance?