Restoration glossary
78 property-restoration terms in plain language.
Understand the words used in water extraction, structural drying, mold remediation, fire and smoke cleanup, contents work, estimates and reconstruction.
A
- Actual cash value
- A settlement basis that pays replacement cost less depreciation for age and wear, with no holdback released later.
- Affected area
- The rooms, materials, contents or building zones reached by water, contamination, smoke, soot or fire residue.
- Air mover
- Equipment that moves air across wet material to support evaporation as part of a controlled drying plan.
- Air scrubber
- A portable filtration device, commonly using HEPA filtration, that removes airborne particles from a defined work area.
- Antimicrobial product
- A regulated product used according to its label for a specific microbial-control purpose; it does not replace removal of contamination or moisture correction.
- Assignment of benefits
- A document transferring the policyholder's right to insurance proceeds for a loss to a contractor, who then bills and negotiates with the insurer directly.
B
- Backwater valve
- A device fitted to a building drain to prevent sewage or storm water flowing back into the property from the public system.
- Balloon framing
- A framing method in which wall studs run continuously from sill to roof, creating uninterrupted cavities through which water can travel between floors.
- Base plate
- The horizontal framing member at the bottom of a wall; commonly the last part of a wall assembly to dry and a frequent site of concealed decay.
- Blower door
- A diagnostic fan assembly used to measure a building's air leakage, relevant where air movement is carrying moisture into an assembly.
- Board-up
- Temporary closure of broken windows, doors or openings to protect a damaged property before permanent repair.
- Brine
- The salt solution used by water-treatment equipment; when released in a leak it leaves a residue that drying alone does not remove.
C
- Category 1 water
- Water originating from a sanitary source that has not become materially contaminated through time or contact.
- Category 1 water
- Water from a sanitary source, such as a supply line, which has not contacted contaminants.
- Category 2 water
- Water containing significant contamination that can cause discomfort or illness if contacted or consumed.
- Category 2 water
- Water carrying significant contamination, capable of causing discomfort or illness on contact or ingestion.
- Category 3 water
- Grossly contaminated water, including sewage and many outside-floodwater events, requiring contamination-aware work practices.
- Category 3 water
- Grossly contaminated water, including sewage and outside floodwater, where porous materials in contact are generally removed.
- Class of water loss
- An IICRC framework describing the approximate amount and distribution of water and the expected evaporation load; it is different from water category.
- Clean-to-dirty workflow
- A planned movement of workers, tools and debris that protects unaffected areas from contamination in the work zone.
- Condensate
- Water produced by cooling equipment as it removes humidity from air; a blocked condensate drain is a common source of ceiling damage.
- Containment
- A physical and airflow boundary used to separate a work area from occupied or unaffected space.
- Contents
- Furniture, clothing, electronics, documents, inventory and other movable property inside the building.
- Controlled demolition
- Selective removal of materials that cannot be restored or that block necessary access, performed within a defined scope and work zone.
D
- Daily monitoring
- Repeat inspection of material moisture and environmental conditions used to evaluate and adjust a drying plan.
- Deductible
- The fixed amount a policyholder bears on a covered loss before insurance proceeds apply.
- Dehumidifier
- Equipment that removes water vapor from air so moisture can continue leaving wet building materials.
- Delamination
- Separation of the bonded layers of a manufactured panel such as plywood or OSB; delaminated panels are replaced rather than dried.
- Deodorization
- Treatment selected after odor sources and residues are cleaned or removed; it is not a substitute for source work.
- Desiccant dehumidifier
- A dehumidifier that uses a moisture-attracting material and can be useful in specific temperature or low-humidity drying conditions.
- Drying chamber
- A deliberately bounded area used to concentrate air movement and dehumidification around affected materials.
- Drying goal
- The documented material condition used to decide when drying is complete, often based on comparable dry material and building conditions.
- Drying goal
- The documented moisture level a material must reach before drying is complete, set by reference to an unaffected area of the same material.
E
- Efflorescence
- Mineral deposit left on masonry as water passes through and evaporates, indicating water movement through the material.
- Emergency mitigation
- Immediate work intended to limit additional property damage, such as extraction, temporary protection, selective removal and drying setup.
- Extraction
- Removal of liquid water with pumps, vacuums or specialized floor tools before structural drying continues.
F
- Float switch
- A device that shuts down cooling equipment when a condensate pan fills, preventing an overflow into the assembly below.
- Frost-free hose bib
- An outdoor faucet designed to drain back into heated space; it fails to protect the line when a hose is left connected.
H
- HEPA
- High-efficiency particulate air filtration capable of capturing at least 99.97 percent of particles at the standard test size when the complete system is properly operated.
- Hydrostatic pressure
- Pressure exerted by groundwater against a foundation, which interior sealants do not resolve.
- Hydroxyl treatment
- An odor-treatment method that may be used under project-specific controls after residue and odor sources are addressed.
I
- Ice dam
- A ridge of ice at a cold roof eave, formed when heat escaping into the attic melts snow above, that backs water up under the roof covering.
L
- Lath
- Thin wood strips fixed to framing as a base for plaster in older construction; an organic layer within the wall that retains moisture.
- Lead-safe work practices
- Required work methods when disturbing painted surfaces in buildings constructed before 1978.
- LGR dehumidifier
- A low-grain refrigerant dehumidifier designed to remove moisture efficiently under many structural-drying conditions.
M
- Material moisture content
- A measurement indicating the amount of moisture in a material, interpreted with the material type, instrument and dry comparison.
- Mitigation
- Work that stabilizes damage and reduces further loss; it is not automatically the same as source repair or reconstruction.
- Moisture map
- A room- or zone-labeled record showing where moisture was measured and how the affected boundary changes over time.
- Moisture map
- A record of readings across an affected area, used to define the scope of work and to demonstrate drying progress.
N
- Negative air
- A pressure relationship created so air moves into a contained work area rather than carrying particles outward.
- Nominal moisture content
- The moisture level of a material in its normal, unaffected state; the reference against which a drying goal is set.
O
- Ozone treatment
- An odor-treatment process with significant occupancy and material constraints that should be used only under a suitable controlled protocol.
P
- Pack-out
- Documented removal, inventory, transport and storage of contents so building restoration can proceed.
- Pack-out
- Removal of contents from a property for cleaning, storage or disposal, with inventory and custody recorded at each step.
- Post-remediation verification
- Confirmation that remediation met its defined completion standard, ideally performed by a party independent of the remediation contractor.
- Psychrometry
- The measurement and use of air temperature, relative humidity and moisture relationships when planning structural drying.
R
- Reconstruction
- Replacement or repair of damaged building components and finishes after mitigation or remediation is complete.
- Recoverable depreciation
- The amount held back from an initial settlement for age and wear, released after the work is completed and documented.
- Reference area
- An unaffected part of the building used for comparison readings, so drying progress is measured against the same material in normal condition.
- Relative humidity
- The amount of water vapor in air relative to what that air can hold at the same temperature.
- Remediation
- A defined process for addressing a contaminant or condition, such as mold; requirements depend on the actual project.
- Restoration
- The broader process of stabilizing, cleaning, drying, repairing and returning damaged property to intended use.
S
- Salvageable
- A material or item that can reasonably be cleaned, dried and retained based on its condition, contamination and project criteria.
- Secondary damage
- Damage arising from the presence of moisture rather than from the water event itself, such as swelling, corrosion or microbial growth.
- Selective opening
- A deliberate small opening made in a finish to inspect a concealed assembly, used to establish extent without removing an entire surface.
- Smoke residue
- Particles and films deposited by a fire that vary with fuel, heat and combustion and require surface-specific cleaning decisions.
- Soot
- Fine carbon-rich fire residue that may be dry, oily or mixed and can smear when cleaned with an unsuitable method.
- Source control
- Repair, isolation or temporary protection that stops the pipe, roof, drain, appliance, fire or moisture condition causing damage.
- Structural drying
- A measured process using extraction, air movement, dehumidification and monitoring to remove moisture from building assemblies.
- Sub-limit
- A cap within a policy on a specific category of loss, such as mold remediation, which is lower than the overall policy limit.
- Subrogation
- An insurer's pursuit of recovery from a party responsible for a loss after paying its own policyholder.
- Supplemental claim
- An additional claim submitted for damage discovered after the original estimate, common when assemblies are opened.
T
- Thermal imaging
- Imaging of surface-temperature patterns used to guide inspection; it does not directly measure moisture and should be confirmed with other evidence.
U
- Unaffected comparison area
- A similar material or room not reached by the loss, used to help interpret measurements and set project goals.
V
- Vapor pressure
- The pressure exerted by water vapor; differences in vapor pressure help drive moisture from wet material into drier air.
- Vapour barrier
- A material limiting moisture movement into an assembly; in a crawl space, sealed ground cover is the primary moisture control.
W
- Wicking
- Movement of water through a porous material against gravity, which is why the wet area commonly extends above or beyond the visible mark.
- Work authorisation
- The contract permitting a company to begin work and obliging the property owner to pay for it, distinct from an assignment of benefits.