The vocabulary of getting your home back · 17 terms and growing
Restoration Glossary
Plain-English definitions of restoration, insurance, and building-science terms — the words on your estimate and scope of loss, decoded.
Water damage
Category 3 Water Damage
Grossly contaminated water — sewage, outside flooding, or clean water left standing for days. Porous materials are removed, not just dried.
Full definitionClass 4 Drying
The hardest drying class: water bound inside dense materials like hardwood, plaster, and concrete that need specialty equipment and longer dry-downs.
Full definitionMoisture Map
A room-by-room record of where water traveled, what materials are wet, and how readings change as drying progresses.
Full definitionFire & smoke
Hydroxyl Generator
An odor-control machine that uses UV-driven hydroxyl radicals to break down smoke and odor compounds, often while drying or cleaning continues.
Full definitionSoot
The fine carbon residue smoke leaves behind. Acidic, fast-staining, and different by fire type — which is why soot cleaning is sequence-sensitive.
Full definitionThermal Fogging
An odor-treatment method that uses heated deodorizing fog to follow smoke pathways into cracks, pores, and cavities after source residue is addressed.
Full definitionEquipment
Air Mover
The high-velocity fan of structural drying. Air movers speed evaporation at wet surfaces — but only dehumidifiers actually remove the water from the air.
Full definitionHEPA Air Scrubber
A portable filtration unit that pulls air through HEPA filters to capture mold spores, soot, and fine dust during remediation and restoration work.
Full definitionLGR Dehumidifier
Low-Grain Refrigerant dehumidifier — the workhorse that pulls moisture out of building air during drying, effective even at low humidity levels.
Full definitionInsurance
Actual Cash Value (ACV)
What your damaged property was worth used — replacement cost minus depreciation. The first check on many claims, before depreciation is recovered.
Full definitionScope of Loss
The line-item document that defines what was damaged, what work is approved, and what the insurance estimate is actually paying to restore.
Full definitionSupplement
A documented request to add or revise claim line items when hidden damage, missing quantities, or code and finish details appear after the first estimate.
Full definitionXactimate
The estimating platform commonly used in property insurance claims to price restoration work as standardized room-by-room line items.
Full definitionProcess & standards
Containment
The sealed work-zone barriers (plastic sheeting, zipper doors, negative air) that keep mold spores and contamination from spreading during remediation.
Full definitionIICRC S500
The industry standard for professional water-damage restoration — categories, classes, drying verification, and safety procedures certified firms follow.
Full definitionPack-Out
The documented removal, inventory, cleaning, storage, and return of contents so the building can be restored without losing track of belongings.
Full definitionThe words are on your estimate. We're on the phone.
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