Fire Damage Restoration Cost in Michigan (2026)

Most Macomb County fire losses in 2026 fall between $3,500 for a contained stovetop grease fire and $150,000 or more for a full structure fire with heavy char, collapsed framing, and total contents loss. A typical kitchen fire with soot travel into adjacent rooms runs $10,000 to $25,000. A room-of-origin bedroom or living room fire with HVAC-driven soot distribution through the house averages $18,000 to $45,000. Heavy structural fires requiring partial reframing, roof tear-off, and full contents pack-out routinely exceed $60,000. Pricing follows the IICRC S700 standard for fire and smoke restoration. Payment decisions are made by the insurance carrier.

Soot cleanup in Southeast Michigan runs $2.75 to $6.50 per square foot of affected surface in 2026, depending on soot type and substrate. Dry soot from a fast-burning paper or wood fire wipes off painted drywall with chemical sponges and sealer at the lower end of the range. Oily protein soot from a kitchen grease fire bonds to every surface and requires degreaser, thermal fogging, and often repaint, pushing the cost to the top of the range. Wet smoke from a low-temperature smoldering fire is the most expensive to remove because it penetrates porous materials. Square-foot pricing is multiplied across every affected wall, ceiling, cabinet, and horizontal surface, not just the floor area.

Thermal fogging typically runs $450 to $1,200 per treated area and is used to neutralize odor molecules trapped in porous materials like drywall, insulation, and upholstery after a fire. Ozone generator treatment runs $350 to $900 per 24-hour cycle and is usually deployed in sealed-off rooms or dedicated content ozone chambers for soft goods. Hydroxyl generators are a newer alternative that allow occupancy during treatment and cost $175 to $325 per day per unit. Most Macomb County fire jobs combine one of these three methods with HEPA air scrubbing and sealed-surface repaint to reach a true neutral odor baseline under IICRC S700. Payment decisions are made by the insurance carrier.

Standard Michigan homeowner policies (HO-3, HO-5) cover fire damage as a named peril, including cooking fires, electrical fires, chimney fires, and wildfire. Coverage generally includes Dwelling (Coverage A) for the structure, Other Structures (B) for detached garages and fences, Personal Property (C) for contents, and Loss of Use (D) for temporary housing while the home is uninhabitable. Intentional acts, grow-operation fires, and fires resulting from illegal activity are excluded. Prime Restoration of Macomb documents every affected material, surface, and content item in Xactimate so the adjuster has clear scope paperwork. Payment decisions are made by the insurance carrier, not by the restoration contractor.

Three variables drive the spread: soot type, travel distance, and structural damage. A small dry-soot fire contained to one room with an open window is cheap — wipe, seal, repaint. A protein or wet-smoke fire that circulates through the HVAC system coats every surface in the house, multiplying the square footage by 4x or 5x. Structural fires that compromise framing, sheathing, or trusses require demolition permits, temporary shoring, and reframing by a licensed general contractor. Contents pack-out, off-site ultrasonic and ozone cleaning, and 30 to 90 days of storage add another $3,000 to $15,000 for a typical single-family home. Board-up, tarping, and 24/7 fire-watch for the first 48 hours are separate emergency line items.

Emergency services (board-up, tarping, water extraction from fire suppression, initial air scrubbing) happen in the first 24 to 48 hours. Soot cleaning, deodorization, and contents pack-out typically runs 2 to 4 weeks depending on smoke penetration and square footage affected. Structural rebuild — drywall replacement, reframing, flooring, cabinetry, paint, and final punch-list — adds another 6 to 16 weeks depending on scope and the availability of Macomb County framing, drywall, and finish subcontractors. A total structure fire can easily take 9 to 14 months from first response to final certificate of occupancy. Timelines depend heavily on insurance carrier approval cycles for each phase.

Board-up of broken windows and fire-damaged openings runs $75 to $225 per opening in Metro Detroit, plus a mobilization fee of $250 to $650 for after-hours dispatch. Roof tarping (used when fire suppression or structural collapse leaves the roof open to Michigan weather) runs $400 to $1,800 depending on slope, area, and the number of tarps required. A typical full-structure fire emergency response package — board-up, tarp, utility lockout, 24-hour fire watch, initial moisture control — runs $1,500 to $4,500 on the first night. This is filed as an emergency line item on the Xactimate scope and is typically covered under the dwelling portion of a Michigan HO-3 policy. Payment decisions are made by the insurance carrier.

Most soft and hard contents are recoverable with the right cleaning process. Textiles (clothing, bedding, upholstery, curtains) clean well with ozone and ultrasonic methods. Electronics can often be saved with corrosion inhibitors applied within 48 hours before acidic soot etches circuit boards. Books, photographs, and paper documents can sometimes be freeze-dried. Items exposed to direct flame, melted, or contaminated with heavy protein soot are usually total losses. Prime Restoration documents every item during pack-out with photos, serial numbers, and condition notes so the personal property schedule matches what the adjuster expects to see. Payment decisions are made by the insurance carrier.