Scoping
Scoping is the inspection and authorization phase that defines the boundary of the restoration project. The exam tests whether you can separate fire-caused damage from pre-existing conditions, recognize hazards, and convert findings into a written, signed scope before production begins.
Core rules
- Scope is the description of work; the estimate is the price. Neither authorizes work by itself - a signed work authorization does.
- Inspect room by room and material by material. Record char, smoke residue, odor, water damage from suppression, and pre-existing defects with photographs and notes.
- Stop for safety: structural instability, electrical hazards, asbestos, lead, confined spaces, and unsafe HVAC conditions require referral or controls.
- Define salvage versus replacement and include contents, cavities, and HVAC in the boundary.
- Revise the scope in writing when concealed damage appears.
Worked example
A kitchen fire leaves char at the range hood and visible residue on kitchen cabinets and the adjacent hallway ceiling. The homeowner asks for whole-house repainting. Inspection finds no residue or odor in bedrooms, but the HVAC return is sooty. Reasoning: the scope should include kitchen and hallway cleaning, HVAC shutdown and cleaning, and odor evaluation - not whole-house painting. The written scope explains why unaffected rooms are excluded; the estimate prices only the scoped work. If odor testing later confirms migration, a signed change order expands the scope.
Traps that cost marks
Treating an estimate as authorization; missing pre-existing damage and billing it to the fire; scoping by room count rather than residue type; ignoring the HVAC as a smoke pathway.