It may be easier than you think to get started in the fire, mold, and water restoration business. The barrier to entry is relatively low compared to other construction specialties if you’re smart about how you purchase equipment.
Of course, finding specific gear recommendations will take a bit of work to make sure you find the tools that are right for you, but here’s a great way to get started with that search. Check out our high-level list of types of equipment to consider for your fire, mold, and water restoration business.
1) Measurement and Analysis Tools
Assessing your customers’ property is the first part of restoration work–and it all comes down to which areas of restoration your business will focus on.
This is a great time to point out your best way to make sure you don’t over-purchase. Consider which area you plan on focusing on first: fire, mold, or water damage. You’ll save money on gear if you target one area as you’re starting out. For those areas you aren’t focusing on, you can always work with specialized subcontractors who provide their own tools.
For example, water damage restoration work requires moisture meters for at least one technician, to start. You may decide you need more than one type, such as a thermo-hygrometer for psychometric analysis and a probe meter for other readings. If you’re not focusing on water damage, you can avoid buying that gear for now.
2) Extraction and Airflow Tools
Fire, mold, and water restoration all involve airflow tools at some point in your cleanup workflow. Again, depending on your focus and preference, you’ll want a combination of air movers (axial, centrifugal, low profile, etc.), cavity dryers, dehumidifiers, and optional extension accessories.
Water damage tools, in particular, center around flood extractor machines that come with optional accessories you may find useful–but don’t overbuy accessories until you know you really need them. You may find that certain tasks can be done with less expensive extracting tools like wands and claws.
In addition, your extraction tools may also be part of your vehicle decision, as we’ll touch on next.
3) Vehicle
Don’t forget your wheels! Most restoration businesses start with just one truck or van and grow from there. As already mentioned, your extraction tools may be part of your vehicle purchase decision. You’ll need to decide whether a truck-mounted extraction unit or portable extraction machine is best for you at this stage. 
4) Additional Tools, Supplies, and Certifications
Depending on your specialty, you may want or need supplies like containment zip walls, ducting, or sprayers—so don’t forget to leave some budget for these important items. You may also need coatings, sealers, odor removers, or other chemicals. For fire, you may need special smoke or soot removal products.
This is also a good time to mention that professional certification is also important, so that’s another area to save some budget for. Gaining certification demonstrates that you understand your trade and the equipment you use.
5) Business Organization Tools
Finally, don’t forget your office side of things—even if you’re running your business out of your kitchen at first! It’s important to consider a fire, mold, and water restoration software tool that covers project management as well as customer relationship management (CRM).
It’s all about not reinventing the wheel. Spreadsheets and word processor documents will feel unwieldy in no time, so it makes sense to start with an affordable all-in-one tool that integrates with services like QuickBooks. That way, you won’t be completely reiterating your office processes as you outgrow them. 
Support Your Business Growth From Year One
Once your fire, mold, or water restoration business begins to grow, you can scale up the equipment mentioned on this list–and you’ll have the experience to know what features to invest in.
The one exception is your fire, mold, and restoration software. Because that will become the hub for everything you do day-to-day, it makes sense to start with a system you can grow with, without distracting headaches.
Right out of the gate, we’re here to help with that. Our affordable desktop and mobile solution, JobNimbus, is built for scalability, meaning, the tool you start your business with is the same one you can grow with. From day one, you get core features, with tons of advanced features for you to add in as soon as your business is ready for the next level–all in one easy account, without paying anything additional. We also have options for training or problem-solving you may need.
That’s why JobNimbus is a fantastic solution for beginning your business. Check out our free 14-day trial today!
