Fast, Reliable Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration Across Montclair
Fire and smoke damage restoration in Montclair typically costs $2,800-$9,500 depending on the size of the fire, how far the smoke traveled, and whether your slab foundation is involved. Wade’s Restoration answers the phone live, 24 hours a day, and Wade Ferris will be the one heading out to look at your house, usually within the hour. He has been doing this since 2007, and he publishes his name, address, and license number because he lives and works in this same Inland Empire community. Call (855) 915-0646 and you won’t get a call center. You’ll get Wade.
Why Wade’s Restoration of California Is Montclair’s Preferred Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration Company
We have worked on hundreds of homes in Montclair, and the ones that stick with us are the 1950s and 1960s tract houses, the single-story slab-on-grade builds that make up so much of the 91763 zip code. Ask anyone on your street. Those houses have a particular way of hiding smoke damage. The soot gets into places that a checklist inspection can miss, and the clay soil under them has been shifting for sixty years. Wade knows what to look for before he gives you a price.
Our reviews from Montclair homeowners keep coming back to the same two things: Wade showed up when he said he would, and he did not pad the job once he got inside. The standing offer here is simple. No trip charge inside the county, a free second opinion on any written estimate you already got, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. Wade also carries a 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing on every fire restoration contract. If it’s not done right, he comes back. You won’t have to chase him down.
Response time to Montclair is fast. The Inland Empire office dispatches crews from just over the county line, and Wade will meet his team at your door. Board-up and tarping can be running same day, often within hours of the first call. When a fire happens at two in the morning, you want someone who answers the phone at two in the morning. That’s how Wade’s Restoration has run since 2007.
Our Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration Services in Montclair
Fire damage is never just the char you can see. In Montclair, the smoke has a way of traveling through a slab foundation, up into wall cavities, and into the same hairline cracks the Chino Basin clay has been working open for decades. We treat the whole envelope, not just the black marks. Our Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration team handles emergency board-up, smoke and soot removal, odor elimination, and full contents cleaning, all coordinated by Wade himself.
Emergency Board-Up & Tarping
Montclair sits in a wind corridor during fall Santa Ana events. The gusts that come down through the Cajon Pass can carry embers for blocks, and a house with a broken window or a burned vent opening is an invitation. We board up and tarp fast, same day, because every hour a structure sits open is another hour for embers to get in, for a burglar to walk through, or for the next wind event to tear the roof further. Board-up in Montclair typically runs $450-$1,500 depending on how many openings and whether we are tarping a roof.
Most insurance policies require you to secure the property before an adjuster even schedules a visit. Wade documents every board-up with photos and sends them directly to your adjuster, so you are not stuck as the messenger.
Smoke & Soot Removal
Soot from a kitchen fire in a 1950s Montclair home behaves differently than soot in a modern build. The old plaster walls, the original lath, the single-pane windows, the masonry - soot clings to these and gets pulled into every seam. We clean surfaces with the right chemistry, not just a damp rag. Smoke and soot removal for a typical single-room fire in Montclair runs $1,800-$4,200. If the smoke ran the length of the house through a shared attic or under-slab ductwork, the number goes up, honestly, and Wade will tell you that upfront in a written scope before any work starts.
Odor Removal & Deodorization
Lingering smoke odor is the most common complaint we hear from Montclair homeowners, and it almost always traces back to something the first crew missed: smoke that wicked into the slab itself. This is why Wade checks the slab perimeter for efflorescence, that white mineral staining that tells you hard Chino Basin groundwater has been moving through hairline cracks for a long time. When smoke odor is trapped in a damp slab, you can clean every surface in the house and the smell will still come back. We treat the pathways, then deodorize. Odor removal and deodorization in Montclair typically runs $900-$2,800, depending on whether we are treating a room or an entire 1,200-square-foot tract house.
Contents Cleaning & Pack-Out
Most of what you own can be saved, but it needs cleaning now, not three weeks from now. We clean contents on site whenever possible, and when the house is too far gone, we pack out to a secure facility, document everything, and return it when the rebuild is done. Contents cleaning in Montclair usually runs $1,200-$3,500 for a full house. If we can clean on site, you save the pack-out and storage cost. Wade will tell you which is cheaper before you commit.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Montclair
Most of the equipment we run in Montclair comes from Dri-Eaz and Phoenix, the same professional-grade gear that restoration contractors use on commercial jobs, not the rental-grade stuff from a home store. That matters when you are trying to dry out a slab that has been holding water for years. Wade’s crew also works to IICRC restoration standards, with RIA affiliation, and Wade holds IFA recognition. If you have a specific piece of equipment in your home that was damaged, we will assess it on site and tell you whether it is worth restoring or replacing. No charge for that.
Common Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration Problems We See in Montclair Homes
- Smoke odor that won’t quit after the fire is “cleaned up.” Most Montclair houses are slab-on-grade, and smoke gets pulled into hairline cracks already opened by Chino Basin clay soil movement. If nobody checks for moisture wicking up through the slab, the odor gets sealed in, and it comes back in six weeks.
- Board-up delays during Santa Ana wind events. The winds that barrel through the Pomona Valley in the fall carry embers. A burned home with an open window or a compromised roof is a target. Fast board-up is not optional here, it’s the difference between a contained kitchen fire and a second fire.
- White mineral staining along the slab perimeter after a fire. Montclair homeowners ask us about this more than anywhere else. That efflorescence is a sign that hard groundwater from the Chino Basin has been wicking through the slab for years. It’s not caused by the fire, but it absolutely affects how we restore the home, because we have to dry and seal those pathways before final deodorization.
- Undersized air movers used on a slab house. If a restoration crew treats a Montclair slab-on-grade home like a standard crawlspace house, they trap moisture under the slab. That’s how you get secondary mold and re-odorization of charred studs a month after the job was “done.” Wade uses thermal imaging and daily moisture readings, and he hands you the full log at the end. Almost nobody else does that.
Pricing for Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration in Montclair, CA
You deserve a straight number, not a hand wave. Here is what Montclair homeowners are actually paying for common fire restoration work:
| Service | Typical Montclair Range |
|---|---|
| Emergency board-up & tarping | $450 - $1,500 |
| Smoke & soot removal (single room) | $1,800 - $4,200 |
| Odor removal & deodorization | $900 - $2,800 |
| Contents cleaning (full house) | $1,200 - $3,500 |
| Slab moisture investigation & sealing | $700 - $2,200 |
| Structural fire repair (per square foot) | $45 - $95 |
These are honest ranges based on jobs we have done in the 91763 zip code. The biggest variables are square footage, how far the smoke traveled, and whether the slab is holding moisture. Wade gives you a written scope before any work starts, and the price in that scope is the price. If you got a quote from someone else, bring it to us for a free second opinion. Call (855) 915-0646 for a free estimate. There is no trip charge inside the county.
We Also Serve Cities Near Montclair
Wade’s Restoration handles fire and smoke damage work throughout the Pomona Valley and the surrounding Inland Empire. If you’re in Montclair or any of the neighboring cities, including Claremont, Ontario, Upland, and La Verne, the same crew covers it, and the same no-trip-charge offer applies. One call brings Wade out, and he can be on the road in under an hour.
Serving Montclair, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Montclair area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration in Montclair
Because the smoke got into the slab. Montclair’s post-WWII tract homes are slab-on-grade, and the Chino Basin clay under them shrinks and swells with every wet and dry season, opening hairline cracks that smoke drifts into. If the restoration crew only cleans surfaces and runs air movers, the odor lives in the concrete and comes back within weeks. We check for efflorescence along the slab perimeter and dry and seal those pathways before deodorizing. That’s the only way to kill the smell for good. Call (855) 915-0646 and Wade will explain what he sees at your house.
Yes, usually, because windows get broken by the fire department, vents get melted, and door frames warp from heat. An intact roof does not mean an intact building envelope. If the house is open anywhere, embers can get in during the next Santa Ana event, and the property is exposed to weather, animals, and people. Board-up in Montclair typically runs $450-$1,500. Wade can have a crew out the same day you call, and he documents everything with photos for your insurance adjuster.
The hard water drawn from the Chino Basin aquifer leaves mineral deposits wherever it moves, and it has been moving through hairline slab cracks in Montclair homes for decades. When a fire happens, that pre-existing moisture becomes a pathway for smoke and soot. If we don’t address the moisture, the deodorization won’t hold. Wade takes moisture readings every single day and gives you the full log when the job is done, so you know exactly what was found under your slab and how it was handled.
Yes, in most cases. We clean contents on site whenever the house is structurally safe and the contamination is limited to surface soot. That saves you pack-out, storage, and transit costs. If the smoke damage is heavy or the home is going to be unoccupied for a rebuild, we pack out to a secure facility. Contents cleaning in Montclair usually runs $1,200-$3,500 for a full house. Wade will give you an honest recommendation based on what he actually sees, not on what earns the highest margin.
That white staining is efflorescence, and it is not caused by the fire. It’s a sign that hard groundwater from the Chino Basin has been wicking up through the slab for months or years, leaving mineral deposits behind as it evaporates. The fire doesn’t create the staining, but it does make it relevant, because smoke goes wherever moisture has already opened a path. When we see efflorescence on a Montclair job, we know the moisture envelope is bigger than the visible surface damage, and we scope the restoration accordingly. That’s the kind of local knowledge you won’t get from a national franchise crew.
Call Wade’s Restoration of California in Montclair
If you had a fire in a Montclair home and you are wondering what to do next, call Wade. Not a sales rep, not a call center. Wade Ferris answers his own phone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He will show up, look at what happened, check the slab, and tell you straight what needs to be done and what it will cost. The estimate is free. There is no trip charge inside the county. Seniors and veterans get 10% off, always. And every fire restoration job comes with the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if it’s not done right, Wade makes it right. Call (855) 915-0646 now.
Written by Wade Ferris, Owner at Wade’s Restoration of California, serving Montclair since 2007.