Quick answer
A contents pack-out in Detroit moves everything out of a fire-damaged house before tear-out starts: each room is photographed and inventoried, items are packed and labeled by room, and the load is taken to secure storage where cleanable items are cleaned. When repairs are done, belongings come back room by room, and the inventory doubles as your contents list for the claim.
Why belongings come out before the rebuild
Tear-out creates dust and debris, soda blasting and sanding make more, and a house under repair is open to weather and visitors. Belongings left inside get dirtier and are easier to damage or lose.
A pack-out solves that and does a second job at the same time. The inventory we build while packing is the contents record your insurer asks for, with photos of every item in the room it came from.
Items that are clearly ruined are photographed and listed but not packed. Everything else goes into labeled boxes by room, so move-back is fast and nothing ends up in the wrong place.
What drives the cost of a pack-out
Pack-out cost follows the volume of belongings and how long the house will be under repair.
- Volume of contentsA full four-bedroom house takes more packing and storage than a small apartment.
- Inventory detailHigh-value items logged one by one take longer than boxed everyday goods.
- Cleaning neededHow many items need cleaning or deodorizing in storage.
- Storage timeLonger repairs mean more months of storage.
- AccessStairs, basements and long carries add labor on the way out and back.
Room-by-room photo inventory
Before anything is boxed, each room is photographed as it stands, then items are photographed and logged as they are packed, with a box number tied to the room. High-value items are logged individually, everyday items by box.
You get the inventory as a spreadsheet with photos. It shows your adjuster what was in the house, what is being cleaned and what is on the loss list, and it lets you find any item months later. Serial numbers for electronics and appliances go into the log too, since insurers often ask for them.
Storage while the house is repaired
Packed contents go to secure, climate-controlled storage rather than a garage or a trailer in the driveway. Items that need cleaning are cleaned there by material, and anything that still smells after cleaning is deodorized before it is repacked.
If you need something from storage, a work laptop, winter coats, a child's favorite toy, call us and we pull it by box number. Each box stays on a shelf by room, so retrieval takes minutes rather than a search through a whole house of boxes, and we note in the inventory what went back out to you.
Move-back
When the house is finished and cleaned, contents come back and go to the rooms they left. Furniture is placed, boxes are set in the right rooms and we walk through the inventory with you so nothing is missing.
Anything damaged in handling or storage is noted on the spot. Items that did not clean up go back on the loss list with photos. We also take away the packing materials and empty boxes, so the finished house is not left cluttered with cardboard, and set beds up first so the household can sleep there the first night.
House needs heavy repairs? Call and we will plan the pack-out before tear-out starts.
Call (313) 391-5430What a pack-out includes
- Walkthrough to decide what goes and what stays
- Photos of every room before packing
- Item and box inventory with photos
- Packing materials and furniture wrapping
- Transport to secure storage
- Cleaning and deodorizing in storage
- Retrieval of items you need during repairs
- Move-back to the right rooms with a final check
How a pack-out runs
- 01
Walk the house with you
We agree on what stays, what goes and what is on the loss list.
- 02
Photograph and inventory
Rooms and items are photographed and logged as they are packed.
- 03
Pack and move
Boxes labeled by room go to secure storage.
- 04
Clean in storage
Cleanable items are cleaned and deodorized while the house is repaired.
- 05
Move back
Contents return room by room and are checked against the inventory.
Pack-outs in Detroit houses and two-unit buildings
About 64.3% of Detroit's housing units are single detached houses and another 6.4% are in two-unit buildings. In a two-unit building a fire in one unit often sends smoke and water into the other, so a pack-out can mean two households' belongings at once. We inventory and store each unit separately, with separate lists, so the owner's policy and each tenant's policy get the record that belongs to them.
How long a pack-out takes
Packing a typical house takes one to a few days, depending on how much is in it and how carefully it has to be inventoried. Storage lasts as long as the repairs do.
Move-back usually takes a day or two once the house is finished and cleaned.
Contents pack-out questions
It helps to be there at the start to point out valuables and what you need to keep with you. After that, we can pack while you are elsewhere.
Yes. Set aside medicine, documents, work gear and clothing you need, and we will not pack them.
Call us with the item or the room, and we pull it by box number.
Many policies cover pack-out and storage as part of the contents claim. Check with your adjuster.
No. They are photographed and listed for the claim but not stored.
By material, the same way as on-site cleaning. See contents cleaning after smoke.
