Frequently AskedQuestions

JH Construction is 100% independent, not a franchise, not a private equity roll-up. We've operated in Northern California since 2009 under the same ownership. That means local decision-making, faster response, and a crew that's accountable to you directly, not to a regional coordinator or corporate protocol.

We have three offices across Northern California: Bay Area, Central Valley (Tracy), and Sacramento. We serve cities including Tracy, Manteca, Stockton, Lodi, Modesto, Turlock, Livermore, Pleasanton, Sacramento, Elk Grove, Roseville, and the surrounding regions.

If you're not sure whether we cover your area, call (888) 609-5681, we deploy wherever we're needed.

CSLB stands for California State License Board. License #929897 is JH Construction's active contractor license, verifiable at the CSLB's public website. A valid CSLB license is required to perform restoration and construction work in California, always verify your contractor's license before signing any agreement.

Yes, commercial and multifamily is a core part of our business. We regularly work with property managers, asset managers, risk managers, and insurance adjusters on apartment complexes, mixed-use buildings, warehouses, retail, and office properties.

We understand that for multifamily operators, minimizing unit-turn downtime is the primary business objective. Our documentation and dry-in-place methodology is built around that.

Step one: call us at (888) 609-5681, before you call your insurance company if possible. The first contractor on-site has significant influence over how the scope is written, and you want your contractor, not a program adjuster, setting that baseline.

Do not enter the property until it's been cleared by fire officials. Do not discard any damaged items, everything is potential documentation. Do not attempt to clean smoke or soot damage yourself.

Yes. Smoke infiltrates wall cavities, HVAC systems, cabinetry, and contents, often in rooms far from the origin of the fire. Our remediation process addresses all affected surfaces and systems, including thermal fogging, ozone treatment, and HEPA filtration. Smoke odor that isn't fully addressed will return, especially in warm weather.

Yes, this is one of our primary service types. We manage multi-unit fire losses across the Bay Area, Central Valley, and Sacramento, including tenant communication protocols, unit-by-unit documentation, displaced tenant tracking, and coordination with property management software workflows. We're built to reduce chaos for onsite staff.

Same-day response for active water losses. We answer every call live, 24/7, and dispatch directly from our nearest regional office. For properties in the Central Valley, Bay Area, or Sacramento corridor we are typically on-site within hours of your call.

Water damage is classified by contamination level. Category 1 is clean water (supply line break). Category 2 is grey water with some contamination (washing machine, dishwasher). Category 3 is black water (sewage backup, flooding from rivers), highly contaminated and requires full PPE and more aggressive remediation protocols.

The category directly affects the scope, the required PPE, and what materials can be dried vs. must be removed. Insurance adjusters expect this classification in any defensible scope.

Typically 3–5 days for a standard residential water loss, depending on the extent of saturation, materials affected, and ambient conditions. We use daily moisture readings to verify drying progress and adjust equipment placement accordingly. Every reading is logged and becomes part of your claim documentation.

Yes. We work with all major carriers and their adjusters daily. We write scopes in Xactimate and our documentation is built to withstand adjuster review without surprises. We communicate directly with adjusters to resolve scope disputes, you shouldn't have to play phone tag between your contractor and your carrier.

In most cases, no, call your contractor first. The contractor who documents the initial loss sets the scope baseline. If your carrier-assigned adjuster or TPA contractor arrives first, they will often write a scope that minimizes line items and favors the carrier's cost position. Having your own contractor on-site first changes that dynamic significantly.

You have the right to choose your own licensed contractor in California. Insurance companies may recommend or dispatch program-assigned vendors, but you are not obligated to use them. Program vendors are typically contracted to complete work within adjuster-approved budgets, meaning the scope is often written to save the carrier money, not to restore your property to pre-loss condition.

It depends heavily on the extent of damage. A single-unit residential fire typically runs 4–8 weeks from emergency response to final walk. A multi-unit commercial fire with structural damage can run 3–6 months. The primary variables are scope approval from the carrier, material lead times, and permit turnaround from the city.

Sometimes, depending on the type and extent of damage. For water damage, our dry-in-place methodology keeps tenants in place wherever structurally feasible. For fire damage with significant smoke penetration or structural compromise, temporary relocation is typically necessary. We help coordinate with property management teams on tenant communication and displacement logistics.

Costs vary significantly based on the scope of damage, property type, water category or fire severity, and whether contents pack-out is required. Small water losses can run $5,000–$15,000. Large commercial fire losses can exceed $500,000. We write Xactimate scopes with line-item documentation, no lump sums, no guesswork.

No large upfront deposits. For insurance claims, we typically work directly with your carrier on billing. For out-of-pocket projects, we establish a payment schedule tied to project milestones. We'll walk you through the billing structure before any work begins.