Benson Restoration and Construction Inc.
Technical Reference & Plain-English Definitions
Property Restoration & Insurance Glossary
Clear, jargon-free definitions of key scientific terms, drying physics, structural construction concepts, and insurance policy language.
Water Damage & Psychrometric Terminology
Psychrometrics
The thermodynamic study of atmospheric air and water vapor mixtures. In structural restoration, psychrometric principles dictate how temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity are balanced to force moisture out of dense materials into the air for mechanical capture by dehumidifiers.
Grains Per Pound (GPP)
The unit of measurement representing specific humidity—the actual weight of water vapor in one pound of dry air (7,000 grains = 1 pound of water). Restoration technicians monitor “Grain Depression” (ambient GPP minus dehumidifier exhaust GPP) to prove structural drying progress.
Category 1, 2, and 3 Water
Category 1 (Clean): Originates from sanitary supply lines. Category 2 (Grey): Contains chemical or microbial contamination (e.g., dishwasher overflow). Category 3 (Black): Grossly unsanitary water (e.g., sewage backup, river flooding) requiring full antimicrobial sanitization and porous material removal.
Class 1 to 4 Water Loss
Classification of drying difficulty based on material porosity. Class 1: Least water absorption (<5% of room surfaces). Class 2: Fast evaporation rate (carpet/cushion). Class 3: Fastest absorption (ceilings, walls, insulation). Class 4: Deeply bound water in low-evaporation materials (hardwood, concrete, plaster).
Fire, Smoke & Odor Neutralization
Protein Soot vs. Synthetic Soot
Protein Soot: Created by low-heat evaporation of kitchen meats/fats; nearly invisible amber film with intense pungent odor that discolors varnishes. Synthetic Soot: Created by burning plastics/carpeting; dense, oily black carbon residue that rapidly corrodes electrical circuits and metallic fixtures.
Thermal Fogging
A deodorization method where solvent-based neutralizing agents are heated in a thermal generator to produce microscopic fog droplets (0.5–2 microns). These droplets follow the exact penetration pathways that hot smoke particles took into wall cavities and structural timber.
Hydroxyl Generation
An advanced atmospheric oxidation process that uses UV-C optics to replicate natural outdoor atmospheric cleaning radicals (OH). Unlike ozone generators, hydroxyls safely neutralize smoke and VOC odors in occupied residential spaces without harming humans, pets, or sensitive rubber/latex materials.
Pigmented Shellac Vapor Barrier
An alcohol-based priming sealant applied directly to charred or deodorized framing studs. Its dense natural resin structure permanently locks microscopic smoke molecules inside the wood grain, preventing future odor off-gassing during humid summer months.
Mold Remediation & Air Quality Terminology
Negative Air Pressure & Critical Barriers
An environmental containment strategy where sealed 6-mil poly chambers maintain lower air pressure than adjacent living areas via duct-vented HEPA scrubbers (-0.02 inches of water column). This guarantees that opening a zipper door pulls clean air inward rather than blowing spores outward.
Stachybotrys chartarum
A slow-growing, toxigenic dark greenish-black fungal species that requires prolonged, high-moisture saturation (such as persistent plumbing leaks) on high-cellulose, low-nitrogen building substrates like drywall paper and wood sheathing.
Post-Remediation Verification (PRV)
A mandatory quality assurance protocol conducted by an independent third-party Indoor Environmental Professional (IEP). It verifies that containment areas have passed visual white-glove inspections and comparative outdoor/indoor spore trap air sampling before poly barriers are dismantled.
HEPA Filtration (True HEPA Standard)
High-Efficiency Particulate Air mechanical filters tested and certified to capture at least 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns in diameter—including mold spores, mycotoxin dust, and fine soot particulates.
Insurance Claims & Estimation Terms
Actual Cash Value (ACV) vs. Replacement Cost (RCV)
RCV: The actual financial cost to replace or rebuild damaged property at today’s market rates with like-kind materials. ACV: RCV minus physical depreciation (wear and tear/age). The difference is “Recoverable Depreciation,” released upon proof of completed rebuild repairs.
Xactimate
The insurance industry standard software platform used by property adjusters and restoration contractors to price line-item rebuild tasks based on monthly localized material, labor, and equipment rental cost databases.
The Statutory Appraisal Clause
A contractual dispute resolution mechanism embedded in standard property policies. When the homeowner and insurance company disagree on the dollar amount of a loss, either party can demand appraisal, where two independent appraisers and a neutral umpire determine the binding loss amount without litigation.
General Contractor Overhead & Profit (10 & 10)
A standard 10% Overhead and 10% Profit addition to insurance estimates. Applicable whenever a loss requires a licensed general contractor to coordinate and supervise three or more distinct construction trades (e.g., framing, electrical, drywall, and roofing).
Construction & Building Assemblies
Sistering Joists
A structural repair technique where a new, full-length dimensional lumber or engineered timber beam is bolted directly alongside a cracked, charred, or water-deflected floor joist or roof rafter to restore its full structural load capacity without completely dismantling the ceiling below.
Subfloor Delamination & Swell
The structural failure of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) or plywood subflooring caused by water saturation, resulting in adhesive breakdown, edge thickness swelling, and permanent loss of fastener holding capacity.
Ordinance or Law Coverage
An insurance policy endorsement that pays for mandatory structural and safety upgrades enforced by current local building department codes during post-loss reconstruction (e.g., electrical service upgrades, fire-sprinklers, and structural hurricane clips).
Level 5 Drywall Finish
The highest standard of drywall finishing, requiring tape bedding, multiple joint compound coats, and a full-surface skim coat across all drywall face paper to eliminate texture discrepancies and joint banding under critical lighting conditions.