The Truth About A Matterport for The Restoration Industry
Remote work is becoming a new standard in many industries. What people used to do onsite can now be done from the comfort of their own home, with the help of a computer and an internet connection.
New tools to help restorers work more efficiently
Many industries in the technology space have made the switch easily and allowed their employees to continue to work from home even after state, and local lockdowns have ended. Other sectors, such as the construction and restoration sectors, are not as lucky. When it comes to fire and water restoration, you still need people in the field to complete the mitigation, pack-outs, and onsite inventory for insurance claims. Although, with the right tools, you can now limit who is in the field and send accurate reports back to a central estimator and the insurance adjuster. Gone are the days when a restoration manager and adjuster must meet in person to discuss the damage and the scope of work to be done. First came the use of digital cameras, then iPhone apps such as Encircle, and with the advancement in consumer LiDAR devices, we now have accurate 3D models.
What is a 3D model?
A 3D model is a way to walk through the home without being there. Matterport, one of the leading companies in this space, has been using 3D cameras to conduct walkthroughs for apartment buildings and real estate listings for years. These walk-throughs let potential buyers get a sense of the space at their own pace. Photos and videos are great, but a 3D Matterport puts the user inside the home and makes them feel like they are inside it.
So how can a Matterport 3D model be used in restoration and insurance claims? While working in the restoration industry over the last few years, we have seen a new shift in how claims and estimates are created for homeowners, contractors, and insurance adjusters. In the case of a house fire, a lot goes into the mitigation process, and finding out what the scope should be can be challenging. What will be restored and what needs replacing involves a lot of back and forth from the homeowner and adjuster, especially when working with offsite adjusters during the pandemic. It leaves the restoration contractor as the middle man. What if you, as the expert, could provide even better documentation to all parties involved.
More accuracy, Less time
Using a platform like Encircle has proven to be both a time and liability saver. Having real-time photos and videos with accurate time stamps of each day of the mitigation process can show both the adjuster and homeowner all the work that is going on and what the pre-loss and damaged condition of certain items might have been.
Where photo and video are limited, the Matterport scans pick up. Being able to "walk through" a damaged home and see up, down, and side to side at any particular spot is a game-changer and something that could take up to 50-100 photos per room to match. Sure, a video could accomplish this, but videos are large files, and one would have to continuously play and pause every few seconds to see items in a room.
Should you Invest?
Is Matterport worth investing in for restoration companies? The answer is yes. What used to be an expensive investment in Matterport cameras can now be done with your iPhone* or iPad*. The latest iPads and iPhones are now equipped with LidAR scanners and can now be used to accurately scan rooms with light and capture the dimensions and scales of walls and furniture. In an industry that deals with many different stakeholders, having accurate documentation can lead to more accurate estimates, sketches, and scopes for the entire mitigation and restoration process. Using technology like Matterport in restoration jobs can help get the homeowner what they deserve, make insurance feel good about what they are paying out in the claim, and give restorers the liability net they need.
*Works with iPhone 12 and 13 Pro models and iPad Pro