ETI Blog

Whether you’re a property manager or a multi-family real estate investor, there is nothing more frightening than the prospect of one of your properties sustaining water or fire damage. And no one understands that fear more than ETI President Ivan Tello.

“Having been involved in the construction and restoration industry my entire life, I’ve seen some terrifying scenarios that people have gone through,” says Tello. “There’s a tremendous fallout that residents experience after a catastrophe like a flood or a fire.”

ETI has a wide breadth of experience as it relates to restoration work. According to Tello, experience is the single most important factor in the restoration space.

“Our experience affords us the ability to be proactive rather than reactive,” says Tello. “We’ve learned to expect the unexpected when it comes to restorations. Having that mindset has helped us confidently give the key stakeholders in a restoration project a game plan, which puts their mind at ease during a stressful time.”

ETI’s experience in the multi-family restoration setting has helped them understand the importance of expediency, for both residents and management companies alike.

“These are situations that people don’t want to be in,” says Tello. “Residents and property managers want a contractor that can come in, punch out the work, and be on their way. People cannot afford to be displaced from their homes for long periods of time, and we understand that.”

Another key factor in ETI’s success with fire and water restoration projects is properly coordinating the work schedule with all parties involved.

“One of the biggest challenges in this space is appropriately timelining the various phases of the project,” says Tello. “Working with the property manager, the residents, the remediation company, the insurance company – it can be a lot to manage. But our experience in this space allows us to move past scheduling complexities with very little trouble.”

Tello also feels that ETI’s in-house labor uniquely positions them to handle large-scale projects that other contractors are unable to provide.

“Time is of the essence on restoration projects,” says Tello. “It’s difficult to find a contractor that has a team ready to be mobilized instantly – that’s an efficiency advantage we offer our clients. We’re able to come on-site and start working with very limited downtime.”

Maintaining accurate timelines matters with restoration work, and efficiency is a big bonus. Tello also says that ETI’s in-house labor is diverse in terms of trades, another benefit to working in this space.

“Restorations are complex and unpredictable,” he says. “You never really know what you’re going to find when you get to the jobsite. Having a diverse skill set amongst our laborers is such an advantage. They’re able to overcome any surprises they find with ease.”

ETI has a proven track record of success in many types of restoration projects, including fire restorations and water restorations. “We love these kinds of projects, because there’s a huge sense of accomplishment when we’re finished,” says Tello. “Seeing how thankful people are to be back in their homes is very rewarding. It makes the work that much more enjoyable.”