Xactimate-Ready Scoping
for Restoration Claims.

An Xactimate-ready scope is a restoration estimate that an adjuster's review team can audit, approve, and pay without sending it back for clarification. In practice that means: a full sketch with accurate dimensions, line items that map to the actual S500 / S520 / S700 protocol followed in the field, photo documentation tied to each phase of work, daily psychrometric drying logs, and F9 notes on every non-default line item explaining why it's there. DRR delivers this packet as a single deliverable on every claim — not as a follow-up.

IICRC S500 governs water damage and dictates Category determination, drying setup, and material salvageability — which directly maps to Xactimate line items for extraction, demolition, drying equipment, and antimicrobial treatment. IICRC S520 governs mold and dictates Condition assessment and containment, which maps to containment construction, HEPA filtration days, and clearance testing line items. IICRC S700 governs fire and smoke and dictates soot chemistry, contents pack-out, and odor neutralization line items. Failing to align Xactimate line items with the IICRC protocol that was actually followed is the single largest cause of scope reductions on review.

Category 1 (clean water) typically supports drying-in-place line items, partial flood cuts, and standard antimicrobial. Category 2 (gray) escalates to mandatory flood cuts on contaminated drywall, full antimicrobial treatment, and Category 2 PPE / disposal lines. Category 3 (black water — sewage, ground flooding) triggers complete removal of all porous materials, regulated waste handling under OSHA 1910.1030, post-remediation clearance testing, and in many cases full containment. The category determination must be documented on day one — adjusters routinely flag scopes where the category implied by the line items doesn't match the field documentation.

Replacement Cost (RC) is the cost to restore the property to its pre-loss condition with materials of like kind and quality. Actual Cash Value (ACV) is RC minus depreciation. Depreciation is calculated based on the age and condition of the depreciating component using the carrier's depreciation schedule, which Xactimate calculates via the Depreciation tab. Most policies pay ACV at the first claim payment, then release the depreciation holdback (the difference between ACV and RC) once the work is completed and documented. DRR scopes always include both ACV and RC totals so the property owner knows what to expect at each payment milestone.

Per IICRC S500, drying equipment line items should match the equipment actually deployed on each day of drying as documented on the daily psychrometric log. Air movers are typically scoped at one per 12-16 linear feet of wet wall plus one per 50-60 sq ft of wet flooring. Dehumidifiers are scoped by AHAM-rated capacity matched to the calculated load (CFM × specific humidity differential). Equipment days should match the field log — Xactimate review will flag any disconnect between scoped equipment-days and the daily drying log.

A supplement is a revised estimate filed when conditions discovered during work require additional scope beyond the original estimate. Common triggers: hidden mold revealed during demolition (Cat 1 escalating to Cat 2 or Cat 3), moisture migration into adjacent assemblies, concealed building materials (lead paint), or structural damage exposed during pack-out. Supplements should be filed within 72 hours of discovery with photos, moisture-meter readings, or sample results justifying the additional line items. DRR's project managers file supplements proactively with documentation already attached, which is why the average DRR supplement gets approved on first review.

DRR's standard delivery packet includes: (1) the full Xactimate scope with sketch and F9 notes, (2) the IICRC Category / Condition determination as the first line in the field log, (3) day-one and day-completion photos for every affected room, (4) daily psychrometric readings (temperature, RH, GPP, dew point) for the entire drying period, (5) post-drying moisture map showing dry-standard achieved, (6) any third-party clearance test results for Cat 3 / S520 / S700 work, and (7) a final close-out letter signed by the project manager.

Per IICRC S520, containment is scoped by the volume of the containment area (cubic feet) and the air changes per hour (ACH) target — typically 4-6 ACH for Condition 2 and 6-12 ACH for Condition 3 work. Containment line items should include the construction (poly + framing + zipper doors), the HEPA negative-air machines sized for the ACH target, the daily filter changes during high-load periods, and the post-remediation clearance air sample testing by an independent IEP. Each of these ties to specific Xactimate line codes; missing any of them on a Condition 3 scope is a red flag on review.

TPAs (Third-Party Administrators — Contractor Connection, Alacrity, Code Blue, etc.) layer their own review platforms on top of Xactimate, often with carrier-specific scope rules and pricing overrides. DRR's estimating team is trained on the major TPA review platforms, knows the most common rules for State Farm, USAA, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, and Travelers, and pre-formats scopes to clear first-pass review without back-and-forth. When a TPA assigns DRR through their network, the carrier-specific formatting is already applied before submission.

Three patterns dominate. First, line items that don't map to documented field work (e.g., antimicrobial line item with no Category determination or moisture documentation). Second, depreciation calculations that don't account for actual age and condition of the depreciating components. Third, supplements filed without supporting documentation — every supplement should ship with the photo or measurement that justifies it. DRR's project managers are trained to eliminate all three before submission, which is why our scopes typically clear first review.