Restoration Contractors Insurance

A standard contractor policy is priced for new construction or routine remodeling and often misclassifies restoration work or excludes the exposures that matter most — damage to irreplaceable existing structure, hot work near old combustible material, water damage to original fabric, and care-custody-control. Restoration contractor insurance is tuned to those realities: correct classification, general liability and builders risk written for historic projects, tools and installation floaters, and coverage that meets grant and tax-credit requirements. We build the program around the work you actually do.

Care-custody-control refers to damage to property that's in your care while you work on it — and it's frequently excluded or limited under standard general liability. For most contractors that's a minor gap; for a restoration contractor it's the central exposure, because the property in your care is an irreplaceable historic structure. We make sure this exposure is addressed rather than assumed away, since damage to the very building you're restoring is exactly the loss that could ruin a restoration business.

Hot work — welding, soldering, torch-applied roofing, heat-stripping paint — near old, dry, combustible material is a leading cause of catastrophic fire on historic sites. Carriers scrutinize how restoration contractors manage hot work, and a fire that destroys an irreplaceable landmark is a worst-case claim. We structure coverage with these exposures in mind and advise on the safeguards — fire watches, permits, equipment — that both reduce the risk and keep you insurable on heritage projects.

Builders risk (course-of-construction) coverage protects the project during the work — the structure, on-site materials, and work in progress — against fire, water, theft, and other covered perils. On a restoration it must reflect the irreplaceable value of the existing structure, a long timeline, and the use of period-appropriate materials. Whether you or the owner carries it depends on the contract, but it needs to be written for a historic project, not a generic new build that would underinsure the structure.

Often not adequately — standard general liability commonly excludes or limits damage to property in your care, custody, or control, which is exactly the building you're working on. This is the most important gap for a restoration contractor to close. We address care-custody-control specifically so that damage to the structure you're restoring is covered, rather than discovering the exclusion after a loss on an irreplaceable building.

An installation floater covers materials and components you've purchased for a project — salvaged timber, custom millwork, reproduction hardware, stone — from the time you take possession until they're installed and the owner's coverage takes over, including while in transit and staged on site. For restoration work, where a single custom-fabricated component can represent weeks of labor and significant cost, the floater protects a value that basic liability coverage leaves exposed.

Yes. Tools-and-equipment coverage protects your specialized gear against theft and damage, on the job and between jobs and in transit. Restoration trades carry expensive, often hard-to-replace tools, and a theft from a job site or vehicle can stop your work. We include tools-and-equipment coverage sized to what you actually carry, so a loss is a covered claim rather than an out-of-pocket setback.

In most situations it's legally required, and it's essential protection regardless. Restoration is elevated, physical, hazardous work — scaffolding, towers, masonry, and demolition of period materials that may contain lead or asbestos. We place workers comp suited to restoration trades with correct work classification, and coordinate it with your general liability so there are no gaps. Correct classification also keeps your premium accurate and avoids coverage disputes after an injury.

Yes — that's a routine part of what we do. Tax credits, preservation grants, easement programs, and building owners impose specific requirements: minimum limits, additional-insured status, waivers of subrogation, and particular certificate language. We structure your program and issue certificates that satisfy a state historic-preservation office, a grant administrator, a tax-credit investor, or a preservation-minded owner, so your insurance helps you win and keep the project rather than holding it up.

Period materials like lead paint and asbestos are common on historic projects and carry their own liability and workers-comp considerations, including the cost and exposure of safe removal. We account for these realities in structuring your coverage and classifications. Depending on the work, specialized environmental or pollution coverage may be appropriate, and we'll advise on what your specific scope of restoration work requires.

Yes. We insure specialty preservation trades as well as full restoration contractors — plasterers, masons, window and door restorers, timber-frame specialists, decorative-finish artisans, and more. The same principles apply: correct classification for your craft, general liability and tools coverage tuned to historic work, care-custody-control attention, and certificates that satisfy the contractors and owners who hire you. Your specialized work deserves coverage built for it.

Premium depends on your trade and scope of work, payroll and crew size, annual revenue, the limits and coverages you carry, your loss history, and the specific exposures of the projects you take. Because we classify restoration work correctly and place it with appropriate markets, the goal is accurate coverage that protects you on heritage projects — not a misclassified policy that's cheap until a claim exposes the gaps. We provide free, no-obligation quotes.

Yes. Restoration defects can surface long after a job ends — a re-leaded window, a repaired roof, a structural repair that later fails — and completed-operations coverage responds to claims arising from your finished work. We make sure your general liability includes adequate completed-operations protection, because the long tail of restoration work means a claim can arrive years after the project closed.

Yes. Restoration projects frequently require certificates and additional-insured endorsements before work can start, and a delay can stall the job. We're set up to issue compliant certificates and evidence of insurance promptly, with the limits, additional-insured status, and language the owner, grant administrator, or general contractor requires. Send us the requirement and we'll turn the certificate around.

Call 844-967-5247 or email josh@contractorschoiceagency.com with your trade, the kind of restoration projects you take, your crew size and payroll, annual revenue, and any current project requirements. We'll classify the work correctly and build a program — general liability, builders risk, tools, installation floater, workers comp, and the certificates you need — around the historic work you actually do. Quotes are free and carry no obligation.