Restoration Scan: Costs, Timelines, and Deliverables Explained

A restoration scan follows the same per-square-foot pricing P3D uses for every scan: typically $0.10 to $0.25 per square foot for standard scans, with large or unusually complex spaces priced differently. A single-family loss usually lands in the low hundreds of dollars; a large commercial loss costs more, driven mainly by square footage and how many site visits the job requires.

This post is for restoration contractors, adjusters, and property owners who want a straight answer on costs, timelines, and deliverables before they schedule a scan.

What drives the cost of a restoration scan?

Three variables set the price: square footage, site complexity, and number of visits. Restoration scans follow the same per-square-foot pricing structure P3D uses across all scan work — a 1,200-square-foot single-family loss with one clean visit costs less than a 40,000-square-foot commercial building with multiple affected floors and a second visit after demolition.

Square footage is the biggest factor because it determines capture time on site. A tech scans at a set pace per room, so more rooms means more time, which means more cost. Site complexity adds to that baseline — tight crawlspaces, cluttered storage areas, and active demolition all slow down capture and raise the price.

Number of visits matters just as much as size. A single scan captures a point-in-time record. If the claim requires a pre-demolition scan and a post-mitigation scan to document progress, that’s two jobs, not one. Turnaround speed can also affect cost — a same-day rush for an active claim costs more than a scan scheduled a week out. Understanding these drivers up front is the fastest way to get a realistic number instead of a guess.

How long does a restoration scan take from booking to delivery?

Scheduling typically runs 24 to 72 hours out, and delivery follows within 24 hours of the on-site capture. That means a contractor who calls Monday can usually have a scan booked by midweek and a finished deliverable in hand by Thursday or Friday.

The on-site portion itself is fast. A single-family home scans in one to two hours. A larger commercial space takes longer depending on square footage, but the capture itself is rarely the bottleneck — scheduling around an active claim, tenant access, and site safety usually takes longer than the scan.

Processing happens off site. Once the tech leaves the property, the raw capture gets processed into the finished tour, point cloud, and measurement data. P3D holds to a 24-hour delivery standard for that processing step regardless of file size, so the costs, timelines, and deliverables a contractor is quoted at booking should match what shows up in their inbox.

What deliverables come with a restoration scan?

A restoration scan produces a Matterport digital twin, a point cloud, verified measurements, and exportable files — all from a single capture. This is the one-scan, multiple-deliverables model P3D uses across every job, not just restoration work.

The Matterport tour gives an adjuster or project manager a navigable walkthrough they can review without visiting the site. The point cloud is the underlying spatial data, useful for anyone doing CAD or BIM work downstream. Verified measurements pull directly from that same data, so square footage and room dimensions don’t need a second site visit to confirm. Exportable files — floor plans, schematic diagrams, raw data formats — get handed off in whatever format the adjuster, engineer, or estimator needs.

Because all four deliverables come from one capture, the cost of the visit covers documentation for multiple purposes at once. A contractor scoping repairs and an adjuster verifying the loss can work from the same dataset instead of two separate site visits.

How does this support an insurance claim?

A restoration scan gives an adjuster a defensible, timestamped record of conditions at the time of capture. That record supports the claim whether it’s used for scope verification, loss valuation, or a coverage dispute later in the process.

Claims documentation carries weight in proportion to how verifiable it is, as the Insurance Information Institute outlines for claims documentation and cost estimation. A photo shows one angle at one moment. A 3D scan captures the full spatial record — measurements, layout, and condition — in a format that can be reviewed and re-measured after the fact without another site visit.

For contractors working from a scope of work, that same scan removes back-and-forth. Instead of describing a damaged area over the phone, the contractor points to the tour and the measurements. That shortens the estimating cycle and reduces disputes about what was actually present at the time of loss.

A West Michigan example

Consider a Grand Rapids restoration contractor handling a multi-unit water loss in an older apartment building near the Heritage Hill area. The building has six units across two floors, uneven room layouts from decades of renovations, and an adjuster who needs documentation before authorizing full mitigation.

A single scan of the affected units, run the same week the loss is reported, gives the contractor a Matterport tour to send the adjuster, a point cloud for measurement verification, and exportable floor plans for the repair estimate. The adjuster reviews the tour remotely instead of scheduling a second site visit. The contractor moves to scope faster because the measurements are already verified. That’s the practical value of knowing the costs, timelines, and deliverables before the job starts — everyone downstream is working from the same record.

Where this answer breaks down

This cost and timeline framing holds for most restoration jobs, but a few situations change it. A site under active demolition or with unsafe structural conditions may need to be scanned before work proceeds further, which can compress the scheduling window to same-day rather than the standard 24 to 72 hours.

Multi-visit jobs — pre-demolition and post-mitigation scans, for example — cost more than a single visit because they’re two separate captures, not one. And extremely large or complex commercial properties may need more than one crew day, which shifts both the cost and the delivery timeline. If a claim is already in dispute and documentation needs to hold up under scrutiny, that’s worth discussing before scheduling, since the capture approach can affect what the data supports later. Knowing which of these applies before booking is the difference between a clean estimate and a surprise invoice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a restoration scan cost more than a photography-based inspection?

A 3D scan and a photo walkthrough aren’t the same deliverable, so they aren’t priced the same way. A scan produces a measured, navigable spatial record — a photo set does not. The cost reflects that difference in what the documentation can actually be used for later.

Can a restoration scan be scheduled on short notice for an active claim?

Yes. P3D can often accommodate faster turnaround for active claims, though rush scheduling can affect cost. It’s best to flag the urgency when booking so the timeline gets built around the claim’s actual deadline.

Do I need a separate visit for measurements, or does the scan cover that?

One scan covers both. Verified measurements are pulled from the same point cloud data captured during the scan, so there’s no need to schedule a second visit just to confirm dimensions.

What file formats do I actually receive after the scan?

Deliverables include the Matterport digital twin tour, the raw point cloud, verified measurement data, and exportable floor plans or schematics in the format your adjuster, engineer, or estimator requires. The specific export format is confirmed at booking.

Related Reading

• Reality Capture in Restoration and Insurance Claims: A Practical Guide
• How Matterport Scans Speed Up Restoration Scoping
• Insurance Adjuster 3D Documentation: What Actually Holds Up
• One Scan. Five Deliverables. Here’s What Each One Is Used For.

Call 616-312-3947 or visit perspective3-d.com/contact to schedule a restoration scan.