Complete Guide to the Water Damage Restoration Process
Restore your home to a dry and undamaged state
Highlights
Water damage restoration involves cleaning and sanitizing your property, as well as completing any repairs after the water has been removed.
The restoration process can vary greatly depending on the category of water damage.
The average cost of water damage restoration is $3,490.
Make sure to have your home inspected for any mold or mildew.
Whether a pipe has burst or an environmental disaster has occurred, water damage restoration is paramount to reclaiming your peace of mind and property's integrity. In this comprehensive guide, we break down the process step by step, with details about water damage categories and severity, the sanitization process, and information about insurance coverage.
Mitigation, Remediation, and Restoration
After water damage has occurred, your cleanup process will involve three main steps: remediation, mitigation, and restoration. The mitigation process is the first step and involves stopping the flow of water, removing any standing water, and drying the property to prevent further damage.
Next, during remediation, you will focus more on the cleaning, drying, and sanitizing of any salvageable items and materials. In addition, you should remove items that cannot be salvaged.
During restoration, your focus will be on repairing any damaged flooring, walls, windows, or doors, cleaning your carpeting, preventing mold growth following water damage, and performing tests to ensure that your home is completely dry and no further moisture damage can occur.
Sometimes these steps overlap a little bit, so we’ll review the process as it usually occurs once all the standing water has been removed.
The Water Damage Restoration Process
Regardless of which stage you’re at in the process, you’ll likely need a local water restoration professional to come by and assess the damage. They will also be able to check to confirm after restoration is complete, that the moisture in your home is low enough so no additional damage will occur.
1. Remove all damaged materials
Some furniture or building materials in your home may not be salvageable, and they should be removed as soon as possible. This might include drywall, carpeting, or furnishings. If an expert determines that there is no structural damage to your home, you will begin the process of drying out the property.
2. Dry out your home
The water restoration specialist will use equipment intended to quickly dry out large areas, such as fans, air movers, and commercial-grade dehumidifiers. In addition, you might be asked to leave your windows and doors open to encourage healthy circulation throughout your home.
3. Clean and sanitize
Wearing PPE (personal protective equipment), the specialist will employ the use of professional equipment such as a HEPA vacuum, air scrubber, and negative air machines to sanitize the space. If your water damage was in categories 2 or 3, your home will need to be cleaned with an antimicrobial solution.
4. Check for moisture and mold
After the space has been sanitized, the water damage expert will check the moisture levels in your home using a humidity sensor. In addition, they might recommend that a mold remediation expert come in to confirm there is no mold or mildew present. Even if they don’t recommend this, it’s always a good idea—mold and mildew can grow and spread quickly and are a health hazard.
5. Make repairs
Once your home is as dry as it should always be, you can begin the process of repairing any materials that have been damaged. This could mean replacing or rebuilding drywall, replacing carpeting or flooring, and painting.
Understanding Water Damage Categories
Just like hurricane categories, water damage can be classified based on severity and the accompanying health risk. There are three categories of water damage.
Category One
Category one water damage indicates that the water came from a sanitary source, such as rain, melted ice, or sprinklers. If inhaled or ingested, the water would not pose a major health risk. In addition, wet drywall, hardwood flooring, and other materials can usually be dried and salvaged.
Category Two
Category two water damage, also known as gray water damage, involves incidents with water that contains some contamination, enough to cause sickness or discomfort if ingested or contacted. These water sources could be a dishwasher, toilet bowl, hydrostatic pressure seepage, aquarium, or water bed. After category two water damage has occurred, wet carpet padding will need to be removed, and antimicrobial sprays will need to be applied.
Category Three
As you can probably guess, category three is the most severe level of contaminated water; it is also known as black water damage. Category three water damage is caused by water that contains pathogenic, toxigenic, or other agents that can cause significant health reactions in humans if contacted or consumed. It might be from a sewer backup, a river, or a stream and will require an extensive sanitization process.
Homeowners Insurance and Water Damage
You might be wondering if your homeowner's insurance will cover any water damage. The answer? It depends. Your policy will likely cover any incidents they classify as unexpected and sudden, but that doesn’t include flooding—flood or hazard insurance is usually a separate policy that you need to purchase independently. In addition, if the water damage is a result of your own negligence—say, a pipe that has been leaving for months finally burst—your policy will likely refuse to cover the damage. It’s always a good idea to read your policy and see if there is any gap coverage necessary to keep yourself and your home protected.
How to Choose a Water Damage Restoration Company
It is always important to contact multiple companies for quotes. Generally speaking, a smaller, local provider is more affordable than a larger, multi-location brand, although more established companies often provide better customer services and have a stronger reputation.
You should also pay attention to the services mentioned by the companies because some water damage is more severe than others and thus requires more advanced skills and equipment to achieve the best restoration results. Some companies also offer multiple services, such as water damage restoration and mold treatment or restoration and plumbing services.
If your needs are urgent, companies with 24/7 availability would be your best option. However, those companies usually charge a higher rate for emergency services.
Questions to Ask the Water Damage Restoration Company
Asking the right questions can help you screen your water damage restoration pro and find the best match for your needs. When you first get on the phone with a company, ask the following questions:
Am I in your service area?
Do you charge an up-front fee to come out and look at the damage?
Based on the information I provided, can you give me a ballpark estimate?
Are you licensed and insured?
When is your earliest availability?
If you like the answers you got, get ready to meet with the pro onsite. This is the time to ask more specific questions and address any concerns, such as:
Do I need to worry about mold? If so, do you provide mold treatment as well?
How long do you think this will take? Can you work with my schedule?
Can you explain the steps you will take to restore the water damage?
(If the water damage is plumbing related) do you handle plumbing repairs as well? If not, can you give me a referral?
What do you recommend me to do to prevent future water damage like this?
Do you offer financing or payment plan options?
Frequently Asked Questions
The drying-out process can take two to three days per room, so it depends on the extent of the damage and the size of your home. That said, on average, the entire process typically takes one to two weeks, not including any major repairs. Note that if your home was built before 1985, you will need an asbestos test done before any walls can be removed.
Water can seep into porous materials within six to eight hours and cause significant damage. The first four hours after a flood or similar event are critical; your job is to stop the flow of water and remove the water from your home as quickly as possible, with the help of a water mitigation expert.
The cost of water damage restoration is $3,490, on average. That said, the cost varies greatly depending on the source of the water, the category of water damage, and the extent of the damage. Drywall repair ranges from $300 to $850, and repairing flooded flooring runs between $200 and $550.