Water Damage Restoration: Process, Costs, and Finding Help Fast

Water Damage Restoration: Process, Types, and Costs

It’s one of the worst nightmares a homeowner can imagine – you step into a room and into a puddle of water. You blink in disbelief, frozen to the spot, as water gushes from a pipe. You try desperately to turn off the water to make the toilet stop overflowing onto the floor. Or you watch with baited breath as floodwaters rise outside, knowing that within a matter of moments, all that dark water is going to find its way into your home, destroying everything it touches.

Once the water is done, the real work begins. Water damage restoration requires acting quickly to prevent further problems, like structural damage and mold growth. Small issues might cost a few hundred dollars, while serious problems can top $13,000 or more. On average, most homeowners will pay around $3,300 to clean up after water damage.

Here’s what you need to know to prepare yourself for potential damage to your home from that burst pipe, flood, or leak.

What Is Water Damage?

Water damage can come from all sorts of sources. Common causes include leaks from pipes, buildup on condensation over time from various appliances, burst pipes (unfortunately quite common during the winter months when freeze-thaw cycles kick in, and from flooding. That flooding can come from major storms, tornadoes and hurricanes, or from sump pump failures, major pipe failure, septic system backup, and more.

It is vitally important to understand where the water damage came from so you can best decide how to clean it up. Waiting for remediation of the water damage can lead to even more serious problems, such as mold and mildew, cracked and buckling floors, and even significant structural issues as the very bones of the home begin to succumb to the damage left behind by the water.

Let’s look at the types of water damage, especially those from clean, gray, or black water.

Types of Water Damage

There are three main types of water damage:

• Category 1 is caused by clean water.
• Category 2 is caused by gray water.
• Category 3 is caused by black water.

Category 1

This occurs when clean water shows up where it doesn’t belong. Clean water is water that hasn’t come into contact with any biohazardous materials or chemicals — for instance, what comes out of your kitchen sink tap is clean water.

A good example of this sort of water damage is clean water that comes from a broken pipe in your home, such as underneath your kitchen sink. It might also come in the form of a slow leak. This water is clean enough to drink but of course, can still wreak all sorts of havoc. However, this is the easiest water damage to clean, especially if it is caught quickly.

Category 2

Gray water is water that has been used in an appliance and then is meant to be recycled or ejected out of the home through a series of pipes. For example, the water that goes into your washing machine is clean water; the water that comes out of your washing machine is filled with detergents and the dirt and grime from clothing, so that’s considered gray water.

Gray water not only brings the problems associated with any sort of clean water leak, but also brings the extensive cleanup that’s required when you have detergents, food particles, dirt, grime, and similar contaminants in the water.

Category 3

This is the most serious category of water damage. Black water includes significant pathogens that come from sewage or intruding floodwaters. This sort of water damage is very high-risk to not only your home but your health as well.

This is especially problematic because the cleaning of black water is so difficult. Anything that the black water touches is considered contaminated and must be replaced. That means replacing drywall, flooring, carpet, furniture, and even clothing if it happened to come into contact with black water.

Steps in the Water Damage Restoration Process

There is a method to cleaning up water damage, and it begins with first stopping the water. If it’s a burst pipe, turn off the water at the main. If it’s floodwaters, you must wait until they recede before you can begin work to clean up the problem. Here’s how it goes when the water has stopped and it’s time to call in the professionals.

1. Assessment and Inspection

When you contact a company to handle the water damage, they will have plenty of questions. You’ll describe the problem and how it happened, then schedule an appointment with the team. They will get to you as quickly as they can, as they know time is of the essence.

The company will conduct a detailed assessment of the damage, checking not only the area where the problem is most obvious but also other parts of the home to make sure there’s no damage elsewhere. (Remember, water can easily flow into or across the floorboards, sink into the space underneath baseboards, and otherwise show up far away from the original source.)

After that assessment, the company will give you a quote and explain what they must do to remediate the water damage and restore your home.

2. Water Extraction and Drying

The company will begin by making sure the water is out of the home. While you likely did some serious cleanup on your own, they will make sure that the water that soaked into carpets and floorboards is gone. To do that, they use large pumps, vacuums, and fans. You might be amazed at the amount of water they can extract from the surfaces of your home that you could have sworn were already dry!

They will then use powerful fans to dry the area further, helping ensure that there is no dampness remaining. This can take several days to do.

3. Cleaning and Sanitizing

Then it’s time to clean everything that the water touched. How this is handled depends on the category of the damage. A major flooding issue with clean water is going to be much easier to handle than a smaller issue with black water.

This might mean that the company will wash and clean the upholstery of any furniture that came into contact with the water, wash and dry clothing, carefully clean electronic devices, and the like — or dispose of those things that simply cannot overcome the contamination of gray or black water. The company will discuss with you what has to go and what might be salvaged.

The company will also use antibacterial and antimicrobial solutions to sanitize everything in the damaged area. This will help ensure that mold doesn’t begin to grow and that nasty odors are stopped in their tracks.

4. Dehumidifying and Monitoring

Even though as much water has been removed as possible, there might still be some moisture lingering. That’s why the company will bring in dehumidifiers, large fans, and air scrubbers and filters. These might run for several weeks to ensure that your home truly has escaped the worst consequences of the water damage.

The company will likely recommend a monitoring system that prevents problems from happening again. This might mean water sensors near appliances and pipes that could leak.

5. Repair and Restoration

The damage that has been done to your home might require the work of a contractor to fix it. A water remediation company can handle pulling out the drywall, carpet, and other elements that have been contaminated. They can make sure that the moisture is completely gone.

But at that point, it becomes the job of a contractor to handle restoring your home. As the water remediation company is doing their work, it’s a good idea to be getting quotes from contractors on the next steps.

How Much Does Water Damage Restoration Cost?

Water damage restoration costs range from $400 or so for a small problem to $13,000 or more for a serious issue. On average, homeowners can expect to pay $3,300 to fix water damage in their home.

What determines where your costs will fall? A great deal of what depends upon the category of damage.

• Category 1: This is clean water damage and often runs $3 to $4 per square foot to clean up. Even an extensive amount of damage from clean water might be cheaper to fix than a much smaller area that has been contaminated by black water.
• Category 2: Gray water damage can cost between $4 and $7 per square foot to clean and dry. This cost is higher due to the need to clean contaminants out of your home, including flooring, furniture, clothing, etc.
• Category 3: Black water damage restoration is tricky. The average cost runs between $7 and $7.50 per square foot, but that doesn’t take into account the cost of replacing things that must be thrown out. Therefore, it’s impossible to truly estimate just how much black water damage will cost.

There are other prices to consider as well, such as:

• Drying carpet can cost between $1 and $11 per square foot. If you need to replace the carpet completely, expect anywhere from $200 to $2,000 per room, depending upon the carpet you choose.
• Drywall repair or replacement can run between $1 and $3 per square foot. That doesn’t include the costs to repaint the room.
• Leaks from above can damage ceilings. The average cost for ceiling repair is between $350 and $1,250.
• Speaking of ceilings, sometimes water damage can come from a roof leak. That means part of your room must be repaired or perhaps even replaced. Having your roof repaired can run between $500 and $1,800.
• Replacement of hardwood flooring costs between $10 and $15 per square foot. Most find their average cost runs $200 to $550 per room.
• Replacing furniture, clothing, and other items that have been contaminated by black water is almost impossible to estimate, as every home is so different and every flood incident can vary.

Factors Affecting Water Damage Restoration Cost

Numerous factors affect the cost of your water damage restoration. Of course, it begins with the severity and the category of water damage. Obviously, recovery from floodwaters that inundated your entire home will cost much more than clean water damage from a leaky pipe. But there are other factors to consider as well.

• The Extent of the Work: Water damage restoration for the laundry room can cost much less than the repair of a whole floor of the home. Some companies charge a flat rate. Others will charge an hourly rate, which varies from $70 to $200 per hour.
• Necessary Drying and Dehumidifying: Drying your home will likely tap into your own electric supply, and those big fans will quickly drive up your monthly bill. There is likely also a charge for the use of the fans and dehumidifiers, which is often charged by the day.
• Geographical Location: Where you live helps determine the labor costs in your local area, as well as how many water damage companies are competing for your business. As you might imagine, costs for water damage restoration in Palm Beach, Florida might be lower due to the many companies on hand in the event of a hurricane. But it’s safe to say that a smaller town like Bowling Green, Kentucky won’t have nearly as many water damage experts on tap.
• Emergency Calls: An emergency call to the water damage restoration company comes with the benefit of getting someone out there quickly to handle the situation before it gets worse. On the other hand, expect a surcharge and higher rates when you have to call for emergency help.
• Location of the Damage: In addition to the geographical location, where the damage is in your home matters to your bottom line. An area that is easy to access and clean will cost much less than an area that it tougher, such as a crawl space.
• Costs of Leaving the Home: In some cases, water damage can be so severe that you must leave your home while repairs are in progress. This is especially true if your home has been flooded with black water. These costs can include food, hotel and lodging, and new clothing and personal items, if necessary.

In some cases, damage restoration costs — including the costs of living outside of your home for a while — might be covered by your homeowner’s insurance. Before you pay anything out of pocket, contact your insurance agent to determine what is covered and what is not.

Leave Water Damage Restoration to the Experts

When you have an issue with flooding in your home, there is a bit you can handle on your own. For instance, mopping up the visible water — clean water of gray water — can mean that you mitigate some of the damage on your own. But it’s never a good idea to work on cleaning up black water on your own, as there are too many potential biohazards that put your health at risk.

Beyond this initial cleaning, it’s best to rely on the professionals to get the job done. They can advise you on other things you can do on your own, such as moving fans and dehumidifiers to their proper places throughout the day. But for the heavy work, rely on professionals to make it right.