When You Need Water Damage Restoration

Though it may make you wince, imagine a water-related disaster has befallen your Indianapolis, Noblesville, or Carmel home. Perhaps your area has seen heavy rain and the flooding that comes with it. Maybe water got into your home due to a malfunctioning gutter system, leaky roof, or cracks in the foundation. Possibly the source is entirely internal like a burst pipe, clogged toilet, a malfunctioning water heater or other appliance, or even something as mundane and seemingly trivial as a leaking faucet.

Whatever the reason, the need for water damage cleanup and flood damage restoration certainly can’t be ignored. Water damage threatens not only the contents of your home but also the integrity of the structure of the house itself. Water and dampness can foster the growth of mold that poses a hazard to the health of you and your family.

Unfortunately, water damage restoration can be expensive. That’s partly because the source of the water can be difficult to reach, yet the flow of water must be halted or the problem can’t be permanently solved.  Just how expensive depends on a number of factors including how easy it is to get at that critical source, how much damage there’s been, and the amount of water damage cleanup and debris removal required. Additionally, if there’s a need for ventilation or hazard containment equipment, that will increase the price, as may the cost of permits if new construction is necessary. To get a feel for just how involved this process can be, let’s look at the water damage cleanup process step by step.

Water Damage Restoration Step #1: Make the Area Safe

Before the actual flood damage restoration process can begin, the affected area must be made safe to enter. In some instances, homeowners can attend to this themselves, but it’s often necessary to involve first responders or experts like electricians.

Water Damage Restoration Step #2: Assessment and Inspection

Once it’s possible to enter the affected area, your water mitigation company will need to inspect it and make an assessment of the extent of the damage and what it will cost to repair.

Water Damage Restoration Step #3: Water Removal

Before repairs can commence, the standing water that has accumulated must be removed.

Water Damage Restoration Step #4: Drying, Cleaning, and Sanitizing

Unfortunately, just getting rid of standing water doesn’t make the house dry and clean again. Moisture, stains, and grime remain and must be eliminated and the area sanitized.

One special task is carpet drying and cleaning (assuming they can be salvaged at all.) It needs to be done quickly as the underside of a wet carpet is an excellent place for hazardous mold to grow. Extracting the water from a carpet typically costs from $150 to $300 per room. The cleaning that follows generally runs less that $1 per square foot.

Overall, cleaning up and drying out are apt to cost from $3.75 to $7 per square foot.

Water Damage Restoration Step #5: Mold Abatement and Removal

As noted previously, water damage fosters the growth of mold, and mold is actually dangerous to a person’s health. For that reason, your water mitigation company needs to get rid of it as quickly as possible, and the job requires an expert using special equipment. Mold remediation can cost from $200 to $6000 depending on the specifics of the task at hand.

Water Damage Restoration Task #6: Replacing Damaged Materials

It’s often necessary to replace drywall on walls and even ceilings. Generally speaking, replacing drywall costs about $1.50 per square foot. Dealing with a damage ceiling is more complicated and tends to cost from $500 to $1000.  Expect replacing sheetrock to run from $5 to $8 per square foot.

Water Damage Restoration Task #7: Debris Removal

Water damage and the various tasks involved in water damage restoration produce debris including torn-out sheetrock and drywall. A junk removal service will need to haul it away and dispose properly of recyclables and hazardous materials. This can cost from $100 to $700.

Water Damage Restoration: The Bottom Line

As you can see from the above, every water mitigation job is different and thus prices vary. But the typical cost runs from $1000 to $3800, and the average price is $2400.