What Affects the Cost of Water Damage Restoration

3/28/2019 (Permalink)

It’s a very stressful situation when water damage occurs at your house.  You immediately want professional help that will clean and restore your surroundings.  But, there are also concerns of whether you have insurance coverage? Will your policy cover the cost? If the policy doesn’t cover the damage, what will it cost you? 

How do we determine the cost of water mitigation?

According to IICRC (The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification) http://www.IICRC.org/what-affects-water-damage-restoration-cost-a-192.html

The extent of the destruction will be the most determining factor when calculating price. Most companies bill by the square foot, so professionals should be hired right away to keep the problem from spreading and becoming more expensive.

Another major part of the cost is the type of water that caused the damage. The dirtiness of the water is classified by Categories.

Category 1 – is the cleanest type.  Examples are rain water and clean tap water.

Category 2 - sources contain some chemical or biological agents that can pose a health risk if they come in contact with a person. This usually includes discharge from appliances like washing machines.

Category 3 - sources pose an extreme health risk and normally include active biological agents that can cause serious illness. Sewage and ground flooding produce Category 3 threats.

Companies will charge more when dealing with Category 2 and 3 than Category 1 sources because additional cleaning with specialized chemicals will be required as well as protective equipment and gear.

The location of the destruction will also dictate price to an extent, as some materials are easier to replace than others. Replacing baseboards is relatively easy and inexpensive. Replacing drywall is more expensive and time consuming. Changing out carpet is even more expensive and requires additional time.

Not performing the cleanup properly can affect the cost too.

While some people may choose a water damage restoration company by cost alone, a homeowner must make sure they are dealing with certified professionals. If the house is not cleaned out thoroughly, lingering moisture will cause major problems down the road that will be even more expensive to fix. For these reasons, a homeowner should only select a reputable company with a strong training background and one certified in this area of restoration.

We recommend that you choose us, SERVPRO of West Erie County.