River water across a ground-floor family room after a crest
What homeowners notice
After a river crest, a ground-floor family room and the hall stand under silt and a line about a hand's width up the walls. The carpet pad is saturated and the bottom of the drywall has wicked up above the tide line. The homeowner is not sure which furniture can be kept.
What we do
The power to the lower floor is isolated first. Standing water is removed and the silt is cleared by hand and vacuum from corners, under cabinets and behind the baseboard. The carpet, pad and lower drywall are removed and logged, and the subfloor is read at several points before any drying is set.
What to expect
The subfloor reaches the drying target after several weeks of readings. The removal list, the readings and the photographs go into one dated file for the insurer.
A damp patch on an upstairs ceiling three days after a cold snap
What homeowners notice
After a night without heat, the water is turned on again and a ceiling stain appears upstairs three days later. The stain grows during a warm afternoon. The homeowner cannot see where the water is coming from.
What we do
The crew traces the wet area inside the wall and under the floor with a meter and finds a split line in an exterior wall. The line is shut off, the wet insulation is removed from the cavity and the framing is read at each stud. The ceiling is opened only where the readings require it.
What to expect
The cavity is dried to readings and the trade is handed a written list for the repair. The readings and the list are kept in the file.
A basement corner floods when a sump stops in a heavy rain
What homeowners notice
During a heavy rain the sump pit fills and the pump does not start. Water comes up through the floor in one corner of a finished basement, and the carpet is wet to the wall. The homeowner shuts off the power to the pump area.
What we do
The water is extracted and the sump is checked by the crew. The float switch was jammed and the discharge line was partly blocked. The corner is cleaned, the wet carpet and pad are removed and the wall base is measured for moisture.
What to expect
The corner is dried to readings, and the homeowner receives a note of the cause and the fix for the sump, which a plumber completes.
Water from the street reaches the front of a small shop and the back storage room. Stock on the lower shelves is wet, and the owner has no record of the stock on the floor. The power to the front is off.
What we do
The crew moves wet stock out and logs each item with a photograph. The floor is extracted and the wet fixtures are measured. The owner receives a list of the items removed and the reason for each.
What to expect
The floor and the back room reach the drying target. The log of removed stock and the readings are given to the owner for the insurer.
A water heater pan that overflowed under a kitchen cabinet
What homeowners notice
A water heater in a utility closet leaks from the tank and the pan overflows. The water runs under the kitchen cabinet next to the closet, and the base of the cabinet has swollen by the time the homeowner finds it.
What we do
The power to the water heater is switched off and the heater is isolated from the supply. The wet cabinet base is removed, the floor under it is extracted and the subfloor is read at the joist ends. The pan and the drain line are checked by the plumber, who is named in the scope.
What to expect
The subfloor reaches target after two visits. The cabinet base is replaced by a trade, and the readings and the removal list go into the file.
A wall stain that appears after a roof leak in a storm
What homeowners notice
A storm passes and a bedroom ceiling stains in the corner. The homeowner sees a damp line on the wall below it, and the carpet near the wall is cool to the touch. The roof has a lifted shingle that was not known before the storm.
What we do
The crew reads the ceiling, the wall and the floor at several points and traces the water from the roof edge down the cavity. The ceiling is opened only where the readings show water. The insulation is removed and the framing is dried to readings.
What to expect
The cavity is dried and the roofer is handed a written note of the entry point. The readings and the photographs go into the claim file.
two visits, then the trade typical visit
Have the same problem?
Call and tell us what you see. We will tell you what it likely is and what it usually costs before anyone drives out.
