Water mitigation costs vary greatly based on where you live, the amount of water, the source of the water, how long it’s been sitting, and it there is any standing water that needs to be extracted. The cost to fully mitigate and restore a single small room can range from $1500 to $3000+, while a kitchen or bathroom may have cabinets or tile that need replacing and add to the cost. Water damage mitigation and repairs to multiple rooms can quickly exceed $20,000 or more. A typical water mitigation project may include water extraction, moving contents into an unaffected area, a POD, or storage (and possibly restoring those items too), demo and debris removal, disinfection, 3-5 days of machine-assisted drying and dehumidification, ceiling and/or wall sheetrock repairs, flooring repairs, painting, and moving contents back into the room. There are a lot of moving parts and pieces to water restoration, so choosing a quality restorer like American Restoration Solutions is vital!

When water damage occurs, the source of the water plays a large part of the cleanup process. Category 1 water is sanitary and comes from a source that poses no substantial health risk if touched, ingested, or inhaled. Category 2 is water that has been sitting for 24-48 hours (or more) and may pose some health hazards such as microbial growth. Category 2 water is also known as grey water, and may cause harm if ingested. Washing machine or dishwasher overflows and hydrostatic seepage are also examples of CAT2 water. Category 3, also known as black water, is contaminated water and may pose significant health risk if touched, ingested, inhaled. Typical sources of CAT3 water are CAT2 water losses left alone for 24-72 hours, sewage lines, chemical spills, flood water or other untreated outside water. Any water with severe discoloration and/or odor should be considered CAT3 until determined otherwise.

Safety & Microbial Growth! Contaminated CAT3 water may contain viruses, bacteria and spores that aren’t present in clean CAT1 water. This greatly affects how the drying and extraction process proceed. For a CAT1 loss, protective suits are not needed and HEPA air scrubbers are not needed. For a CAT3 loss, significant PPE may be needed to protect technicians from exposure to harmful contaminants. After the cleanup is complete, it is also necessary to treat the area with an antimicrobial disinfectant to prevent mold and other microbial growth. Because CAT1 water is treated, clean water, there is little to no risk of microbial growth or adverse health affects if the water is cleaned up right away. This means less overall cost because there is less cleaning, less equipment, and less PPE. This is one of the reasons why its important to call ASAP when you have water damage.

It depends. Most instances of “sudden and accidental” water damage are covered, such as a broken pipe, burst water heater, appliance or supply line. Frozen pipes are generally covered as long as heat was maintained during the freeze. Long-term leaks however are considered maintenance issues and generally not covered. Ground water such as storm runoff, a broken water main, or any water that comes from outside requires separate flood insurance. Sewage backups may or may not be covered, or additional coverage may be offered as a rider. If you have specific coverage questions, we recommend you consult your insurance broker.

That depends on the definition of “flood”. Many property owners describe their water damage as a flood, but unless the water came from outside the structure, it is not a flood as far as insurance is concerned. Flood damage occurs when the water comes from outside. Flood restoration costs are unfortunately the responsibility of the property owner unless a flood policy is also in place. Most flood policies do not cover below-grade rooms like finished basements or their contents. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a great place to start looking for flood insurance. For specific questions, reach out to your broker.

Water damage restoration is a task best left to the Pro’s. We use industrial equipment far more powerful than a homeowner would need. Buying the proper equipment would likely cost more than restoration itself before even factoring in any labor! Just one dehumidifier alone costs thousands of dollars, plus our technicians are IICRC-certified in water, fire, mold, and textile cleaning. In the event of water damage that is not covered by insurance, American Restoration Solutions offers flexible payment options so professional water damage restoration stays within reach of everyone.

Fire mitigation typically has the highest cost of any restoration project, with varying depending on the extent of smoke vs fire damage. For example, a kitchen fire may cause smoke damage throughout the house, but have burn scarring limited to the stove area. In this kind of fire, heavy structural cleaning may take place throughout but walls and framing remain intact and there is little to no water damage. An electrical fire in a second floor bedroom would cause more damage, with items in the room combusting and spreading the fire more rapidly. Water used to extinguish the fire would cause secondary damage to the floors below. If the fire spreads to the whole structure, the chances of a full rebuild vs restoration increase significantly. Cleanup and repair of a small fire can range from $25,000-$50,000, while a whole structure cleanup may range from $50,000-$250,000+. Full rebuilds can range from $250,000-$500,000+.

Once the Fire Marshall’s cause and origin investigation has been completed, fire mitigation projects start with a muck out to remove wet debris and a structural assessment to determine what can be restored and what must be replaced. If there is light smoke damage and the walls are dry, they may be surface cleaned, HEPA vacuumed and encapsulated VS removed if wet, burned or heavily smoke damaged. Water or mold mitigation may be needed if suppression efforts saturated the structure and it has been sitting while the C&O investigation is ongoing. Contents are removed and sorted by salvageable VS unsalvageable. Salvageable contents are taken off-site, cleaned and stored until reconstruction is complete. Framing issues are addressed, with structural members cleaned and encapsulated or marked for replacement. The structure is fully cleaned, deodorized and ready for repairs.

Sometimes smoke damage can occur without directly experiencing a fire. This can happen when a neighboring property has a fire and wind carries the soot and smoke into your home or smoke has traveled through a multi-unit building. Wildfire smoke can damage properties miles away from the actual fire. HVAC equipment can also carry soot and smoke throughout a property if the system experiences a puff back. Oil-fired systems are most susceptible to puff-backs. Regardless of the origin, remediation of smoke damage involves heavy surface cleaning using specially designed soot sponges, HEPA vacuuming and HEPA air filtering, contents cleaning, encapsulation and deodorization. We use various methods to achieve the complete removal of odors, including Clo2 gas, thermal fogging, ozone generators, hydroxyl generators, and more.

Fire damage is generally covered as long as the fire was not intentional. For vacant properties, mortgage companies will often have a force placed policy that covers their interest structure but does not cove any contents. As wildfires have become more prevalent, some carriers are no longer covering this type of peril. It is also important to regularly review your coverage limits, as many fires can result in the policy paying out the maximum covered. If you have specific coverage questions, we recommend you consult your insurance agent or broker.

Public Adjusters can provide significant assistance when dealing with fire recovery. Whether you feel you need representation negotiating with your insurance carrier is up to you. Public adjusters typically work on a contingency basis, charging anywhere from 2-12% of the claim settlement. They will handle the back & forth with the insurance carrier, assist with creating inventories and content valuations, writing and/or reviewing repair estimates, and generally hold the carrier to the promises made in the policy.

The mitigation phase is relatively quick (often completed within a few weeks or less!) but rebuilding can take up to a year. Your insurance carrier, public adjuster, and/or contractor all must agree on a scope of work. This negotiation can last a few weeks to months, depending on how fair the carrier’s offer is. An architect will then draw plans based on the settlement. Building department review can range from 1-3 months before a permit is issued. Active construction and finish work may take 2-4 months. Picking colors, finishes and materials as early in the project as possible will speed recovery significantly.

Mold mitigation costs can vary greatly based on where you live, how large the affected area is, and if there has been any secondary damage. If the area is less than 10 square feet or you live in a jurisdiction that doesn’t require third-party testing, $750-$1500 is a safe starting range. Many state and local governments require testing when a visible threshold is reached, usually between 10-25 square feet of microbial growth. Unless test results confirm it’s mold, it could be a less severe form of microbial growth. Third-party testing fees can range from $300-$800 or more depending on the size of the space and the amount of samples taken. The price for a standard sheetrock room to be remediated and repaired would typically fall between $2500-$5000 including testing. When multiple rooms are affected, remediation costs can exceed $10,000.

A typical mold mitigation project includes testing to confirm the species and severity of mold present, setting up containment around the impacted area(s), removing contents from the space (and possibly restoring those items too), demo and debris removal, treating the space with anti-microbial disinfectant, HEPA air purification, and hydroxyl or ozone deodorization . If there is moisture in the area, drying equipment may be needed as well. If there is a ducted HVAC system, sections of it may need to be cleaned or replaced as well. After drying and disinfection are complete, a clearance test will be conducted to confirm mold levels are no longer elevated or if additional remediation is needed. Once the clearance report has been issued and passed, ceiling and/or wall sheetrock repairs, flooring repairs, painting, and moving contents back can take place.

Safety & Microbial Growth! Contaminated CAT3 water may contain viruses, bacteria and spores that aren’t present in clean CAT1 water. This greatly affects how the drying and extraction process proceed. For a CAT1 loss, protective suits are not needed and HEPA air scrubbers are not needed. For a CAT3 loss, significant PPE may be needed to protect technicians from exposure to harmful contaminants. After the cleanup is complete, it is also necessary to treat the area with an antimicrobial disinfectant to prevent mold and other microbial growth. Because CAT1 water is treated, clean water, there is little to no risk of microbial growth or adverse health affects if the water is cleaned up right away. This means less overall cost because there is less cleaning, less equipment, and less PPE. This is one of the reasons why its important to call ASAP when you have water damage.

The answer is a big “It depends.” Mold needs moisture in order to grow. Long-term pipe leaks, poor insulation resulting in attic/crawlspace condensation, leaks from older degraded roofs, and other maintenance-related water damage are often not covered or afforded limited coverage. Mold resulting from instances of “sudden and accidental” water damage are usually covered, such as a broken pipe, burst water heater, appliance or supply line. If you have specific coverage questions, we recommend you consult your insurance broker.

“Mold” is a misleading name. Those spots you see growing are microbial growth, which may or may not be mold. Testing is always needed to confirm if the growth is in fact mold, and the species of mold. Just like we need water to survive, mold also needs water to grow. Mold spores are always present in the natural environment, but become a problem when the levels are elevated. The excess moisture in the environment from the water damage feeds the mold spores, allowing them grow and reproduce.

Mold can be cleaned up by property owners in limited circumstances, but we don’t recommend it. Failure to contain the area may result in spreading mold to unaffected areas of the building. When mold exceeds a certain square footage, some jurisdictions require a licensed remediator. We also use industrial equipment far more costly and powerful than a homeowner would need. Buying the proper equipment would likely cost more than remediation! Proper PPE is also vital to prevent exposure to harmful spores.