Choosing Between Damage ContractorsChoosing Between Damage Contractors


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Choosing Between Damage Contractors

Your friend's best friend's cousin might sound like your best bet for an inexpensive, quick repair, but it might be smarter to hire the professionals. A few years ago, I made the mistake of listening to some friend's advice on working with an unlicensed contractor, and I have been regretting that choice for years. In addition to leaving behind wet walls and a damaged interior, the unskilled contractors that I worked with also showed up late and were difficult to get a hold of. My blog is all about helping you to choose the best contractors for the job, so that you can get on with your life.

What it Takes to Restore Water-Soaked Areas of Your Home

Floods and fires almost always go hand in hand. Whether the floods come on their own, or they are the result of firefighters trying to put out ravaging fires, the water damage is about the same. When you are faced with enough water damage that you have to hire a water damage restoration contractor, you might be wondering what it will take to restore the water-soaked areas of your home. The following will help fill in some of the blanks you may have about this process. 

The Job Gets Done Sooner if There's No Accompanying Smoke and Fire

Water damage from just a flood should never be trivialized, but it is less problematic than water damage after a fire. If your home was soaked from firefighter hoses instead of a flood, your restoration contractor has to first examine the fire and smoke damage, address those issues, work with a construction contractor to rebuild, and then address the water damage. It is a much longer process than just dealing with straight-up flood damage. Regardless of the extent of the water/flood-only damage, the job is still completed faster than a job that involves fire, smoke, and water damage. 

They Asses the Extent of the Damage

Water damage restoration services will look at all of the visible water damage. If there is no fire and smoke damage to assess, his/her next step is to assess all of the unseen water damage inside walls and ceilings with special tools that can "see" the damage by looking for areas where there is a major temperature change. Wet areas show up cooler than the surrounding areas, revealing where moisture and possibly mold and mildew are growing. Notes are made about both the visible and invisible water damage, and the contractor provides you with a quote on how much it will cost to fix all of it. At the same time, the contractor will also provide an estimate of how long the job will take. 

The Process Could Last for Two Days to Two Weeks

Sans fire and smoke damage and the need to rebuild, most restoration projects last from two days to two weeks. Minimal damage requires about a day to a day and a half, although two days is the normal time frame for completion. The more extensive the damage, the longer it takes. If your entire home up to the roof was submerged in water for a month, for example, two weeks would be the normal estimate. However, there are probably numerous neighbors with the same problem all needing contractors, which means the restoration could take longer than two weeks. If just the lower part of your home or basement was flooded, two weeks is very generous in terms of time estimation.