No dollar figure for water damage restoration is published on this site, because a number given before anyone has seen the damage would be a guess. The price is set by how much water came in, how far it travelled, what it touched, how long the drying runs and how hard the space is to reach. It is explained and approved on site before any work starts.
Key takeaways
- The depth of the water, the floors it reached and the number of rooms affected are the first things that set the size of the job.
- Clean water from a supply line, storm water and river water with silt are handled differently, and the category affects the removals.
- Drying runs until the readings reach target, so a cool basement or a deep wall can cost more time than a warm room.
- Access, stored items and the number of wet materials that must come out change the work more than the square footage does.
- The price is explained and approved on site before any equipment is placed, and the crew writes down what it found.
Why can the crew not give a price over the phone?
A phone call cannot show the crew how far the water has gone, which materials it reached or how the house is built. A quote given before a survey would be a guess, so the line takes the details and the first visit gives the number.
The first call gives the crew the location, the floor where the water is, the likely source and whether it looks clean. Those details decide the first visit and the equipment that comes with it. They do not decide the total, because the total depends on what the survey finds behind the walls and under the floor.
A crew that quotes before it has read the moisture in the framing and the subfloor is quoting from the outside of the problem. The survey is the step that turns a description into a plan, and the plan is what the price follows.
What does the depth and reach of the water change?
The height of the water on the walls and how many floors it reached decide how much material must be removed and dried. Water that stays at a basement floor is a different job from water that climbs the walls and runs up a stair into the living space.
A shallow pool on a concrete floor takes a short extraction and a modest drying plan. Water that wicked up the wallboard, soaked the bottom plate and reached the carpet on the floor above takes more cutting, more opening of cavities and more readings at each height.
The crew records the water line on each wall and measures it. That line is part of the survey, and it is the simplest way for a homeowner to see why one quote is larger than another.
| What the crew sees | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Water held to a shallow pool on concrete | A short extraction and a modest drying plan |
| Water wicked up the wallboard | Cut-out at the height the readings set, and cavity drying |
| Water that reached a stair or the floor above | Removal on more floors, more readings and a longer plan |
| Water that stood for days in a cool basement | Longer drying, with readings logged on each visit |
Does the type of water change the work?
Yes. Clean water from a supply line starts as clean, but it can pick up contamination as it stands. Storm water and river water carry silt and debris, and that adds cleaning and sorting. The category of water is checked before the removals are chosen.
Water from a supply line or an appliance is often clean at the source, and it can be removed and dried with fewer steps. Water from a creek, a river rise or snowmelt carries soil and leaves, and it has to be cleaned out of the floor and the cavities before drying starts.
Silt adds more than a few hours. It holds moisture against the concrete and the framing, and it leaves a film that has to be removed. The crew explains the category it has found and what that means for the work.
How do materials and stored items affect the total?
Every wet material that cannot be dried to target has to be removed, bagged and recorded. Carpet pad, insulation, paper-faced wallboard and cardboard are the usual removals, and each adds sorting and handling time.
A basement with little stored in it and a few wet items takes less sorting than one with shelving full of boxes, a finished room and a closet of stored clothing. The crew lists what it removes and what it keeps, and the owner decides with the insurer's view in mind.
Drywall is a material that is often cut rather than dried. A cut-out is a separate step, and it is planned on the readings. The number of walls that must be opened changes the time on site, and the crew shows you the list before the cut is made.
Does access change the price?
Yes. A narrow stair, a low crawl space, a door that must be widened or a garage full of stored items all lengthen the work. The crew notes access on the survey, and the quote follows the notes.
A crawl space with a small hatch takes more time than an open basement, because the equipment and the crew must work in a tight space. A stair that is too narrow for a pump may require the water to be carried out in buckets or the equipment to be set up differently.
Where access must be enlarged to dry the framing, the crew explains the opening, how it will be closed and whether it is a separate repair. That is part of the quote, and it is shown before any opening is made.
How does drying time change the price?
Drying runs until the readings reach target for each material, and the time it takes depends on how wet the materials were, how thick they are and how cool the space is. A cool basement can take longer than a warm room, and that is part of the plan the crew sets.
There is no fixed number of days that applies to every house. Equipment runs and is moved as each material reaches its target, and the readings are logged on each visit. A plan that stalls is adjusted rather than left to run without change.
Owners sometimes ask why the equipment is still running after the floor looks dry. The answer is that the framing and the subfloor hold moisture for longer than the surface does, and the readings show when that moisture has gone.
What should I ask before I agree to a quote?
Ask what is included, what is excluded, how the drying will be measured, how many visits are expected and what happens if the readings are slow to fall. A written plan with those answers makes the price easier to compare.
Ask whether the quote covers extraction, drying, cleaning and the removal of wet materials, and whether it covers the repairs that follow. Repairs to walls, floors and the drain are usually separate work for a contractor you choose.
Ask for the record that will be left at the end. A complete record with the water line, the readings, the removals and the photographs is the document that makes the price easier to check, and it is the one an insurer will ask for first.
What can I do to keep the work smaller?
Stop the water if it is safe to do so, move valuables up off the floor, photograph the damage and keep the damaged items until the insurer has seen them. Those steps reduce the amount of material that is lost and the number of decisions the crew must make on the day.
Lifting boxes and rugs onto dry ground is a simple step that often saves the contents. Turning off the power to a wet area, if it can be done safely, prevents a hazard that would otherwise slow the work.
Do not start scrubbing or tearing out finishes before the crew has seen the room. Early removal can spread silt and hide the water line the crew needs to record.
How does the age of the house change the work?
Older houses often have plaster on lath, deeper wood framing and cavities that are harder to reach than those in newer construction. Those features do not change the method of drying, but they change how much is opened and how long the drying runs.
Plaster that is wet from below can crack and fall when it dries unevenly, so the crew may need to support it or remove the lower section before drying. A cavity that is deep and narrow takes longer to move air through, and the readings show when the framing has reached target.
Older wiring, older plumbing and older appliances can also need a check before anything is switched on. The crew notes those items on the survey, and it says when a qualified trade must see them before the house is used again.
What changes when a business floods?
A business adds stock, equipment, customer areas and the need to reopen, and the work is planned around those. The critical areas are dried first, and the rest is scheduled to fit the owner's plans.
Stock that is wet beyond saving is listed and removed, and stock that can be cleaned and dried is kept. Equipment with electrical or gas parts is checked by a qualified technician before it is used, and the crew records each unit for the insurer.
A business owner should ask for the record in writing, because the business interruption part of a claim relies on it. The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner handles consumer complaints about claims, and the policy decides what applies to a business.
Frequently asked questions
Will the crew give me a number on the first call?
No. The line takes the details and sends a crew, and the crew gives the price after the survey. The price is explained and approved on site before any work starts.
Is a quote from a cleanup company the same as the cost of the repair?
No. A cleanup and drying quote covers the water removal, drying and removal of wet materials. Rebuilding walls, floors and fixtures is a separate job for a contractor you choose.
Why does one basement cost more than another of the same size?
The water depth, the materials it reached, the category of the water, the stored items, the access and the drying time differ from house to house. Two basements of the same size can take very different amounts of work.
Can the price change after the work starts?
It can, if the survey missed something or the readings show more moisture than expected. The crew explains any change and asks for approval before it does the extra work.
Does an insurer pay for the cleanup?
That depends on the policy and the cause of the water. Ask your insurer directly, and keep the crew's record. The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner handles consumer complaints about how a claim is handled.
Sources
This guide is general information for Spokane County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.