How Much Does Water Damage Restoration Cost
As harmless as water sounds, it can silently bring damage to your home. Whether it is a flood or a leaky toilet, water damage can go from mild to serious. And what’s worse is that water damage restoration can come out to be costly. However, restoration must be done right away to ensure that water will not bring any further damage to your home. So if you are currently facing water damage to some parts of your home, understand the costs involved with restoration projects today.
The Cost Of Water Damage Restoration
The typical cost of water damage restoration is $12 to $18 per square foot.
This estimate includes evaluating the affected area and restoring the area from damage. This can include pumping, drying, sanitizing, and deodorizing the damaged area.
Factors Affecting The Cost Of Water Damage Restoration
Type of water. Water damage restoration is divided into three different categories following the type of water causing the damage such as the following: - Category 1 or clean water refers to water that is not contaminated and does not pose any kind of health risk to people. Examples of water under this category are those from a faucet that was left open and those from an overflowing bathtub. Since this is just clean water, this is the least expensive to clean up. - Category 2 or grey water refers to water with minor contaminants. This can include kitchen waste water and laundry water. - Category 3 or black water refers to highly toxic and unsanitary water. This includes sewage and flood water. This type of water carries more risks and requires special cleaning and restoration procedures so basically, black water damage restoration is the most expensive of all.
Size of damage. It will be less expensive to restore water damage in small areas as compared to larger areas such as an entire floor. It follows that the bigger the damage is, the more expensive the restoration work will be. Take a look at the price difference of restoring water damage depending on the size of the damage:
- small ceiling ($30 to $300)
- flooded basement ($500 to $10,000)
- flooded house ($7,000 to $70,000)
Extent of damage. Repairing a small leak in the ceiling will definitely cost less as compared to repairing a water-damaged ceiling that has already caved in. Moreover, if the water has seeped into your home already, chances are the water has already caused more damage to the area. Therefore, it follows that the longer you wait to restore the area, the bigger the damage becomes and so the more expensive the restoration goes.
Materials. The kind of material that is damaged also affects prices because some materials are harder to work with. For instance, dealing with a carpeted floor will be less expensive as compared to dealing with hardwood floor because in the event you need to replace them, it is cheaper to purchase a carpet than hardwood floor.
Contractor. Your choice of professional water damage restoration company can also affect restoration costs. Some companies charge by the hour so the more extensive the water damage is, the more expensive the restoration cost becomes.
Additional Costs
Water damage is more than what your eyes can see. Mold is often a problem, especially underneath carpets and the backside of baseboards, and the like. Usually, you'll have to pay $200 to $400 for a mold removal service. The cost can go higher as the size of the room gets bigger.
Replacing items that cannot anymore be restored will also cost you extra. Depending on the materials requiring replacement, you'll likely have to spend some money on this. Check out the typical replacement costs of the following:
- Replacing baseboards ($3 to $5 per foot)
- Replacing sheetrock ($5 to $8 per square foot)
- Replacing carpet ($10 to $12 per square foot)
At times, to prevent water leakage from occurring again, repairing the current electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems is necessary, whichever the reason is of the water leakage in the first place. Repair costs vary depending on the requirements of the job.
You may want to install a water alarm system or a water shut-off system that can help prevent problems like this from occurring in the future. Depending on your choice of unit, this can cost you $10 to $100 for battery-operated water alarm systems to $500 to $3,000 for a whole-house water shut-off system.
Common Causes Of Water Damage At Home
A flood offers the biggest threat of water damage to any home. However, floods do not usually happen. The most common causes of water damage in most homes these days are the following:
- leaky roof
- failing doors and windows
- burst plumbing pipes
- leaky toilet
- broken or leaking water lines
- improper window and door installation
- overflowing sinks, toilets, bathtubs, etc.
Knowing these usual causes of water damage will help you evaluate your home better to prevent serious water damage at home. Inspecting these areas every now and then will definitely save your home from water damage as well as save you a lot of money from not having to deal with restoration costs.
Tips Before You Decide To Restore Water Damage
Deal with the water damage right away. As soon as you discover the water damage, call a water damage restoration company immediately. Take note that the sooner you attend to the problem, the better the results will be and the cheaper the restoration cost will hopefully be.
Always get the help of a professional water damage restoration company. They have the right skills, training, and equipment to get the job done safely and successfully.
Take photos of the water damage at home. It is wise to show contractors photos beforehand so you can get good price estimates for the job.
When contacting water damage restoration services, make sure you can supply information to the company so they can plan for the project right away and give you a more accurate quote for the job. Know how extensive the water damage is, the length of time the area has been wet, and the possible causes of the problem. The more information you can provide, the better.
Talk with your insurance provider regarding coverage of water damage restoration. If you have flood insurance, you can expect to get coverage on water damage caused by outside water and mud overflows during natural disasters. On the other hand, a typical home insurance usually do not include water damage caused by floods but covers water damage caused by minor individualized disasters such as a broken water pipe.
When choosing a restoration company, make sure they are licensed, credible, and efficient. You may want to check for references to ensure the company you are choosing will serve you best in dealing with your problems.
Ask the company of your choice to detail their plans in restoring the water damage as well as their estimated time frame in finishing the job.
Make sure to double check the root cause of the problem. It is important that the cause of the problem is addressed right away to ensure that the same incident will not happen again in the future. Call a professional contractor and invest on fixing the problem as soon as possible.