The Cost Of Water Damage Restoration in 2023
If your home is impacted by water damage, you’ll need a water damage restoration service’s help to bring your home back into a safe, secure, and clean state. Without this service, you’ll have difficulty leading your best life.
Quality water restoration pros at Nashville Water Damage Restoration are prepared to assist you when the unthinkable happens. This handy guide will help you understand the cost of water damage restoration services.
Understanding Water Damage Restoration
Understanding the nature of water damage restoration is no easy task. However, it can be simplified to help the layperson understand it more effectively. There are two primary phases involved in the water restoration process:
Firstly, the water restoration pros will deal with extraction and cleanup tasks. Water damage repair costs can differ depending on the type and extent of water damage. The total cost you can expect to complete a job will vary (and we will discuss this in more detail later on).
Secondly, your water restoration pros will deal with important structural repairs. Water damage can cause significant damage to an entire room or another affected area and require roof and plumbing repairs to handle fully. For example, chemical or fecal matter issues can arise from water-damaged drywall, so having a team that knows how to handle your needs is key. After all, sewage backup is no joke.
The 3 Types of Water Damage
Water damage restoration costs depend on many factors. The type and category of water damage is perhaps the most important. There are three water damage categories/types that every homeowner should know about:
Category 1, also known as clean water damage, is the least severe. Typically, you’ll pay upwards of $3.75 per square foot when dealing with clean water damage.
To repair water damage that’s category 1, pros will dry out and restore areas affected by sprinklers, burst pipes, leaky faucets, toilet tanks, rainwater, and water heaters. The intensity of the damage will affect the price of damage restoration.
Category 2, gray water damage, is the intermediate step in the 3-step system. This damage comes from sources that spread water that has the potential to contain harmful contaminants and debris.
Typically, you’ll pay upwards of $4.50 per square foot to repair gray water damage. Overflowing dishwashers, washing machines, waste-containing water products, and other such issues fall into category 2. Gray water is frustrating to handle, but pros know how to approach it safely and effectively.
Category 3 water damage, known as black water damage, is the most severe category. Black water damage from water sources can thoroughly contaminate an affected area and promote mold growth.
Typically, you’ll pay $7 or more per square foot to deal with black water damage. Flood, sewage, and groundwater damage are the most common types of category 3 black water damage.
It should be noted, however, that these base prices are simply an estimate. The severity of your water damage and the amount of your home’s structure that’s been damaged will affect the ultimate price per square foot that you’ll be dealing with to complete the water restoration process.
Crucial First Steps
When dealing with water damage, you’ll first need to gain a solid estimate for the repairs you’re seeking. Determining the costs of needed repairs will help you stay afloat financially. You’ll likely be paying per square foot for repair costs, and the damage restoration will rely on a professional team knowing exactly what they’re doing. Many factors can go into calculating an estimate from a leaky roof to burst pipes. Speaking of which…
Calculating an Estimate: Must-Know Facts
Alongside knowing the category/type of water damage at play, a water damage restoration company will need to understand several important factors to determine the cost to repair water damage. After all, general inspections and asbestos testing will need to occur before a solid estimate can be provided.
The water restoration pros will assess the primary source of your water damage, determine the magnitude and volume of water damage at play, and determine labor and supply costs to ensure the water restoration process can be completed successfully. A knowledgeable water damage restoration professional is invaluable.
How Long Does the Restoration Process Take?
Given a home is importance to a customer’s life, they are always eager to know how long a water restoration job might take. While no exact timeline is set in stone, the intensity, size of, and type of water damage at play will determine how long your estimated time to repair will end up being.
Before repairs can begin in homes made before 1985, the water restoration pros on site will need to perform an asbestos test, which can take up to 48 hours. Then, the drying process (which takes roughly 72 hours) and other restoration tasks will be completed.
The type of equipment needed to complete damage restoration will be critical as well, and will affect the timeline significantly. From a burst pipe, to gray water damage, to mold remediation, each type of water damage will require different equipment to correct. If more intensive structural work, such as roof and plumping repairs are needed, then the timeline may be extended further. The tasks involved with water damage restoration can vary wildly.
Costs Per Square Foot
As we mentioned, the cost per square foot can vary depending on the type and severity of water damage you’re dealing with. Each type of water damage will have a different cost per square foot, although there are typical ranges of pricing that come into play. Water damage affects nearly 14,000 people in the US daily, so knowing you can afford repair services when needed is crucial.
Understanding what to expect regarding how much it will cost to repair water damage is essential for every homeowner. To understand what to expect, you’ll need to have the costs associated with your water restoration service broken down further…
Breaking Down the Costs
Breaking down the cost to repair water damage is the first step in making your home reclaim its former glory. The restoration cost associated with different types of water damage, from flood damage repairs to standing water repairs, will differ drastically from case to case. For example, burst pipe costs will differ drastically from those associated with ice dams.
Roof Repair
The national average repair cost for roof damage restoration is around $1,000. Additional costs associated with professional roofers may accumulate when repairing water-damaged roofs. Leaky roofs are particularly commonplace. A leaky roof can come with additional issues, such as missing shingles and standing water problems on your home’s roof.
Basement Repair
Because drywall is used in many basements, the costs to repair water-damaged drywall are on many homeowners’ minds after experiencing flooding. A river flood can storm your basement in a heartbeat, after all. Making sure that river flooding does not destroy your home’s foundation is key.
Sewage backup is another primary issue that affects basement repair jobs. Water damage restoration companies understand this and are prepared. However, the typical cost of basement repairs can vary wildly depending on what the job entails. Typically, you’ll be paying between $500 and $3,000 to repair your basement and restore it to its former beauty.
Ceiling Repair
Ceiling repair repairing is one of the more complicated types of water damage repair costs to calculate. However, it’s often priced anywhere between $300 and $2,000, depending on the damages that are being corrected. A burst pipe can cause ceiling damage, which can cause harmful contaminants to fester in your home’s ceiling, leading to mold issues in the long run. Water damage restoration companies will ensure you’re ceiling is in tip-top shape.
Drywall Repair
The basement is far from the only place where drywall damage can occur. For example, washing machines that have malfunctioned often damage drywall within a laundry room. Sewage backups can cause drywall damage as well. Water damage restoration dealing with drywall repair will typically cost you anywhere from $300 to $850.
Mold Growth Repair
Mold is a nasty thing. And an expensive thing, as mold repair-related tasks, will typically cost you upwards of $2,200 on average. Mold can begin to infect areas damaged by water in less than 24 hours, so acting quickly to get a professional on-site is essential.
Floor Repair
National flood services warn people of the immense dangers of flooding to their livelihoods (and lives) every year. Floor repair is particularly impacted by flood damages. The type of flooring you’re dealing with will impact the price range of your costs, but you should expect to pay somewhere between $200 and $500 on average.
Pipe and Plumbing Repair
There are a wide variety of plumbing issues that can create water damage-related repairs to be needed. Water damage restoration cost factors that deal with pipe and plumbing repairs often deal with toilet tanks, and other important plumbing issues within a home. This can be some of the most expensive damage to repair due to structural issues, and can range from anywhere between $350 for minor repairs, to $4,000 for major repairs.
Sump Pump Installation
Being prepared for water damage can help you avoid catastrophe. For this reason, those in areas where flooding is common should get a sump pump installed. The sump pump and installation cost around $1,400 on average, but will save you money in the long run.
Rate Differences Between Water Restoration Companies
When it comes to completing a water damage restoration project, there are standard pricing systems that nearly every water restoration company uses (helping to create an average price for most consumers). Since the homeowner’s insurance company will often pay for the damages based on an average price, this industry-standard rate helps to create a typical range that will service customers effectively. Understanding the national average cost of water damage restoration services can help consumers feel more confident when hiring a pro team.
Cost estimates may be adjusted to your benefit in some situations, but the most important thing you should be focusing on is finding a professional water damage restoration team that can make your home whole again. A water damage restoration company can even handle insurance company agents on your behalf, and save you tons of grief and uncertainty in the long run. Typically, labor costs become the primary differing factor in how much more (or less) expensive any one water restoration company is from another.
How Much Does DIY Water Damage Restoration Cost?
Because water damage restoration costs can be pricey, some people consider the prospect of handling water damage alone. This DIY approach may seem attractive, but it’s a recipe for disaster.
Homeowners will completely lack the ability to handle anything above category 1 water damage for anywhere near the cost (and effectiveness) that a water restoration service can provide them. Additionally, trying to handle the contamination, structural damage assessment, and other pro-tier services professionals offer is simply impossible for your average Joe.
Even in category 1 clean water damage, you’ll struggle to get the job done for a price point (and point of effectiveness) that a pro can provide. Many locales may even require you to hire a professional, certified water damage restoration service to ensure public health risks are accounted for and handled.
What Happens When You Fail to Correct Water Damage?
Failing to address water damage is a nightmare scenario. Structural damage, mold growth, and other dangerous side effects could harm your health severely or cause your home to be shuttered. Even when it comes to minor, category 1 clean water damage, failing to correct it will lead to musty odors, electrical malfunction, stains, and other nasty side effects.
More importantly, however, the amount of structural damage you’re risking to your home by leaving water damage unchecked is not worth it. You will be risking your beloved home if you fail to take water damage seriously.
A Water Restoration Service Can Help
The Nashville Water Damage Restoration professional team has all the tools and know-how to help you bring your home’s interior back to its former glory.
Only a licensed professional can ensure that your home’s water damage is sufficiently handled. Clean water and a safe home are crucial for everyone, so ensuring your home is in tip-top shape should be a top priority of any responsible homeowner.
