River water across a ground-floor living room after a crest
What homeowners notice
After a river crest, a ground-floor living room and a hallway stand under silt and about a hand's width of water. The carpet pad is saturated and the bottom of the drywall has wicked up above the tide line. The water has begun to smell, and the homeowner is not sure which furniture can be kept.
What we do
The power to the lower floor is isolated first. Standing water is pumped out and the silt is cleared by hand and vacuum from the corners and under the cabinet bases. Carpet pad and the lower metre of drywall are removed and listed, and the subfloor and framing are measured with readings marked on a plan. Furniture is photographed, sorted into keep, clean and discard, and the items to keep are moved to a dry room.
What to expect
The subfloor and framing reach standard over several weeks of daily readings. The removal list, the photographs and the final log go to the homeowner for the insurer and to the repair trade before the new drywall goes up.
A ceiling stain that appears three days after an ice storm
What homeowners notice
A stain the size of a dinner plate appears on an upstairs bedroom ceiling a few days after an ice storm, and a drip starts at the light fitting. Meltwater from the roof has run under the shingles and along the rafters before showing below.
What we do
The power to the fixture is off and the room below is cleared. The sagging area is released in a controlled way into a container. The attic is checked from a safe position, the wet insulation is removed where it cannot be dried and the roof boards and rafters are measured. A roofer is recommended for the shingles, and the restoration crew logs the path of the water.
What to expect
The ceiling cavity is dried to readings and the damaged drywall is cut back. The repair is held until the readings are at standard, and the roofer's invoice and the drying log go into the same file for the insurer.
A crawl space that fills after every heavy rain on a sloped lot
What homeowners notice
A house on a slope has a crawl space that takes several centimetres of water after each heavy storm. The joists by the low corner have darkened, and the homeowner notices a damp smell by the vents and a soft spot in the kitchen floor above.
What we do
The standing water is pumped out and the silt and debris cleared. The joists, sill plate and subfloor are measured at the low corner and along the foundation wall. A dehumidifier runs in the space with the vents adjusted, and the soft spot in the floor above is checked from the crawl space side.
What to expect
The readings fall to standard over several days, and the soft board is replaced by a carpenter. The crew's record shows where the water entered, and the homeowner is advised to have the grading and the downspouts looked at by a qualified contractor.
one visit to pump, then a week of checks typical visit
A supply line in an outside wall splits and leaks on the thaw
What homeowners notice
After a night with no heat, a homeowner finds the kitchen floor wet on the first warm morning. The water is running from behind the base cabinet, and the wall beside the outside corner is soft at the bottom.
What we do
The main is closed and the water is drained from the lines. The base cabinet is opened and the wet floor is extracted. The wall is opened at the base where the readings are high, and the cavity is dried with air movers. A licensed plumber repairs the split line on a separate visit, and the crew records the path of the water.
What to expect
The wall cavity and the subfloor reach standard over several days, and the plumber's invoice and the drying log are kept together. The homeowner is told how to check the other outside lines before the next cold spell.
a full day for the first visit, then drying checks typical visit
Storm water comes under a low door during a heavy rain
What homeowners notice
During a short, heavy storm, water comes under a door from a low patio and spreads across the family room. The gutter on that side has overflowed and the downspout is blocked, so more water runs down the wall into the same corner.
What we do
The family room is cleared of the items that can be moved, and the standing water is pumped out. The wet path is measured along the wall and under the flooring, and the blocked downspout is noted in the report for a gutter contractor. Drying runs in the room while the readings are logged.
What to expect
The room reaches standard after several days of checks, and the baseboard that was wet is replaced. The homeowner has a written note of where the water came in, which the gutter contractor uses to plan the fix.
Furniture and boxes moved out of a flooded basement storage room
What homeowners notice
A storage room under a house has held boxes, a sofa and a set of shelves. After a river rise, the boxes are soaked to the height of the water line, and the homeowner wants to know what can be kept before anything is thrown out.
What we do
Each item is photographed where it stands and logged with its condition. Items are moved out to a dry, ventilated place, and boxes are opened and checked item by item. Solid wood is cleaned and dried, upholstery and cardboard that stood in the water are marked for discard, and each decision is written next to the photograph.
What to expect
The kept items return to the house when the room is dry. The discard list and the photographs go to the insurer, and the storage record shows where each kept item was while the drying was done.
a day to move and log, then storage until dry typical visit
A ground-floor shop and its back storeroom after a storm
What homeowners notice
A ground-floor retail unit in a shared building takes water through its back door during a storm. The storeroom is under water, the carpet in the sales area is wet at the edges and the shared wall with the next unit is damp at the base.
What we do
The storeroom is closed and the stock is logged and moved. The shop floor is staged so the front of the unit stays open while the back is dried. The shared wall is measured and checked with the neighbouring tenant's agreement, and the repair plan is set out in a written scope for the landlord and the tenant.
What to expect
The storeroom and the shared wall reach standard, and the front of the shop trades throughout. The scope, the readings and the removal list go to the landlord, the tenant and the insurer, each with a copy of the record.
staged over two weeks, with the shop open for part of it typical visit
Have the same problem?
Call and tell us what you see. We will tell you what it likely is and what it usually costs before anyone drives out.
