Like most major home or business repairs, professional water mitigation consists of multiple phases and costs. Although it is easier to pin down the costs of labor and equipment, there are other factors that heavily influence the overall cost but do not have standardized pricing. Interestingly, one of these factors is not the size of the affected area. We can all safely assume that a “large” water damage, spanning rooms or floors, will be expensive to mitigate. The following factors can cause the overall cost to jump up or down regardless of the size of the affected area: the age of the water damage, water category and drying method. Let’s take a closer look at each.

Water Restoration Cost Factors

Age of Water Damage

Speaking generally, new water damage addressed within at least 5 days, is less expensive to mitigate than older water damage because the possibility of mold and secondary damage is less. If mold is present, it must be mitigated before any water mitigation can occur which means additional labor, equipment and materials. Secondary damage is caused by water wicking up walls and saturating the dry wall, insulation or even the structure. Further, many people only dry up visible water on the floor and believe disaster has been averted; but many building materials, including flooring and concrete, are porous enough to retain water and become ideal environments for mold and other microbial growth. Of course, this increases the size of the affected area, lessens what can be salvaged and incurs more labor and equipment costs. Essentially, the longer you wait to mitigate water damage, the more costly it will become.

Water Contamination Category & Drying

The last elements to consider are the category of water contamination and best drying approach. There are 3 categories of water contamination:

• Category 1: Sanitary water
• Category 2: Slightly contaminated water
• Category 3: Grossly contaminated water

The worst and most expensive is Category 3 water because human waste and/or sewage is present, among other toxins, and generally requires more labor and material and considerably lessens what can be salvaged. For instance, if there was a sewage backup in your bathroom, our technicians would recommend removing all affected materials—baseboards, flooring, and wet drywall—to expose the sub-floor and structure for proper drying. The exposed area would be sanitized and treated with antimicrobial cleaners to prevent odors and mold.

Alternatively, for category 1 water damages, drying-in-place becomes an option because the water is sanitary. As the most economical option, drying-in-place would entail only setting up equipment and no removal of affected materials, but it does have some short comings. The most prevalent being it could drag out the drying period, affected materials could warp, peel, bubble, etc. and odors and mold could form.

Average Water Damage Restoration Costs

As experienced water damage mitigators, Dry Kings Restoration can provide a personalized estimated cost for water damages during an inspection. Better yet, we will not add to your expense! Dry Kings proudly offers FREE inspections for water damages and our expert technicians will explain what the best drying method will be to bring your property back to pre-loss conditions. If you have questions regarding water damage in your home or business, contact us today!