Water Damage Flood Damage Repair and Restoration MN
Water damage is one of the perils of owning a home or business, and is often due to frozen or faulty plumbing, or even floods. Water damage restoration seeks to eliminate this damage, and put the house into the condition it was in before the damage occurred. While there are no officially sanctioned procedures for this type of repair, there are two organizing bodies, which issue certifications for restoration businesses and create standards for the industry. Most restoration companies use the guide, known as the S500 Standard, from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC).
Water Damage Restoration Cost
Water damage restoration cost varies not only by the extent of the damage, but also by the nature of the damage itself. The IICRC recognizes several categories of water, and automatically classifies all damage from flooding is category 3.
• Category 1: Clean water from a sanitary source, such as fresh toilet water, water from broken supply lines or faucets, or even bottled water. However, contamination and contact with the environment means that this quickly turns into category 2 or 3 water.
• Category 2: Water with impurities that could cause illness or gastrointestinal distress if consumed. Water from washing machines, urine-tainted toilet water, and overflow from the dishwasher are all examples of this type.
• Category 3: Extremely contaminated water capable of causing grievous illness or even death if consumed. Sewage, flooding from outside sources like rivers, toilet trap water, toilet overflow with feces, and any water containing bacteria or other organisms are all examples.
Water Damage Restoration Equipment
Water damage restoration equipment can include infrared sensing tools and other probes to determine where water has penetrated, and to assess walls, floors, and furniture that would have to be cleaned or replaced. The affected areas are dried, sanitized, and deodorized. After that, air movers, air purifiers, and drying systems to dry out floors and sub-floor areas are all left at the building in order to ensure complete drying and prevent cross-contamination. During a period of two to three days, measurements are taken of moisture, humidity, and the temperature are taken from the affected areas, in order to determine if equipment must be moved in order to make the building completely dry. After these levels fall below the accepted industry standards, the process is complete.
While water damage restoration cost assessments can often vary, for most residences and moderately-sized businesses, the price will be around $5000. However, this figure can be affected by a variety of factors, including the height of the flooding level, and the extent of the water damage. The size of the area to be restored and the materials used, such as concrete or wood, to replace damaged property will also contribute to the price. Therefore, a walkthrough inspection usually must be performed in order to give an accurate estimate of the cost.
Loss Assessment
Water damage restoration must also factor in loss assessment. This refers to the practice by which the professional performing the walkthrough evaluation looks at the extent of damage to the property and possessions inside, and looks through a standard pricing guide, such as a Blue Book, to figure out the total value of loss; this cost is not always factored into the cost of restoration, aside from basic building materials and amenities. Many times, floors and walls must be completely replaced in the event of flooding, since the outside contaminants introduced in a flood would cause any remaining wood or plaster to quickly grow germs and become unsanitary. While costs such as this would be included in a labor assessment, the cost of replacing hardwood furniture damaged by a flood would not. (See Understanding Water Damage Restoration Assessments)
Water damage that must be restored may fall into several categories:
• Class 1: Characterized by slow evaporation. This damage affects only part of a room, and affects material such as concrete that is not very porous. There is a minimal amount of carpet or padding in the area that could pick up water, and what little water is picked up is released slowly.
• Class 2: Characterized by fast evaporation. This damage affects the entire room, and can include carpeted or cushioned areas that will absorb water. Water has gone up the walls one to two feet, and absorbed into material like particle board and concrete.
• Class 3: Characterized by the fastest evaporation rate. In this case, water damage may have come from water leaking overhead, and has saturated floors, ceilings, walls, cushion, and carpet.
• Class 4: This class pertains to special situations, when material like brick, hardwood, or plaster, that are not very porous, have been saturated deeply, and require a low surrounding humidity to dry.
Call for Professional Help
Whether you have had water damage in your home caused by a storm or the cause of water damage in your home is sewage backup, do not attempt to do the cleanup yourself. You will be putting yourself at great risk because you are dealing with highly contaminated water.
Also, if the water damage is extensive, affecting large areas or more than one floor, then it is also best to call Minnesota Water Damage Restoration professional because you may not be able to clean up everything quickly and time is of the essence in any water damage incident. Molds can grow on a surface that has been wet for just a day or two.
