It is the process of repairing or fixing a property to its pre loss state.
Damage to the property could be as a result of an overflow, flood or any other water damage problem.
There are two large certified bodies, namely the IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) and the RIA (Restoration Industry Association) that are recommended standards for water damage restoration and repair.
Water Damage – Loss Assessment and Categorization
When water damage restoration is essential, there are various means of handling each cleanup or repair project, depending on the situation involved.
For instance, how much water was involved in the flooding incident?
Was the water relatively neat or was it contaminated with toxins, chemicals, or other harmful substances?
What duration was the water allowed to sit unattended, spreading throughout walls, wood cabinetry or furniture?
Were hazardous toxins involved in the fire?
How much smoke and soot spread across the premises?
How much and what sort of toxic fumes and gases were emitted by the blaze?
Professional Equipment
Restoration companies do have several commercial grade machines such as dehumidifiers, blowers, truck mounted water extraction units, portable water extraction units, moisture gauges, humidity gauges and so on that will help them remove the water and restore your property in the quickest way possible.
If you approached the process on your own, it will take you a very long time.
With both fire and water damage restoration, there are other issues to tackle as well.
Smoke and fire damages need to be cleaned out and surrounding needs to be ventilated to reduce odors.
Flood water and water accidents need to be removed and dried as fast as possible.
When building materials are allowed to be continuously drenched in water for an extended period of time, they ought to be replaced rather than restored or fixed.
Mold Remediation
Mold and mildew normally stem from water damages that were ignored and not cleaned up nor fixed.
Given the proper conditions to strive, mold develops rather quickly.
Mold is a significantly health hazardous in homes environment and is responsible for some symptoms such as headaches, asthma, dizziness, rashes, fatigue, respiratory disorder, and so on.
Thus, water damage which is left unattended for above 48 hours is likely to initiate mold as well as structural damage, demanding more repairs work and building up the cost of the fire and water damage restoration project.
Professional Rules
If flooding is caused by dirty water, which is water contaminated by pathogens, sewage or chemical waste, the items it comes in contact with must be professionally cleaned and sanitized or tossed altogether.
In fact, the rule of thumb is that if the item cannot be washed or disinfected, it needs to be trashed.
Water, food and medicines that came in contact with dirty water must be eliminated.
If items are porous, such as fabrics, clothing, stuffed toys, particle board, laminated or wood furniture and cabinetry, they should be discarded as well.
If in doubt, consult a fire and water damage restoration professional, especially if items have sentimental or significant financial value.
In fact, water restoration experts have more tools, techniques and methods at their disposal today than they ever had before, making salvaging and restoration of books, documents, artwork, electronics, furniture and other items a standard and routine process that restores loved and cherished items and saves millions of dollars annually for insurance companies.
What You Can Expect To Pay
The level of infestation will directly affect your mold removal cost.
The remediation cost of a Crawlspace can really differ.
It could be as little as $500 or as much as $4,000 depending on how big it is, and how much mold is present.
If the attic and ducts are involved, the cost for those generally ranges from $2,000 to $6,000.
If your home has been flooded and the mold is all throughout it, there is much more that has to be done.
This could drive your remediation cost up to $10,000 – $30,000, or higher, depending on the size of your home.