Restoration after water damage

 

Restoration after water damage

No matter if your water damage came from a burst pipe, flooding, or a storm, it can be quite a challenge and an expensive endeavour to repair it. However, most people have no idea where to start and what to do.

It is important to choose your restoration company carefully since they will be fixing the place you will live. Here are some good ideas on how to select the right restoration company http://www.kicrestoration.com/water-damage-restoration-poway/. In the meanwhile, here’s what you can expect when restoring your house after water damage.

Contact Your Insurance Company

Before you start doing anything, you will want to notify your insurance company that the damage has occurred. They will send an assessment agent to appraise the damage the water has done to your property.

This person will help you sort all of the papers to claim your insurance, which should greatly help you finance the restoration effort.

Removing Water

Your first step is to remove all of the water from your house. The majority of water can be removed by pumps, but the moisture which remains needs to be removed by special equipment. Even if you cannot see any water or moisture, there still may be pockets of moisture which can only be detected and removed by an expert.

Once the water and the moisture have been removed, you can start the remediation process in earnest.

Look for Mold

All of the moisture may be removed, but while it was there, it was an ideal habitat for mold. Not only can mold damage your property, but it is an allergen, and some species are even highly toxic.

You can do the initial inspection yourself, visually identifying any potential moldy spot. However, mold can grow in hard-to-reach places such as basements, attics, behind your sink, and most problematically, inside your dry walls. Samples of all surfaces need to be inspected by a licensed inspector. You shouldn’t start any reconstruction before you’ve been cleared of mold infestation.

Fix the Floors

If you are fortunate, the extent of water damage ends at the floor level. Sure, your floor is ruined and will probably require extensive reconstruction, but at least the rest of your home is spared.

If you have hardwood floors, there is a probability that it will be damaged. If you keep it, it can rot and be a hotbed for mold infestation. Replacing it seems like the best option; you might be able to salvage parts of your floor though.

Tile and stone floors may be better suited to surviving unharmed, but there’s always a possibility of small cracks and pockets of water forming underneath. Fortunately, restoration companies are aware of this problem and have the equipment to address this problem.

Inspect the Walls and Insulation

If, however, the damage doesn’t stop at the floor level, you are faced with a lot more work. The amount of work depends on the materials your walls are made of. Some materials such as lime are much easier to dry but can become compromised structurally by water.

Look at the Structural Beams

Speaking of structure, if the water is left to sit for too long, it can warp the wood beams of the house. If your home is made of different materials, make sure that you hire a restoration company that knows how to work with these materials.

The broad explanation how the restoration process works after water damage does not substitute the expertise of a professional restoration expert and you should consult one to help you with you. This article is merely a guide to what you can expect, in order to adjust your expectations. Restorations can be expensive and take a long time, so you shouldn’t expect miraculous results in a flash.

To contact KIC Restoration Inc of San Diego
12170 Tech Center Dr, Poway, CA 92064, USA
858-859-1998

 

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