Water damage comes in many forms and all of them have the potential to cause serious damage to your home – and wallet. That’s why it’s important to know what the signs of water damage look like and who you should call to help you prevent further water damage from occurring.
Water damage to your home or property can come in many forms. Burst pipes, failed appliances, flooded bathroom fixtures, flooding from outdoors, a leaky roof… the list goes on. The most common type of water damage we see here at Classic Construction is brown, damp mildew spots on ceilings that occur as a result of a roof leak. When a roof is repaired or completely replaced, it’s not uncommon for the contractor to inadvertently miss sealing a tiny hole or two. But these tiny holes can let rainwater and humidity into your home over time, causing these unsightly water damage spots on the drywall of your ceilings.
And drywall is aptly named; it needs to remain dry as moisture results in warping, mildew or rot. If your drywall gets wet, replacement is often necessary. Depending on the size of the area affected by the water damage, you might be able to cut out just that section and have it replaced. Or, more likely, you will need at least one entire sheet of drywall replaced. And when drywall is replaced, it must also be textured, primed and painted in order to complete the restoration. And if you’re painting, you’ll need your entire ceiling painted so that the colors match….you can see how one little leak can add up to big bucks!
Now, if the water damage to your home is the result of a burst pipe or flood, the restoration is compounded by the amount of square footage affected. This is because most construction pricing is dependent on the square footage of the area to be repaired. But keep in mind that the type of work or trades involved will also affect the pricing of your water damage repairs.
So for instance, if your entire kitchen floods because of a burst pipe under your sink, the price to repair the water damage would be significantly higher than a leaky roof. A leaky roof repair only requires a leak detection test to determine the source of the leak, some sealant for the roof, some drywall replacement, and some paint in a concentrated area. A water damage repair to a kitchen, if the flooding rises above the baseboards, would require new flooring, new cabinets, new drywall, and new plumbing to prevent the flood from happening again. The flooring, drywall, cabinets and painting would be priced according to the materials used and square footage of the area affected. And if you decided to upgrade any of these things, the price would increase further.
As you can see, there are a lot of factors that contribute to the price of water damage repairs in your home. The last, but perhaps most important, of these is the contractor you decide to use to help you fix the water damage. We’ve mentioned in other blog posts the benefits of hiring quality contractors, but it bears repeating here.
The best contractor for the job is the one who is open and honest with you and with whom you feel most comfortable working. A contractor who can’t explain to you why something should be replaced or how he will do so is probably one who will cost you more money in the long run because he will do it incorrectly the first time around. If you’re looking to repair the water damage as cost efficiently as possible, avoid a smooth talker who talks around the actual problems you are facing.
If you’re looking for a reliable water damage restoration contractor near you, contact Classic Construction today for a free quote. We complete your projects on budget and on time because that’s Classic!