Picture this: You went on a nice family vacation and returned to find your home flooded. How long was the leak untreated? Days? Perhaps weeks? If the water damage is extensive enough, your home may suffer from structural problems.
But don't worry. As an IICRC-certified firm with over 50 years of combined experience, we know exactly what to do in such cases, and we are here to teach you all about it.
Next, we will discuss our process for finding and dealing with structural damage during a routine water damage restoration project and answer your most common questions about this process. So, let's embark together on a journey to your fully repaired home!
Restore-it’s process when dealing with structural damage in a water damage restoration project
Sometimes, when water intrusion is not dealt with promptly, the damage extends to the house's structural elements. Here's how we deal with this situation:
1. The initial assessment
When dealing with water damage restoration, we may begin with emergency mitigation if your home needs it. This includes stopping the water source and removing any standing water. Afterward, we continue with the initial inspection.
During this phase, using moisture meters, we can get a general idea of the extent of the damage to your building materials. If we discover structural damage, we will inform you and your insurance company. If there is a safety hazard, we may go straight to step 3.
However, the damage is usually hidden deeper, so we can better confirm it in the next phase of the water damage restoration process.
2. The water mitigation & remediation process
If there is no external sign of structural damage, we continue with the standard water damage mitigation and remediation process. During the removal of building materials, we can better confirm structural damage in your home. By removing the affected drywall, for example, we can better examine the beams and check the extent of the damage.
If there is no safety hazard, we follow up by drying and dehumidifying the area while the repair is done simultaneously. If we cannot do our work safely, we go straight to the next step.
3. The structural repairs
We will contact a construction company once we have established substantial structural damages in your home and you have agreed to proceed with the repairs. Although this is rare, we may contact a structural engineer if needed. Afterward, we proceeded with the necessary repairs. This may include reinforcing or replacing your home's beams, studs, joists, and other structural elements.
4. The restoration continues
We follow up with our normal restoration process, replacing the other damaged building materials like drywall, flooring, and other finishing touches to take the home to its pre-damaged state.
5. The final inspection
After completing the work, we conduct a final inspection, ensuring everything meets safety standards and your home is structurally sound. Throughout the whole process, we document everything for your insurance claim.
The 5 most common questions about structural damage in your home answered!
While we hope you understand our process when we find structural damage during a water restoration project, we know you may have some extra doubts. Well, we have compiled the most common questions about this process:
1. If you find structural issues in my home, do you have to contact somebody else (maybe an authority)?
If we need to turn down your home's gas, electric, or water supply lines, we may need to inform your utility company. In most cases, external inspections are not required for damaged homes. This is mainly done only for commercial properties.
2. Will my insurance company cover this type of complex process?
It will depend on your case. If your house suffered a "slow leak," your insurance may not cover you. This means the leak took many days, and you are liable for not taking care of it. However, if the insurance determines you had no role in the incident and couldn't have prevented it, they will most likely accept your claim.
3. What should I do if you find structural damage in my home?
During a typical water damage mitigation and restoration process, we tell our clients they can choose to stay or leave while the work is done. However, that may not be advisable if there are safety concerns. If that happens to you, we recommend temporarily moving until the space is safe.
4. What can I do to help?
First, we recommend you look after your safety and your family. Second, you should remove all your valuables. Our technicians will need ample access to the affected areas of your house, and we would rather you keep peace of mind.
Also, don't forget to maintain communication with your insurance company. Finally, feel free to ask us questions! If you are well-informed, there will be fewer communication issues. Don't worry; we will gladly clear any doubts you may have.
5. Can I call a different company to handle the reparations or reconstruction?
Yes! How you deal with your home's situation is entirely up to you. If you have a different construction company you would like to work with, that's perfectly fine with us. Just keep in mind any contractual obligations you may have with us and your insurance company, and inform us beforehand so we are all aligned during the water damage restoration process.
But if that's not the case and you prefer to work with us during the entire process, be confident that you will work with an experienced, reputable restoration company. We will do our work so you can return to a repaired home like the damage never happened.
So, we discussed our typical process when dealing with structural damages from a water damage restoration project. We have also answered the most common questions about this issue we have received from our clients over the years. By now, we hope you know what to expect from our process and are reassured that if you work with us, you will do so with the right restoration company. Your following line of action is to call us so we can get your home back in shape as soon as possible!
