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Restoration technician placing an air mover in a flooded living room with the drywall cut back

United States · Published Prices, 24/7 Help

Water Damage Restoration Costs, Explained

What water damage restoration costs across the US: $3.75 to $7 per sq ft for clean water, up to $25+ for Category 3. Published ranges, and a vetted local crew.

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IICRC-certified crews

Published price ranges

Billed direct to your insurer

Why Us

What every homeowner should expect from a restoration crew

Water damage gets more expensive by the hour, and mold can begin within 24 to 48 hours of a material staying wet. That is why the first call matters more than the second quote, and why we dispatch before we discuss price.

Drying is finished when a moisture meter says so, not when the floor feels dry. You get the readings, the equipment log and the photographs - the same documentation your insurer will ask for.

IICRC-certified technicians
Published price ranges
Daily moisture readings
Insurance documentation included

What We Do

Water damage and mold services

From a burst supply line to a flooded basement - one local crew, published pricing, and a moisture reading at the end rather than an opinion.

Flooded Basement Cleanup

Pump-out, Category 3 handling and the drying that stops it returning next storm.

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Mold Inspection and Testing

When a test is worth paying for, and why the firm that tests should not remediate.

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Mold Remediation

Containment, HEPA filtration and removal, with clearance by an independent assessor.

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Burst Pipes and Hidden Leaks

Supply lines, water heaters and slab leaks traced, stopped and dried before the drywall goes.

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Water Damage Restoration

Standing water extracted, structure dried and monitored to a moisture reading, not a guess.

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Water Damage Insurance Claims

What is covered, what is excluded, and the documentation a claim needs from hour one.

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Published Pricing

What It Costs

Most restoration firms put pricing behind a quote form. We publish it. These are national ranges compiled from operator rate cards and cost databases, so you can check a quote against something before you agree to it.

Job	Typical US range
Water damage restoration, whole claim	$1,300 to $5,900
Clean water (Category 1), drying without demolition	$3.75 to $7 per sq ft
Gray water (Category 2), partial drywall and flooring removal	$7 to $12 per sq ft
Black water (Category 3), full demolition and structural drying	$12 to $25+ per sq ft
Mold remediation, contained area	$1,100 to $3,400

Source: Angi and operator-published rate cards compiled August 2026, cross-checked against local operator pricing in Houston, TX. Ranges are national and a range is never a quote.

How Pricing Works

Why Category Sets the Price

The IICRC S500 standard sorts water into three categories, and the category drives the cost far more than the size of the room does. Clean water from a supply line dries at one rate. Water carrying contamination costs roughly double. Sewage or floodwater roughly triples it, because porous materials that have been in contact with it are removed and replaced rather than dried.

Category also degrades with time. Water that was clean on day one can be Category 2 within a day or two and Category 3 after that, which is the mechanism by which a cheap job becomes an expensive one while nobody is doing anything.

The 24-48 Hour Window

The Mold Clock

Mold can begin on a wet material within 24 to 48 hours. That is why extraction is treated as an emergency rather than something that waits for an adjuster's visit.

A handful of states regulate what happens next, and the thresholds differ sharply. Texas requires licensed remediation once growth reaches 25 contiguous square feet. Louisiana requires a contractor licence above $7,500 of work. New York licenses four separate roles and bars the same firm from both assessing and remediating the same property. Most states require nothing at all. Your state hub says which applies where you are.

What You Get

What a Real Crew Documents

Drying is finished when a moisture meter says materials have returned to normal, not when a floor feels dry underfoot. Whoever you hire, this is the record to insist on, because it is what an insurer asks for:

Daily moisture readings by room and by material
An equipment log: what was placed, where, and for how long
Photographs from the first visit, before anything is moved
The water category and the reasoning behind it
A written scope, priced before work starts

How It Works

What happens after you call

Call and describe the water

Where it came from, how long it has been standing and how far it has spread. That is what sets the water category, and the category is what sets the price.

Extraction and containment

Standing water out, contaminated materials removed rather than cleaned, and drying equipment set on the same visit.

Dried to a reading

Moisture monitored daily until levels return to normal, with the equipment log and photographs sent to you and to your insurer.

Good to Know

Frequently asked questions

How much does water damage restoration cost?

Between $1,300 and $5,900 for a typical claim. By area it runs $3.75 to $7 per square foot for clean water dried without demolition, and $12 to $25 or more per square foot for Category 3 work where contaminated material has to be removed rather than cleaned.

How fast do I need to act?

Same day. Mold can begin on a wet material within 24 to 48 hours, and clean water degrades to a more expensive category the longer it stands. The cost curve here is driven by time, not by the size of the spill.

Does homeowners insurance cover water damage?

Sudden and accidental damage, such as a burst supply line, is usually covered. Gradual leaks generally are not, and rising water from outside is excluded from standard policies entirely - that needs separate NFIP or private flood cover, which carries a waiting period.

How long does drying take?

Three to five days is typical for a contained clean-water loss with equipment monitored daily. It ends on a moisture reading rather than a fixed schedule, and a crew that promises a date before measuring is guessing.

Do I need a licensed mold contractor?

It depends on your state, and most states have no requirement at all. Texas, Louisiana, New York and the District of Columbia are among the few that license mold work, each with a different trigger. Check your state hub before assuming a licence exists to verify.

Emergency Response

Water in your home right now?

Call and a crew is dispatched - extraction the same day, drying equipment set the same visit, and the documentation your claim needs from the first hour.

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