Water, fire and mold restoration for homes, done with care

What should you do first when the house is damaged?

Start with the things only you can do in the first hour, then call. If water is still running, close the main shutoff valve. If a fire has been put out, wait until the fire department says the house can be entered. Take wide photos of every room before anything is moved, and tell your insurance company about the loss.

After that, the work is about stopping the damage from spreading: getting standing water out, getting wet materials dry, and keeping soot and mold from settling into rooms that were not touched.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says water-damaged areas and items should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, which is why the first two days decide so much of what happens later. Our guide on what to do after water damage walks through those first steps in order.

Restoration services for your home

• Water damage restoration

  Water removal, drying with readings you can see, and the cleanup of floors, walls and cabinets after a leak or a burst line.

• Fire and smoke damage

  Soot and smoke residue cleaning, odor work, contents handling and the board-up and tear-out that come first.

• Mold remediation

  Containment, removal of growth and of materials it ruined, and the moisture fix that keeps it from returning.

• Storm damage repair

  Tarping, drying and repairs after wind, hail or heavy rain gets into the roof, walls or crawl space.

• Sewage cleanup

  Removal and cleaning after a sewer backup or toilet overflow, handled as the most contaminated kind of water.

• Reconstruction after damage

  Drywall, flooring, cabinets, paint and trim put back once the house is dry and clean.

• Insurance claim documentation

  Photos, moisture readings and line-item estimates in the industry's standard format, ready for your adjuster.

What "white gloves" means on a damaged house

The name is a promise about how we behave inside your home, not a boast about results. A house after a leak or a fire is full of things that matter to the people who live there: photographs, papers, furniture that came from a parent. Careful work starts with treating those things gently and keeping track of them.

• Protect before we pull. Floors outside the work area are covered, doorways are sealed off where dust or spores could travel, and belongings are moved out of harm's way before anything is torn out.
• Write it down. Every room gets photographs before, during and after, and wet materials get moisture readings, so you and your adjuster can see why each step happened.
• Explain the plan. You hear what we plan to remove and why, what can be dried and kept, and what the next visit is for, in plain words.
• Leave it clean. Each day ends with the work area tidied, equipment cords taped down, and walkways clear for the family.

How a restoration job runs, from first visit to the last coat of paint

1. Look and measure. We find where the water, smoke or mold went, using moisture meters and a walk through every affected room, and photograph it all.
2. Stop the spread. Standing water comes out, openings are tarped or boarded, and affected rooms are separated from clean ones.
3. Remove what cannot be saved. Soaked insulation, swollen particleboard and materials that grew mold are cut out and bagged.
4. Dry and clean. Air movers and dehumidifiers run until readings reach dry targets; soot and residue are cleaned from the surfaces that stay.
5. Rebuild. Drywall, flooring, cabinets, paint and trim go back, matched to what was there.
6. Hand back the paperwork. You get the photo log, the readings and the line-item estimate for your records and your claim.

Which industry standards guide the work?

Two published IICRC standards guide the work: S500 for water damage restoration and S520 for mold remediation. For mold, the EPA's guidance adds practical limits, and state licensing rules in California and Texas decide who may do the job. These names are worth knowing as a homeowner because they give you words to ask questions with.

The IICRC's S500 standard covers professional water damage restoration and sorts water into three categories by how contaminated it is, from a clean supply line to sewage and rising floodwater. Its S520 standard covers mold remediation and describes the goal as returning the affected area to a normal level of mold spores, the same as unaffected parts of the house. For mold, the EPA's guidance adds practical limits: a patch under about 10 square feet is usually something a homeowner can clean, while larger areas call for a contractor who follows professional guidelines.

State rules also shape the job. In California, any repair of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, or any job that needs a permit, must be done by a contractor licensed by the Contractors State License Board. In Texas, mold assessment and mold remediation are separate licenses issued by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and one license holder may not do both on the same project. Our guide to Texas mold assessment and remediation explains what that means when you call about mold in Dallas–Fort Worth.

Working with your insurance company

Most people who call us have a claim open or are about to file one. Your insurer and its adjuster decide what the policy pays; we do not act for you with the insurance company and we are not public adjusters. What we do is document the loss for the claim: photographs, moisture readings, and line-item estimates in the industry's standard estimating format, so the adjuster can see what was damaged and what the repair involves. The insurance claim documentation page explains what that file contains and what both state insurance departments advise homeowners to keep.

Where we work

We take restoration work in homes across the San Francisco Bay Area and Dallas–Fort Worth. The two regions bring different problems to the door. Bay Area calls tend to start with a supply line under a sink, a winter storm that finds a weak spot in an older roof, or moisture in a crawl space. Around Dallas–Fort Worth, hail, wind-driven rain and pipes that freeze during a cold snap are common starting points. The method is the same in both: find the water, dry it, clean what stays, and rebuild what had to go.

Sources: U.S. EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home; IICRC, S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration and S520 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation; CSLB, AB 2622 bulletin and Check A License; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Mold Assessors and Remediators FAQ; Texas Department of Insurance, Home insurance guide.