How Much Does It Cost To Repair Water Damage?

Updated Jan 27, 2022

Written by HomeAdvisor.

Water Damage Restoration Cost

The average homeowner spends between $one,236 and $5,314 to restore or repair water damage, with an average of $iii,272. A licensed h2o damage repair professional can determine the cause and extent of the destruction by categorizing and classifying the impairment to your domicile - the two largest factors in figuring the final beak.

Desire to avoid large cleanup and repair bills? Preventative maintenance and cleaning upwards quickly after damage are critical to keeping costs downwardly. How long moisture is left untreated increases the scope of the damage and allows mold to grow. Preventing impairment by contacting professionals to diagnose causes and make small repairs can save thousands later. Regardless of cause or cost, always certificate the harm for insurance claims.

H2o Damage Cost Reckoner

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National Average	$three,272
Typical Range	$1,236 - $v,314
Low End - Loftier End	$450 - $13,000

Cost data is based on actual project costs as reported by 1,236 HomeAdvisor members.

Types of H2o Harm and Common Causes

water damage cleanup costs $3.75 to $7 per square foot

H2o cleanup ranges from $iii.75 to $7.00 per square foot. Repairs range from $450 to $7,000, depending on the type of damage.The blazon depends on the source and extent to which it has affected the abode. Sources can range from make clean water from a burst piping to blackness h2o from sewage backup.

Though a competent DIY homeowner may be able to clean up and repair some damage, it'south important to have a professional appraise information technology kickoff to make up one's mind the extent and whatever underlying conditions. Missing even a small-scale corporeality, or its causes, tin can lead to costlier repairs after. Even small quantities of moisture may result in mold growth. Plus, undiagnosed causes volition lead to recurrences. For instance, fixing a damaged ceiling only not the leaky roof that acquired it will only lead to some other wrecked ceiling.

Average H2o Damage Repair and Restoration Costs

Area of the Dwelling house	National Average Price
Roof	$350 - $1,400
Ceiling	$325 - $i,100
Basement	$500 - $85,000
Drywall	$275 - $785
Floors	$200 - $500
Bathroom (fixtures)	$150 - $350
Plumbing	$i,000 - $4,000

Roof

Nationally, the average cost to repair a roof is most $ane,000. Diagnosing a leaky roof is best left to professionals. Improperly repairing or installing a roof can lead to more than issues. Sometimes, an insurance company may crave a professional inspection. The most common causes of leaky roofs are:

Missing shingles that frequently come up off due to loftier winds.
Damaged flashing around pipes, chimneys, skylights, and in valleys.
Ice dams created past snowfall melting and refreezing building dams on the roof and causing standing h2o.
Roofs with low slopes and inadequate runoff.

Ceiling Repairs

Repairs to a ceiling cost between $350 and $1,250, but the average to hire a handyman to ready sagging caused past water impairment is about $75 per 60 minutes.

If a pipe has broken in a ceiling, the price for repairs tin be as low as $350 or as high as $2,000 depending on the blazon of ceiling and extent of damage.

Basement Damage and Flooding

Wet impairment in your basement happens for a wide range of reasons including flooding, drainage issues, chock-full gutters, flare-up pipes, and sewage backups. Repair costs vary widely depending on the cause and extent of the destruction.

For instance, information technology will be less expensive to restore a basement with an inch of clean h2o from a flare-up pipe than to tackle a fix acquired by iii feet of sewage backup. An inch of clean water would offset at around $500 to $1500 to pump out and thoroughly dry it. However, the price of basement drainage repairs can increase $2,800 or more depending on the size of the infinite and the extent of the damage. Budget more when your infinite has been hit from contaminated sources, similar a river alluvion.

Drywall

Drywall repair cost nearly $550 on average with a typical range of $300 to $850, but can cost much more than or less depending on the destruction. It is used in nigh mod homes and is establish in well-nigh all finished areas of a house, including bathrooms. When it becomes wet, it typically needs to exist replaced. Not merely is the drywall itself ruined, but the wet paper backer of the drywall becomes an first-class environment for mold growth.

Floors and Hardwood

Flooring repairs cost between $200 to $550. The blazon of floor and the length of fourth dimension water sits affects the costs of removal and repair. Some types of floor are more permeable than others. For instance, laminates and carpet soak up liquids and dethrone the subfloor speedily, whereas hardwood tin sit underwater for brusk periods with little impairment. Most tile products are either impervious to liquids or tin exist cleaned and dried with little or no damage, though the surface area may need grout work.

Broken or Leaky Bathroom Fixtures

Fixing a leaky faucet ranges from $150 to $350. A faucet leak, croaky bathtub, or declining toilet can easily become a much larger and costlier problem. A 120-foursquare foot bathroom can cost as much as $3,000 to make clean upward and repair. Homeowners spend an boilerplate of about $300 when hiring a plumber, only can salve thousands in future expenses. More importantly, homeowner's insurance typically does not cover damage due to ignored maintenance bug.

Burst Pipes and Leaky Plumbing

Among the well-nigh common and virtually preventable causes of h2o harm are burst pipes that can result in repairs costing $1,000 to $4,000. Burst pipes typically happen because of clogs and freezing. Prevent the impairment past finding a family plumber to do annual inspections. Regular inspections and maintenance are a cost-effective, preventative measure. Installing new plumbing typically runs between $350 to $2,000.

Natural Causes

Hurricanes and river flooding are common natural causes, as are high water tables and improperly graded ground. Installing a sump pump and h2o alarm are sensible water damage preventions in areas with high water tables. The sump pump will pump water from under the foundation to drain information technology away from the home and averages about $ane,200 to install. The sump pump itself volition cost between $50 to $400. Also, ground that slopes towards the basement of the domicile can lead to leakage in the basement and increased stress on sewage systems.

Hire a Professional to Fix Water Damage

Costs by Category and Class of Water Impairment

Category	Toll of Cleanup Per Square Foot
Category 1: Clean H2o	$3.75
Category 2: Gray H2o	$iv.l
Category 3: Black Water	$7

Each incident of harm falls into a category and a class. Category determines the source and how clean it is. Nomenclature determines the severity of the damage itself. Only a licensed professional tin categorize and allocate h2o damage. These factors primarily determine the cost of cleanup and removal of harm to a home.

Even a competent DIYer should have a qualified professional assess the damage first to brand sure no office of the cleanup is missed. Before doing annihilation, check with your insurance company. They may require a licensed assessment. Don't wait. As presently as yous observe any damage, call a professional person. With time, each class and category quickly degrades into something worse.

Category one: Make clean Water

You'll spend about $3.75 per foursquare foot to dry out clean water. Still, this is only a starting point. Repairs will depend on the types of materials involved. For example, carpets vary from $i to $xi per foursquare pes. Quick cleaning tin can keep fixes to a minimum.

This blazon poses no threat to health. However, it can degrade to a Category 2 if non dealt with quickly. Information technology ofttimes comes from drinking sources, such as:

Leaky faucets: also the pipes and fittings under the sink. These can get unnoticed for long periods of fourth dimension.
Leaky toilet tanks: without cleaning agents like bleach or bromine pucks.
Rain and sprinklers: coming through an open up window or leaky roof.
Outburst pipes: though this often leads to a college-grade due to the amount of water.
Water Heaters. The boilerplate heater lasts eight-12 years.

Category two: Grey Water

Grey water is just slightly more expensive to make clean upwardly averaging $iv.50 per square pes. Again, this is but for cleanup; repairs will vary based on damage grade.

This blazon of floodwater poses some health threat. Information technology may comprise harmful contaminants such as detergents which may cause minor illness. If non treated, information technology can chop-chop degrade to a serious threat due to the growth of mold and bacteria.

Mutual causes of greyness h2o flooding:

Alluvion dishwashers and washing machines, which contain soaps and detergents. Special care should exist taken to remove staining or bleaching detergents from carpets.
Toilets containing urine or cleaning agents. This does not include sewage backup or feces.

Category 3: Black Water

The boilerplate homeowner spends $7.00 per square pes for professional cleanup. That does not include the amounts for repairing and replacing items. Typically, anything that tin can absorb the contaminants in black h2o should exist replaced, including upholstered furniture, beds, carpets, vesture, and all permeable edifice materials. Replacement is oftentimes more toll constructive than restoration.

This category contains contaminants that will cause serious wellness bug and possibly death. Just professionals should handle nigh large-scale black h2o accidents such every bit flooding. Some cleanup, like a backed-up toilet, can exist handled by competent homeowners. This type of cleanup and repair is usually the most expensive, ofttimes requiring specialized equipment used past qualified mold and chemical remediation crews. It volition often crave replacement (non but cleaning) of the afflicted home materials.

Common causes of black water flooding:

Sewage backups from drains and septic systems.
Flooding from overflowing rivers or lakes, or from contaminated groundwater.
Tempest surges frequently crusade secondary flooding from streams and groundwater. Hire a Pro to Repair Water Harm at Domicile

Class i

This is the easiest and ordinarily least expensive to clean and repair. Only a section of a room is afflicted with very piddling wet carpeting. A typical Form i would be a small leak in a faucet. Grade one/Category one damage can often be repaired by a competent homeowner or a professional with very little expense.

Class 2

Class 2 has affected an entire room, including the walls up to at to the lowest degree 12 inches. Moisture remains in the construction and will need cleanup likewise as some repairs.

Form iii

Grade 3 has saturated the ceilings, walls, floors, and fifty-fifty subflooring and insulation. Commonly, the moisture has come up from higher up, like a burst pipage.

Class four

Damage from long continuing water falls in this class, like river flooding or tempest surges from a hurricane. It has saturated materials such every bit stone, brick, and hardwood. These materials have low permeance - meaning they do non soak up liquids speedily. Time is the master factor in this category. With a higher cost of cleanup and repair, it is important to get problems diagnosed and solved as quickly equally possible.

Consult with a Pro to Classify your Damage

"Most often times when information technology comes to mold contamination, you'll take some of the indicators of a musty type odor. Often times that's a hidden mold that's maybe behind the kitchen, sink, crawlspace, attic, ac vent. Those are all suspect areas that harbor mold." Jim Schuelke, Possessor. Twin Abode Experts, Phoenix, AZ

On average, mold removal costs around $2,200. Mold spores are establish in almost all environments and brainstorm growing in just 24 to 48 hours when moisture is present. All types of h2o damage come up with a take a chance of fungal growth. The longer moisture sits, the greater the run a risk and cost of removal. Simply a qualified inspector should exam for mold. An inspector can assist decide if there is any and if professional remediation is needed.

Preventing H2o Damage

Removing any wet and cleaning upward (not necessarily repairs) are key to keeping your upkeep to a minimum. Water damage remediation and repair services can save up to 40% if washed speedily.

There are just as many prevention every bit in that location are causes. Being proactive in preventing water harm is commonly less expensive than repairing damage later on it happens.

Insurance

Does insurance cover the damage? Check your policy or call the insurance company to find out. Put that smartphone to work by taking pictures and video of the damage. Properly documenting the incident will make the claims process easier. Also, be certain to cheque with a pro to see if they practice insurance merits management.

Office of a comprehensive water impairment prevention program includes knowing what insurance covers and what it doesn't. Most plans cover sudden and accidental damage like a water heater failing or a dishwasher inundation. However, they usually don't include flooding, sewage backups, and known maintenance issues like a continuously leaky faucet.

Hire a Pro to Repair Water Damage at Home