Water damage: the first 24 hours decide the rest of it

Wet drywall and wet framing don't stay a water problem for long. In this climate, mould growth can begin within 24 to 48 hours, and once it does you're no longer paying to dry a house — you're paying to remediate one. Speed genuinely is the variable.

What happens when we arrive

• Stop the source if it's still running, or confirm it's been stopped.
• Extract standing water with truck-mounted units before anything else.
• Map the moisture with meters and thermal imaging. Water travels — under cabinets, along the base of walls, into the pad and the subfloor — and drying only what you can see is how a job fails.
• Set up structural drying: air movers and commercial dehumidifiers positioned for the specific room, not scattered around.
• Monitor daily with logged readings until the materials hit dry standard.

The insurance side

Sudden and accidental water damage is generally covered; long-term seepage generally isn't, which is exactly why documentation matters. We photograph and log moisture readings from the first visit through to completion, which is what your adjuster needs to see. We bill insurers directly and can talk to your adjuster on your behalf.

Storm season

June through November we staff for it. During a named storm event, response times stretch for everyone in this business — being on the phone early matters more than which company you call.

Where drying reveals growth that's already established, the job becomes mould remediation, which is a different scope with its own protocol.