Austin Fire and Flood

How Much Does Water Damage Restoration Cost?

Water damage is one of the most detrimental experiences a homeowner can go through. Not only does it lead to property damage, but it can create stress when considering how much a professional water damage restoration service is going to cost.

While average water damage repair costs thousands of dollars, restoration services can be more or less expensive, depending on several factors.

Average Restoration Cost

The national average cost for water damage restoration is $4,000, or over $8 per square foot of property affected.

Of course, that does not mean the final bill will total $4,000 every time a restoration crew works on a home. Instead, the restoration cost will fluctuate widely based on the amount of water damage to the structure which is determined by many factors. In a national sense, extreme or catastrophic water damage cases can cost more than $20,000, while more contained instances may be as low as $1,000.

For residents of Austin, TX, and the surrounding areas, the average cost of water damage mitigation is higher than the national average. For example, water damage repairs in a major Texas city like Austin, TX cost $5,100 on average.

Significant Determining Factors

Location and area affected are not the only two factors determining the cost of water damage restoration. Other key elements, including the type of water responsible for the water intrusion and the building materials affected, play a prominent role in deciding how much your water damage restoration service will cost.

Type of Water

All water might look the same to the untrained eye. However, there are three different classifications of water that commonly cause property damage, each with varying degrees of difficulty and costs to clean.

Thankfully, the most common type of water is also the easiest to remove.

Category 1 or “Clean water”, which often comes from rain or well-maintained pipes, contains few bacteria and requires no extra safety measures to dry out. Because of this, damage from clean water is the cheapest to restore.
Category 2, “Gray water” and Category 3, black water, are the other two classifications of water. Unlike category 1 water, these two types of water come from unsanitary sources and contain harmful bacteria. Category 2 water most often comes from dishwasher or washing machine leaks, while category 3 water frequently originates from flooded lakes or backed-up sewer systems.

Since category 2 and category 3 water contain harmful substances, it takes restoration teams more time and effort to remove them, leading to increased costs for the homeowners.

Building Materials

The water-damaged materials will also determine how much the restoration costs.

Some common household materials, such as drywall and carpet, are cheaper to replace than higher-end options like hardwood flooring. Because of this, homeowners might have to pay more or less than the average restoration costs.

On average, it costs this much to replace the following materials:

Drywall: $1.50 per square foot
Carpet: $5.50 per square foot
Wall Plaster: $18.75 per square foot
Hardwood Flooring: $10.45 per square foot

Water Damage Restoration From Austin Fire and Flood

Having the right water damage restoration team is one more factor that will determine your water damage repair costs. When you choose Austin Fire and Flood, their expertly trained and certified technicians will work as quickly as possible to help keep labor costs low. Additionally, they offer free inspections to help homeowners save money on every step of the process.