Post-Flood Restoration

Storm water through a window well filled a lower level with three inches of water on a Saturday night.

About the project

An August storm dropped over three inches of rain in under two hours. Water came through a window well on the west side of the house, and by the time the owners woke up there was three inches standing across the entire lower level.

They called at 6:40 on a Sunday morning. We had extraction equipment running by 9:00.

The challenge

Storm water through a window well is Category 3 water — it has been in contact with soil and whatever the yard drains toward, so it is treated as contaminated regardless of how clean it looks. That changes the rules: porous materials that got wet do not get dried and saved, they come out.

The lower level was fully finished, with carpet, pad, drywall, base trim and a built-in entertainment unit. It also contained the family's stored photographs and paperwork.

The result

Extraction first, then removal of all carpet and pad, drywall to twenty-four inches throughout, base trim and the affected millwork. Framing and slab were cleaned, treated with an antimicrobial and dried over six days with dehumidification and directed airflow.

We salvaged what we could of the contents — photographs were separated, air-dried and returned. Some of the paperwork did not survive and we told them so on day one rather than at the end.

The window well was rebuilt with a proper drain to the footing tile and a cover. Clearance passed, and reconstruction was completed by our team three weeks later.