If your home has suffered water damage and is in need of a water pump out and/or water restoration, you may be wondering what kind of a cost you will incur for professional water cleanup services. The cost of the water restoration project will depend on three factors:

The Dimensions of the Area Affected by Water Damage

Obviously, larger areas will be more expensive to clean up and repair because more materials are needed. Usually when homeowners think about the size of the affected area, they just consider the dimensions of the basement or room with water damage and forget to take the depth of the water into account. Deeper water will cost more to cleanup because it takes longer to dry and it can wreak more havoc in the walls and elsewhere in the home. Additionally, deeper flood water is more likely to result in structural damage to a home, which is a very costly thing to fix.

A flood simulator tool provided by the National Flood Insurance Program predicts the water repair cost of a home based on the water depth. According to the simulator, the estimated cost of repair is approximately $8,000 for 1-4 inches of water, $19,000 for 9-12 inches of water and $26,000 for 18 inches of water. These typical flood levels correspond to the most common home water incidents that lead to the need for water restoration services.

The Extent of the Water Damage

The cause of the home water damage determines the scope of the cleanup effort, which is to say that cleanup for something like a burst pipe will be less expensive to repair than a natural disaster like a flood. If you have a leaking pipe or overflowing washing machine, that type of residential water damage tends to be more localized and affect things like flooring materials, baseboards and drywall. However, a flood spreads the water damage in a home out over a larger area and may cause other damage like broken windows, collapsed stairs, personal property damage, etc. The more items that have to be restored, the higher the cost of the water repair project.

According to CostHelper Home & Garden, drying out a flooded basement can cost $500-$10,000 depending on the extent of the damage and the size of the basement. This doesn't even cover the cost associated with water repair and restoration. These high costs are why some homeowners try to do water disaster cleanup on their own. However, you should be aware that if you try to do your own water restoration without the proper professional tools and know-how, you can end up costing yourself a lot more in the long run because improperly drying an area can end up resulting in you having to pay for mold remediation down the road. (Learn more about mold growth in your home.)

The Type of Water that Needs to be Cleaned Up

Water damage is classified as either Category 1, Category 2 or Category 3 depending on the nature of the water involved.

Category 1 is clean potable water, which means that the water cleanup and repair simply deals with restoring proper functionality of the faucet or supply pipe that caused the issue and drying the area out.

Category 2 is gray wastewater with minimal contaminants – like in the case of a dishwasher leak, washing machine overflow or roof leak. In this case, the water may be slightly dirty, but it is not considered harmful so the repair deals with removing water from a home and cleaning up any minor remnants that may be left behind.

Category 3 is black water, which may contain sewage (like in the case of a septic system failure) or toxic debris components like oil or gas. A category 3 cleanup is most commonly related to flood water after a major storm, significant ice melt or hurricane. This is the most expensive repair category because the home flood cleanup has to follow certain safety procedures to ensure that the water restoration professionals will not be harmed and the cleanup is done in a manner that makes the home safe again for the homeowners.

Keep in mind that home insurance can be quite restrictive when it comes to covering water leak damage and often does not cover a homeowner in the case of a flood at all. This is why having flood water insurance is so important if you are in a moderate or high risk flood area.

For more information on water repair steps call USA Water and Fire Restoration at 1-800-501-3046 today!

Additional resources:
Filing a flood damage claim
Basement flood cleanup costs
What to do after a flood - a checklist
What kind of damage does flooding do?
The cost of flood restoration
Water restoration after flood damage
How to recover after a flood
What to do after a basement flood
Understanding the cost of water restoration services
The price of basement flood restoration
What happens after a basement flood?
Is your basement toxic after it floods?
Who has to pay for flood damage?
Flood cleanup costs explained by the pros
Cleaning and disinfecting after a flood
Do home warranties protect against floods?
Water cleanup services near me
Why did my basement flood again?
Why do basements flood?
Find a local water restoration company
What do you have to do after a flood?
Who cleans up a flooded home?
Water restoration services defined
Understanding water restoration details
How much is basement water damage cleanup?
What does bathroom water damage cost to clean up?
The cost of ceiling water damage
Repairing ceiling water damage
How to repair water damaged walls
Fixing a ceiling after a water leak
How to fix a water damaged ceiling
Water damage emergency services
Water and restoration services at home
Basement flooding cleanup
Causes for basement flooding
Why does my basement flood at the corners?
Basement flooding without rain
My house is leaking from outside: who do I call?
If my ceiling is leaking, who can fix it?
Restoration services for fire and water damage
Looking for Chicago fire and water restoration companies
Explanation of water and fire restoration services
Does water damage cause bubbling wall paint?
Ceiling bubbles and water damage
What does bubbling ceiling paint mean?
Is ceiling drywall repair expensive?
Costs to repair drywall in the ceiling after a leak
What do water damage services include?
How expensive is water damage repair?
The services included with flood restoration