If you do not address the issue right away, the effects can quickly become overwhelming. This is especially true when your personal belongings get caught up in the mix, and you have to throw out some of them due to the extent of the damage.
Your friends here at Bright Home Construction hope that none of the personal things are beyond the point of restoration, but with water damage, determining what is fixable and what is not can be tricky. If you are on the fence about if an item or multiple items should be thrown out, think of the potential cost of repairing or fixing it.
Sorting through items affected by water damage and determining the source of the damage can be challenging. Before you proceed with anything, find the closest water source to the water-damaged area and turn it off to ensure the damage does not get worse. If you are unsure which water source to turn off, then go to the primary water source and turn off all water in your home. Also, if it is safe to do so, turn off your electricity to ensure everyone stays safe.
In this particular instance, calling in an expert team should be done immediately to ensure all the necessary safety precautions are being taken to protect your home and family while the required repairs are taking place. Many people attempt to tackle black water themselves and quickly learn just how difficult the task can truly be, especially when people start to become ill due to the exposure to this type of water without the proper protective gear or ventilation.
After looking at all the affected areas, it is time to soak up all the water. Once any standing water has been removed and any water-damaged items are removed, you or the hired cleaning team should be able to place portable fans around to aid in the drying process. These fans should continue to circulate the airflow through the area to expedite the drying process.
However,if a fan is used too early in the cleaning process, it may spread around mold spores, making it more challenging to ensure that everything is cleaned correctly and safely.
If the area is extensively damaged, it would be bestto use one or more large-capacity dehumidifiers. A dehumidifier would dry out the floor and affected walls and get rid of any moisture in the wood or carpet. By completely removing the moisture with a dehumidifier, you can prevent moisture from becoming trapped during the placement of any new building materials and eliminate future damage or mold concerns.
Mold is a fungus that grows on anything moist for more approximately forty-eight hours, sometimes shorter than that in humid areas like Phoenix, Arizona. Mold is frequently found growing in an attic or basement and can be found in other dark and damp areas of the house, like under the carpet or inside any cracks on the wall. However, mold can cover different sections of a home in the event of water damage due to storm surge, leaking pipes, and leaky roofs. It is nearly impossible for mold to be treated entirely by inexperienced homeowners, and it is advised to throw out anything that has come into contact withmold growth. This is especially true of items or areas that will come into contact withany members of your family or pets.
Additionally, if the mold has taken over one of your walls by the time you notice it, then seal off the room so no air particles can enter. This is because some mold can be easily transferred through the air and flow around the house, spreading the mold and increasing the damage and cause respiratory problems for people within your home. Unfortunately, this tends to be a major inconvenience for most families, which is why we always suggest hiring professionals to help seal off a room to ensure the safety of your family. Keep in mind that the best way to treat mold would be to contact a fumigation agency and get all the mold removed from every piece of furniture with slight mold growth.
Porous products include carpets, unsealed cement, and wood. If any of these products are damaged from water, the only way to eliminate any further damage is to throw these materials out. When submerged in water, all the porous products can cause a fungal infestation, like mildew, which grows at a higher speed than mold and can cause significant damage. Plus, if your furniture or affected rug has a sentimental value for you, and you are not ready to throw it out, then you should lay it out in direct sunlight so it can fully dry. But remember that product will not be the same as it was before as it may result in sun bleaching, which could also lead to you deciding to get rid of it.
Keep emotions aside and think rationally, as in many cases, simply drying the affected items will not completely kill the mildew or mold.
We know that drying the area can help stop the growth of bacteria, but what about the infestation that remains? To eliminate the remaining bacteria in the region, the use of bleach and certified over-the-counter cleaning products can be an option in lieu of a professional service. Some people also turn to homemade cleaning products and have found some success with them. The homemade cleaning solution requires a small funnel, empty spray bottle, tea tree essential oil, a half cup of white vinegar, eucalyptus essential oil, and two tablespoons of baking soda.
Take an empty spray bottle and place the mini funnel over the top of the bottle. Then pour a half cup of white vinegar and add two tablespoons of baking soda. Leave the mixture for five minutes so that the foam can subside. After that, add ten drops of both the essential oils to it and shake well before use. Spray the solution to every region you just dried and scrub the area once again. To get the best results, make sure you spray and scrub the affected area twice. However, it is vital that you keep in mind that you may not know just much of the surface you have to clean as an untrained professional. For example, most people tend to clean only between 50% and 75% of an affected area, leaving the remaining bacteria ample space to continue to grow and continue to attack your home and family well into the future.
If you have wet spots on your ceiling or the upper sections of your walls, it is imperative to look out for the source of damage. If the damage was due to a natural cause, like rainfall, there must have been an area of the roof that is compromised. If the damage is due to an exposed part of the roof, make sure this is taken care of promptly.
Suppose the damage is not due to the elements, and you have pipes running through your ceiling or walls. In that case, you are going to need to contact a professional, like the ones here at Bright Home Construction, to locate the damaged pipe and repair or place it to prevent any further damage. Tracking down a leaking pipe can be very difficult since water likes to travel, and an inexperienced homeowner will likely remove more of the wall or ceiling than required to address this problem. This typically leads to a higher overall cost than just hiring a professional from the onset.
The whole structure of a house mainly relies on wood, so if a piece of it is damaged, it can affect the house as a whole. To prevent this damage, it is incredibly vital to inspect every inch of the house after the water damage repair and mark every wooden plank that needs replacement. But remember that you should have alternative support which can temporarily take the place of any load-bearing or structural piece of wood that is being removed.
If your carpet was on a wooden floor and completely soaked with water, then it is time to clean it up. If you thought removing the carpet would eradicate the possibility of any further damage, then you’re wrong. The wooden floor beneath the carpet could swell up because of the moisture the carpet left on it. Thus, it is essential to install new flooring, and in some cases, new sub-flooring. Some homeowners may decide to go with an option that does not soak up water, such as sealed concrete floorings, ceramic tiles, and high-end waterproof flooring, which will initially cost a little more but would work well, especially in homes that are prone to flooding, making it a cost-effective decision for you.
What gets everywhere, it’s a simple fact.
Just because you do not see any damage on the wall doesn’t been it’s not hiding behind the wall, rotting the wood.
If you think you have damage inside your walls, the first step is to lay down a tarp which is a flexible and water-resistance or waterproof sheet. This can prevent the debris or dust from collecting.
The second step is to mark the affected region and then cut it off, but if there are several damaged areas, it might be better to strip the entire wall down to the studs and replace any damaged studs.
After the affected drywall is removed and any damaged studs are replaced, it is time to take all the possible measurements to install new drywall. It is always best to over-estimate the amount of drywall you will need by about 10% to account for any miscuts and reduce the number of seams you will have to cover.
It is vital that you minimize the size and number of gaps left in the drywall as this will give moisture an area to collect and settle in, which will lead to additional problems in the future.
Open spaces can form with time, and if they are not taken care of right away, it can result in a higher risk of future water damage. This is because the more space available to water, the easier it is for it to get through. So, first, take a good look over the area that is affected and look for any gaps or openings. If it is an exterior part of the home, use a good quality waterproof chalk to seal these gaps. If it is an interior area, such as a wall, then use a water-resistant sealer or primer prior to any type of painting.
Water damage can be a haunting experience, but not for people who know how to deal with it and recover from the damage. It takes a little courage, a lot of research, and a good insurance policy to repair possible water damage. Look back at everything that happened, it was not easy, but you and the majority of your things made it through. Take the extra safety steps and always be on guard for potential water damage. If you can catch it early enough, you may be able to stop another water damage accident from happening again, and remember, your friends at Bright Home Construction are always just a phone call away if you ever feel overwhelmed.
Bright Home Construction
Gilbert, AZ 85234
520-636-6621
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100% recommend this company!!!! I'm a real costumer. My floor was flooded with water, it was late evening - I have no clue with to do except look number up online. I called this company and it was after hours, Andy scheduled me the next day. They are exceptionally professional, very honest folks, and overall great people to work with!! I would definitely always do business with this company again! Thank you so much, Andy and his team!!!
Andy was more than professional and great to work with. I had a small tile project and was eager to get it done. He was prompt with the appointment to review the job and provide a quote and then the crew was on time each day to get it done. Quality is top notch and my wife couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Definitely recommend Bright Home.
Ben was our tile guy, and he was so great! Not only did he show up every day until the job was done, but he also sealed some of our older tile to make it look better against the new tile. This was his idea and he really knew what he was doing. We are so pleased! Thanks for sending Ben, Bright Home!
We had what we thought was just a little leak from our water heater. I figured I better have everything checked out, just in case and boy am I glad I did. Mat sent Andy and Luke out. They inspected our water damage, helped us with our insurance co. Set up for us to dry out and have done a fantastic job. I would recommend Bright home to anyone!
Andy was amazing!! Showed up quickly when I called about a water leak behind a wall in my bathroom that had created a lot of damage. He arrived and started quickly to find the source of the leak and get it stopped. They did an amazing job drying it out and helping with all the steps to start repairs and even with the confusing insurance stuff. I would recommend this company to anyone!
Called Bright Homs Construction, LLC one night around 9PM after experiencing a flood in our master bath. They were very responsive and come right out and started to dry out the areas, They were very helpful in getting our insurance claim filed and to make sure we received the. amount we needed from the insurance company to complete our job. They did some trim work to replace baseboards and door facings and repaired places damaged on our walls.
Fantastic company to work with. Very responsive, always available to answer questions and concerns, great communication and more importantly honest and kind! Would highly recommend their services.
We used Bright Home Construction for both our flood that we had in our kitchen as well as the remodeling of the kitchen and we loved their work. They were very professional, knowledgeable, answered all of our questions, and made dealing with the insurance company very easy for us. We will be using them for all our home needs moving forward. Hope this helps!
They were fast and professional. I am a contractor and had an issue on a jobsite when one of my employees put a screw in a water line. It was a potential disaster. But! Andy from bright home came out quickly and made us look like we handled the situation like professionals.
Andy arrived within minutes of calling him and notifying him that my condo had just flooded. Andy and his team immediately went to work. Multiple units were damaged due to another unit above and my unit was the first to be out back together. I highly recommend Bright Home Comtruction.