Storm water under a garage door after a summer downpour
What homeowners notice
After a late-afternoon storm, a thin sheet of water and leaves lies across the garage floor just inside the door. The bottom seal on the door is cracked, and the lowest box on the shelf is wet at the corner.
What we do
The garage circuit and the opener are checked at the panel, and the water is pumped toward the drain away from the foundation. The slab and the block wall base are read at the water line, and the seal and the threshold are noted for the door company.
What to expect
The slab and the wall reach their dry goal over several checks, the stored items are logged with the ones kept and the ones discarded, and the seal is replaced by the door company before the next storm.
A lower room on the creek side after the creek tops its bank
What homeowners notice
After a heavy storm the creek rises over the bank at the bottom of the lot, and water comes in through the slab edge of a finished lower room. Mud is on the carpet and the bottom of the walls, and a high-water line is visible on the fence.
What we do
The power to the room is checked and the carpet and pad are removed from the wet edge. The mud is cleared with wet methods, the high-water line is photographed and the walls are read at the water line and the floor below.
What to expect
The walls and the floor reach their dry goal over the plan's checks, the owner receives the readings and the high-water photographs, and the finish is replaced after the readings are complete.
A ceiling stain grows below an upstairs bathroom over one day, with no pipe visible. The water meter keeps turning when every tap is shut, and the hallway floor by the stairs has begun to feel soft.
What we do
The main is closed and the meter is checked. The wall cavity and the ceiling below are read, a small opening is made low in the wall where the readings stay high, and the wet carpet is lifted in the hallway section that the readings show.
What to expect
The framing and subfloor reach their dry goal, the plumber receives the location of the split, and the ceiling is repaired after the readings are complete.
After a wet spell, the floor near an outside wall feels soft and the hardwood has begun to cup. The crawl space access shows damp joists and a dirt floor that has stayed wet at the low corner.
What we do
Standing water is removed from the low corner and debris cleared from the ground. The joists are read along each bay from below and the subfloor is read at the same points. Air is moved through the space and the access is kept open until the readings reach their goal.
What to expect
The joists and subfloor dry to goal, the hardwood is lifted only where the readings stayed high, and the record shows the readings for each bay before the floor is refinished.
During a heavy storm the water rises through the laundry floor drain and spreads across the lower room. The room smells of sewage and the water is dark with debris at the edge of the floor.
What we do
The room is closed, the washer and the drain are shut off, and the water is treated as contaminated throughout. Carpet, pad and stored paper are bagged and removed, and the hard surfaces are cleaned and sanitized before the room is dried on readings.
What to expect
The room reaches its dry goal, every bagged item is listed in the owner's file, and a plumber checks the drain before the room is used again.
A brown ring grows on an upstairs bedroom ceiling after a storm. Limbs from a tree were down on the roof that week, and the ceiling paint has begun to bubble near the light fixture.
What we do
The attic is entered and the wet insulation is found along the flashing. The insulation is removed in the wet section, a small opening is made in the ceiling to drain the water, and the rafters and board are read until they reach their goal.
What to expect
The attic and ceiling dry to goal, the roofer receives the record of where the water entered, and the ceiling is repaired after the readings are complete.
a day to trace, then several days of drying typical visit
A leak in an upper townhome unit reaches the unit below
What homeowners notice
A bathroom leak in an upper townhome runs down the stack, and the unit below shows a stain on the ceiling and a damp spot on the shared wall. Both owners need to know what was done in their own space.
What we do
The affected stack is closed with the owner's approval and the neighbor is told first. The shared wall and the ceiling are read once, and each unit gets its own readings, photographs and log of what was removed or kept.
What to expect
Both units dry to goal, the association receives the combined record for the shared structure, and each household receives its own record for its space.
several days with each unit recorded typical visit
Have the same problem?
Call and tell us what you see. We will tell you what it likely is and what it usually costs before anyone drives out.
