Water Damage Restoration
Extraction, structural drying and moisture verification after burst pipes, appliance failures and basement flooding.
Learn more →The first hour
While you are waiting, this is the order that matters.
- Stop the source. Main shutoff for a supply-side failure; the appliance valve if it is a dishwasher, washer or water heater.
- Cut power to the affected area at the breaker, if you can reach the panel without standing in water.
- Move what you can carry to a dry room, and lift rugs off wet hardwood.
- Photograph and video everything before cleanup. Wide shots and close shots. You cannot recreate this later and it is the backbone of the claim.
- Call. Extraction inside the first few hours is the single largest factor in the final cost.
The process
Inspection and classification first: source, IICRC water category, and drying class. Those two numbers set your price. Then extraction with truck-mounted or portable equipment and weighted extraction on carpet. Then structural drying — air movers and dehumidifiers sized to room volume and class, with daily moisture readings against a baseline taken from unaffected material.
Cleaning and sanitizing follows, mandatory for Category 2 and 3. Moisture verification confirms dry standard before anything is closed up. Then rebuild: drywall, flooring, trim, paint.
What actually causes it in Denver
Frozen and burst pipes, December through February, concentrated in crawlspaces, attached garages and exterior walls. Denver's large daily temperature swing means a near-daily freeze-thaw cycle all winter, and that cycle is what splits lines. See burst pipe cleanup.
Snowmelt and spring runoff into basements, March through May, arriving through slab cracks and cove joints rather than through the door.
Hail and wind damage to roofs, which produces leaks weeks or months after the storm that caused them.
Sump pump failures during monsoon-season downpours in July and August.
Water heater and appliance failures, which happen year-round and which Front Range hard water accelerates through scale buildup.
Sewer line backups in Denver's pre-1960 neighborhoods, where clay laterals meet mature tree roots. That is Category 3 work — see sewage cleanup.
Cost
Denver-area jobs run $1,200 to $7,500, averaging $2,500 to $3,000, at roughly $3.00 to $7.50 per square foot. Frozen and burst pipe cleanup typically runs $1,000 to $4,000 plus $150 to $2,000 for the plumbing repair. Finished basement floods run $2,500 to $10,000 or more. Sewage backups run $2,000 to $10,000.
Timing moves the number as much as severity. Mold germinates within 24 to 48 hours, adding $500 to $3,000 in antimicrobial treatment; a week of delay can add full remediation at $1,100 to $3,400 on top of rebuild. Full tables are in the Colorado cost guide.
Insurance
We can tell you what tends to get claims paid: prompt notice, thorough photographic documentation taken before cleanup, a daily moisture log from the drying phase, and an itemized S500 scope. We cannot tell you your claim will be approved, and nobody outside your carrier can. The claims guide covers the rest.
Coverage across every Denver ZIP code, plus Aurora, Lakewood, Boulder, Longmont, Fort Collins and Greeley.
Sources and references
Guidance on this page aligns with public-health and industry standards, including EPA guidance on mold cleanup and flood cleanup, CDC guidance on mold after water damage, Ready.gov flood recovery material, and the IICRC S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration.
More services
Explore our other services
Fire & Smoke Damage
Soot removal, odor control and cleanup of the firefighting water that usually does more damage than the flames.
Learn more →Mold Remediation
Containment, removal and moisture-source correction when water sat long enough for mold to take hold.
Learn more →Storm & Hail Damage
Roof tarping, water intrusion cleanup and documentation after Front Range hail and wind events.
Learn more →Sewage Cleanup
Category 3 backups handled with containment, full removal of porous materials and disinfection.
Learn more →Structural Drying
Air movers, dehumidifiers and daily moisture readings until framing, subfloor and drywall hit dry standard.
Learn more →
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
How fast can someone get to me in Denver?
The line is answered 24/7 and contractors are dispatched as quickly as availability allows across the metro. We do not guarantee an arrival window, and we would rather say that plainly than promise an hour and miss it — on the night a hard freeze breaks pipes across the city, everyone is committed.
How long does water damage restoration take in Denver?
Minor clean-water damage typically dries in three to five days, plus repair time. A saturated finished basement usually runs five to seven days of drying before rebuild starts. Denver's low humidity generally shortens drying by about a day compared with a humid climate.
What should I do first?
Shut off the water at the main, cut power to the affected area at the breaker if you can do it safely, move valuables to dry ground, photograph and video everything before you touch it, and then call. Do not aim household fans at soaked drywall.
Will my insurance cover it?
Sudden accidental damage such as a burst pipe or an appliance failure is typically covered. Gradual leaks, deferred maintenance and outside flooding typically are not, and flooding needs separate coverage. Call your carrier before demolition begins, because unauthorized tear-out complicates claims.
Do you handle commercial buildings in Denver?
Yes — offices, retail, apartment buildings and light industrial. Multi-unit losses are scoped differently from single-family work because responsibility splits between the building policy and individual unit policies, and that boundary needs establishing on day one.
Free, no-obligation