Water Damage Restoration
Extraction, structural drying and moisture verification after burst pipes, appliance failures and basement flooding.
Learn more →Three water sources, three jobs
Creek and surface flooding. St. Vrain Creek and Left Hand Creek are the defining risk here, and 2013 is the benchmark event. Ground-surface water is Category 3: contaminated by default, handled with containment and PPE, with carpet, pad, drywall above the high-water line, insulation and particleboard removed rather than dried. Coverage comes from a flood policy, not a homeowners policy. Detail on the flood cleanup page.
Interior plumbing failures. Clean Category 1 water, typically covered, best case for salvage. Old Town's pre-1940 housing produces both dramatic winter bursts and the slower, more expensive kind of leak inside a wall.
Snowmelt and groundwater. March through May, arriving through slab cracks and cove joints rather than as a visible flood, and usually excluded from coverage. It is also the one that produces mold most often, because it goes unnoticed longest.
The sequence
Inspection and classification to an IICRC category and drying class, which set both the method and the price. Extraction of standing water with pumps and weighted carpet tools. Removal of unsalvageable porous material where the water was contaminated. Cleaning and disinfection of hard surfaces. Structural drying with air movers and dehumidifiers sized to the space, with daily moisture readings taken against a baseline from unaffected material. Verification to dry standard, then rebuild.
On flood jobs it is worth discussing rebuild materials rather than restoring like for like. In a property with repeat exposure, closed-cell insulation instead of fiberglass, sealed concrete or tile instead of carpet, and a raised platform for the furnace and water heater all reduce the next loss substantially.
The first hour
Shut the water at the main for an interior failure. Cut power to the affected area at the breaker if you can reach the panel safely. Photograph and video everything, including the high-water line, before anything moves. Move what you can carry to dry ground. Then call.
Do not run household fans at soaked drywall, and on a flood job do not start pulling material out before the loss is documented — you will remove the evidence your claim depends on.
Insurance, honestly
Sudden accidental interior water damage is usually covered. Creek and surface flooding needs a separate flood policy. Sewer and drain backup needs its own endorsement. Groundwater seepage is usually excluded. Nobody can promise a claim outcome, but documentation quality and speed of notice are the two things within your control, and both matter. See the claims guide.
Coverage by Longmont ZIP code, other local services on the Longmont hub, and neighboring cities Boulder and Greeley.
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
The creek flooded my basement. What is the first step?
Safety, then documentation. Do not enter standing water where electricity may be live. Once it is safe, photograph and video everything before anything moves, including the high-water line on the walls, because that line determines where drywall gets cut and it disappears as things dry.
Why is flood water treated as contaminated?
Because of what it has run through. Surface water picks up fertilizer, pesticide, road oil, animal waste and, where sewers surcharge, sanitary sewage. The IICRC classifies it Category 3 regardless of appearance, which means porous materials are removed rather than dried.
My Old Town house has a slow leak in a wall. Is that urgent?
Yes, more than most people assume. A leak that has been running inside a wall for weeks has already saturated framing and the back of the drywall, and mold germinates within 24 to 48 hours of a material becoming damp. The longer it runs the more likely the insurer treats it as gradual damage rather than sudden.
What does it cost in Longmont?
Standard jobs run $1,500 to $8,000 at Front Range rates. Clean-water single rooms sit at the bottom, finished basement flooding at $2,500 to $10,000 or more, and Category 3 flood or sewage work at the top. The cost guide has the full tables.
Free, no-obligation