Not all flood damage requires extensive renovation. Some cases can be managed with simple cleaning and minor repairs, depending on the type and extent of the damage. Here are examples of flood damage typically considered easier to deal with:
1. If flood water has only affected non-porous surfaces like ceramic tile or concrete, it can often be cleaned and dried without structural repairs. Proper sanitization and dehumidification are sufficient to prevent mold or mildew.
2. If the flooding is minimal and the carpet was wet for less than 24-48 hours, drying with fans and dehumidifiers can be effective. Professional cleaning and disinfecting will usually suffice without needing replacement, provided no mold growth has occurred.
3. Flood damage limited to painted, water-resistant walls where water has not penetrated deeply may be remedied by thorough drying. Checking for mold behind baseboards is recommended, but full renovation is usually unnecessary.
4. When upholstered furniture gets damp but not soaked, quick drying, thorough cleaning, and using dehumidifiers can restore the items without significant repair.
5. Water seepage that has only created puddles on a basement floor, rather than saturating walls or major surfaces, can often be handled by mopping, drying, and addressing drainage issues without major renovations.
However, if there was a severe flood which either lasted for several days or had a rather high water level, the extent of damage might be higher. Extended moist exposure could lead to mold infestation on flooring and at walls. In such cases it is better to use a more radical approach and find reconstruction professionals https://www.commercial-nds.com/our-services/water-and-flood/ who are skilled in flood damage mitigation and structural reconstruction. Such specialists work with premises after the water has disappeared from them. As a rule, an assessment of the damage and subsequent work is carried out - the amount of work will depend on how damaged the walls and flooring are, and whether they will have to be stripped down to the ground. Of course, all workers are safety-conscious: they can, for example, fix damaged wiring so that the homeowner will not have problems with it in the future.
Regardless of how bad the flood damage was, have patience and make sure you have a place to live while the work is being done. Draining a house, especially with a basement, takes time, as does the subsequent work of the cleaners or builders.
