Water Damage Restoration in Lake Charles, LA

Water damage: what to do before the crew arrives

• Shut off the water at the main valve, or the breaker for any circuit near the water, if you can reach it without standing in it.
• Photograph every wet room, the source of the leak and the waterline on walls and furniture before anything is moved.
• Lift rugs, cushions, papers and electronics off the wet floor and out of the room.
• Open interior doors and run the air conditioning; leave sealed-up rooms closed if the water came from outside.
• Call your insurer to open a claim, and keep receipts for anything you buy.

Call (337) 570-2420

How water damage restoration runs

Extraction. Standing water is pulled out of carpet, pad and hard floors with extraction units; carpet pad that soaked through is usually cut out and discarded. Opening up. Baseboards come off and small holes or flood cuts let the wall cavities give up their moisture. Drying. Air movers and dehumidifiers run while a technician logs moisture readings in the framing, subfloor and drywall each visit, and the equipment stays until the readings match dry reference materials. Records. Photos and the drying log go into the file your adjuster will ask for.

Clean water, grey water and sewage: three kinds of water damage

Where the water came from decides what can be saved. A broken supply line is clean water, and wet drywall from it can often be dried in place if the job starts in time. Washing machine overflow and some appliance leaks carry more contamination, so porous materials they soak are usually removed. Sewage backups and outside floodwater are a different class altogether: the Department of Health says you will need professional help when water or mold damage came from sewage or other contaminated water, and soaked drywall, insulation and carpet go to the curb.

Storms, flooding and water damage in Lake Charles

Water in a Lake Charles house often arrives from outside rather than from a pipe. Hurricane Rita's surge pushed up the Calcasieu River in 2005 until it reached Interstate 10 in places, leaving about 6 feet of water in parts of downtown, and NHC estimated 3 to 6 feet of water above ground in the Lake Charles area from Laura's surge in 2020. Rain alone can do it as well: on May 17, 2021 the airport measured 12.49 inches in one day, about six of them in two hours.

The river and the bayous set the risk street by street. When the Lake Charles tide gauge on the Calcasieu reaches 5 feet, the National Weather Service says water starts backing into downtown through the storm drains, and at 7.8 feet it begins to top the downtown seawall. In south Lake Charles, Contraband Bayou at Common Street floods at 8 feet and set its highest recorded crest, 11.53 feet, in May 2016.

When water damage turns into mold removal

If walls stayed wet past a couple of days, or the leak ran unnoticed inside a cavity, drying alone is not the end of it. At that point the job becomes mold remediation, and Louisiana law changes who does what: under La. R.S. 37:2158(A)(23) one company may not both assess the mold and remediate it on the same property, so an independent assessor scopes the growth and a separate contractor removes it. Lake Charles Mold Experts lines up those mold remediation services for you, and the remediation page explains the steps.

Call (337) 570-2420

Water damage restoration prices in Lake Charles

Extraction and drying of a single room usually costs $1,200 to $3,500, and a full floor of a house $3,500 to $10,000, set by how much water came in, how long it stood and what the floors and walls are made of. A leak caught and dried early is commonly a job of around $2,500. Once mold has grown, remediation is priced on top: $1,600 to $5,000 for a room. The cost page has every range; the written price comes after the house is seen.

Calling about water damage

Ring (337) 570-2420 and say where the water came from, how many rooms it reached and whether it is still coming in. Mention a claim number if you have one. The line takes the details at any hour, and the callback form below does the same in writing.