Homeowners dread water damage and for many good reasons. It can reduce your home’s market value because it can compromise its aesthetic appeal and structural integrity. Water damage in your home can also bring about the potential of you and your loved ones being exposed to mold and mildew, which thrive in damp, dark places. What’s worse is that extensive water damage repairs can cost you between $1,300 and $5,600, or depending on how severe the damage is, as high as $13,000. 

You can only do so much to prevent water damage, and events like natural calamities are beyond your control. It’s important to think about preventing water damage. However, if water damage does occur, you must act quickly to avoid further deterioration. You can start by calling the experts for water damage restoration in Cape Cod as soon as possible.

The following pointers are what you need to do immediately after finding water damage in your home.

Turn Off the Water Mains and Electricity in Your Home

If your water pipes burst and begin to flood your home, you should first turn off the water mains and then shut down the power. You need to stop the source of the flood and, more importantly, prevent accidental electrocutions. Always ensure your household’s safety first and foremost.

Locate the Broken Section of the Pipe or Gutter

You need to find the pipe or gutter that caused the water damage. Find out the general location of the problematic pipe or gutter where the water first started to trickle in and you should be able to assess the damage. If it is extensive or severe, you may need to vacate your home temporarily. Your insurance company and restoration crew will also need this information later. 

Call Your Insurance Company

This point would be your first stop if you bought a property and discovered water damage hidden somewhere in the building. Speaking with your insurance provider is another thing you need to do immediately after your home sustains water damage. Call your insurance provider and confirm the scope of your policy and verify its inclusions, like whether the company will cover the costs of repairs, by how much, and if they will offer other benefits like paying for your temporary hotel stay. Also, it is worthwhile finding out if your insurer has any restrictions in place regarding the restoration company you choose to repair your home.

Document the Damage

Take photos and videos of the damage to your home. Documentation might be crucial for claiming home insurance benefits later. Your insurance company will also send someone to document the damage, but if they arrive much later than expected and you have already had to move things around by then, you can still show what the site looked like hours or days earlier.

Clean Up Your Home

Ideally, you would start cleaning up your home after the insurance company had arrived and assessed your situation. However, if you need to do some pre-inspection cleanup, discuss it first with your insurer to avoid getting accidentally disqualified for certain benefits. Avoid starting any work without the company’s knowledge because they might refuse to pay for all or part of the repairs. Also, wait for their authorization to throw away damaged items you will later file a claim for.

When you finally have the green light to clean up, sort your belongings immediately and identify what you’ll throw out and what you’ll be keeping. This will save you a lot of time and energy washing items you’ll discard anyway. The cleaning phase after water damage has occurred is also an opportunity to multitask and empty the room to prepare for repairs and restoration.

Start the Repairs ASAP

One thing you need to know about water damage is that accelerated deterioration can continue for days, weeks, or even months after the incident. The longer you delay repairs, the more extensive – and expensive – the damage could get. This is why starting repairs as soon as possible is so important.

Find a reputable company for water damage restoration in Cape Cod to restore your home to its former glory. You may have to tear out your drywall and flooring to remove rotting wood and insulation, which will be hard to DIY without proper equipment. It’s best to entrust the heavy lifting to equipped professionals.

Depending on the severity of the damage, you can also expect your repair crew to bring in large industrial fans and devise makeshift exhaust vents to dry out the flooded areas of your home thoroughly. You don’t want to install new hardwood floors or nail in new drywall when the undersides still have some moisture left.

Observe Your home for Signs of Mold

While the repairs are ongoing and even after, keep an eye out for funny odors and mold exposure symptoms like itchy eyes, sneezing, coughing, or headaches.

Mold multiplies quickly as it comprises tiny spores which can spread anywhere inside your home. Mold starts to grow within 72 hours of the spores’ contact with water. Mold can thrive more quickly if biodegradable materials like paper, dirt, wood, and food crumbs are nearby.

Mold damage can happen on the heels of water damage. If it isn’t caught early, it may be another expensive restoration months after the water damage restoration. This is yet another reason to start water damage restoration in Cape Cod as soon as possible.

Call Our Reliable Home Restoration Team at Restoration 1

We understand the stress and frustration of dealing with water damage because your water pipes burst or flood water reached your home. You work daily to pay the rent or mortgage, and seeing your home gets damaged is a difficult time. However, our water damage repair and restoration specialists at Restoration 1 can help make things easier for you and your family. We aim to ensure we take as much of the stress of an accident off of your shoulders.

Contact us and inquire about water damage restoration in Cape Cod today.