Flood & Water Mitigation

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Time is of the essence. If your neighbors or other people in your city have flooded, jobs are usually handled on a first come, first serve basis. Be the first in you area to get your home dried out and back to living condition as soon as possible. If you have flooded, you probably don't know where to start, but stopping or preventing mold growth is going to be at the top of the list. We can guide you through the entire process.

If your home is insured, the cost for our services will be determined and paid for by your insurance company. All that you have to worry about is your homeowners insurance/flood insurance deductible. If you are concerned about financials, we have options to help you with your deductible also. You can speed the process along quicker by telling the insurance claims adjuster that you already have a licensed, insured, and mold remediation certified contractor. We use the same estimating software as Insurance Adjusters so that we can move your claim along faster than other contractors. You will need your claim number, insurance contact info, and a copy of your declaration page for your insurance policy(s).

Before any contents in your home are removed, take pictures and start making a list of everything that was damaged including desks, furniture, appliances, cabinets, clothes, electronics, etc. Your insurance adjuster will want to know the price, age, and condition of all these items. If you plan on buying replacements, search for the current price of these items today and have that information ready also. If you are unsure about anything, call Gulf Coast Contractors. We are experts in dealing with insurance claims and we are happy to help!

If water came in from the roof/ceiling area, this water intrusion must be stopped in order to clean and dry out the home. An important inclusion in your insurance policy states that you as the homeowner are responsible for taking any necessary actions to protect your home from further damage. We use FEMA style roof coverings to make sure that additional water does not enter the home. Roof tarps are a temporary fix. The sun, wind, and rain may damage a tarp after a few months of exposure. It is recommended to get your roof repaired or replaced as soon as possible after the field adjuster has seen the damage.

This process typically takes a 4 man crew 1-4 days depending on the content to be removed and the square footage of the floor(s) that were damaged. You may know this by "clean out" or "mud out". Everything that has been water damaged will need to be removed from the home. This includes sheet rock/drywall, insulation, furniture, flooring, cabinets, etc. Most of this will be thrown away. A few items may be salvageable if they were not constructed with fiber board. You will need to specifically identify items that you want to keep and not replace with insurance funds.

We Hepa vacuum the contaminants away so that the mold spores or other contaminants do not become aerosolized and travel into other parts your home or in the air that you breathe.

We clean the remaining materials with a mechanical cleaning process, a chemical cleaning process, or both depending on the severity of damage in your home. Many contractors and water mitigation companies skip this crucial step though it is often required by the standards set by The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC).

After removal of all contaminated contents and thorough cleaning, we apply a commercial grade biocide to the remaining parts of the home. This will kill any potentially remaining mold spores and be an inhibitor for future mold growth. Commercial style air movers are strategically placed around the home that will evaporate the water from your framing and saturate the moisture into the air. Commercial grade dehumidifiers are then used in the home to remove the water from the air. This water is typically pumped into a sink, toilet, or outside the home

The drying process continues for typically 1-5 days until moisture levels in the wood framing and existing drywall meet the strict local and state guidelines. You cannot guess or feel for moisture levels. The existing material in the home is tested to determine the moisture levels using sensitive testing equipment. Only after the moisture readings are below the threshold in all rooms will the fans and dehumidifiers be removed.

It is recommended to get the roof replaced as soon as possible. If you want to beat the crowd, avoid shingle shortages, and get a new roof installed as soon as possible, please discuss your options with Gulf Coast Contractors.

It is important to know that no interior restoration should take place until a damaged roof has been permenantly fixed or replaced. Act quickly, as this will allow you to be first on interior repairs and get you back in your home as soon as possible.

Now that the water mitigation and mold preventative measures have taken place, the home is ready for Gulf Coast Contractors to add new flooring, insulation, drywall, paint, appliances, cabinets, trim work and any other necessary repairs.