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It depends on the water category and how far it has spread. A clean-water job across two or three rooms, such as a burst supply line caught the same day, typically runs $2,000 to $6,500 including extraction, drying equipment and daily monitoring. Gray or black water across multiple rooms, where drywall, carpet and pad have to be removed and the structure sanitized before drying, runs $6,500 to $18,000 or more. The emergency call-out and inspection, including moisture mapping and a written report, is $250 to $500 and is credited against the restoration work. We quote on site after mapping the moisture, not from a description over the phone, and the estimate is free.

Water extraction on a standard home or basement is $500 to $2,500 per job, depending on the volume of water, the number of rooms and whether we are pulling it from carpet, a slab or a finished basement. That covers truck-mounted or portable extraction, disposal and the initial moisture map. Structural drying is separate: air movers and LGR dehumidifiers run $50 to $125 per unit per day, and a typical two-room dry-out takes three to five days. Basement flooding cleanup as a package, with extraction, disposal, sanitizing and drying, runs $1,500 to $10,000 depending on the water category and the finish level. We tell you the numbers before we start.

Carpet drying and restoration is $200 to $600 per room, which includes lifting the carpet, assessing the pad, extraction, antimicrobial treatment and drying with air movers. Pad usually cannot be saved once it is saturated and is replaced, which we price separately. Hardwood, laminate and tile floor drying is $400 to $1,800 per area, because it involves drying mats or injecting air under the boards and closer monitoring. Whether carpet is worth drying depends on the category: clean water from a burst pipe is usually fine if we reach it within a day or two, gray water is case by case, and black water from a sewer backup means the carpet is removed and disposed of.

Mold remediation in a contained area is $1,500 to $6,000, depending on how much material has to be removed, whether we need negative-air containment and how far the growth has spread inside the wall or under the floor. Sewage backup cleanup and sanitization runs $3,000 to $10,000 because everything the black water touched is contaminated and has to be removed, the structure treated with antimicrobial, and the area confirmed clean before rebuilding. Frozen and burst pipe water damage, covering locating the break, extraction, drying and minor drywall, is $1,500 to $8,000. Storm damage make-safe and drying runs $800 to $4,500, and contents pack-out and restoration $1,000 to $5,000. Every job is quoted on site before work starts.

Usually, but it depends on the cause. A standard HO-3 homeowners policy covers sudden and accidental discharge: burst pipes, a failed water heater, an appliance supply line, and frozen pipes if reasonable heat was maintained. It excludes surface flooding from rivers or overland flow unless you carry a separate flood policy through the NFIP or a private carrier, and it excludes sewer backup and sump pump overflow unless you added a water backup and sump discharge or overflow endorsement, typically with limits of $5,000 to $25,000. Gradual leaks and long-term seepage are excluded. We document the cause, the water category and the extent of damage so the claim reflects what actually happened.

They land in three different places on an Illinois policy. A burst pipe or appliance failure is sudden and accidental discharge and is covered by a standard homeowners policy. A combined sewer backup or a sump pump overflow is covered only if you have the water backup endorsement, and the limit on that endorsement is often smaller than the loss. Overland flooding from the Des Plaines, DuPage or Chicago River is covered only by a separate flood policy. After a federal disaster declaration, such as the one for Cook County following the July 2023 storm, FEMA Individual Assistance and SBA loans may help households whose policies did not respond. Which category your water falls into decides the claim.

Adjusters expect dated photos of the source and the damage before anything is moved, a moisture map of every affected room showing where the water went, a daily drying log with readings coming down over time, and an itemized scope of work, usually in the Xactimate format that Illinois carriers use. We produce all four on every job. Keep receipts for anything you buy or dispose of, and do not throw out damaged contents until they are photographed. If you disagree with how the claim is handled, the Illinois Department of Insurance takes complaints. Mitigation and emergency services are covered when they are documented, so do not wait for the adjuster to visit before calling us.

Yes, where the carrier approves direct billing, and most do for mitigation work. We provide the documentation they expect: a photo report before and after, a moisture map of every affected room, a drying log and an itemized scope. Emergency extraction and drying that stops the damage getting worse is generally covered when documented, so do not wait for an adjuster to arrive before calling. In condo buildings we produce one report that covers every affected unit so the association's master policy and the individual owners' policies are working from the same facts. If your claim is declined or you are not insured, we quote the work privately at the same rates.

We cover the City of Chicago and the surrounding Chicagoland suburbs in Cook and DuPage counties on a 24/7 basis. In the city that includes downtown, the North Side, West Side and South Side, from the Loop, River North and Streeterville through Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Logan Square and Albany Park, the West Loop, Wicker Park, Pilsen and Austin, and Hyde Park, Bridgeport, Beverly and Chatham. In the suburbs we cover Evanston, Skokie, Park Ridge and Des Plaines to the north and Oak Park, Cicero, Naperville and West Chicago to the west, along with the communities between them. If you are on the edge of that area, call anyway and we will tell you straight away.

Typical travel time is 40 to 75 minutes depending on where you are and the time of day. Downtown and the North Side are the shortest runs, the West and South Sides are usually under an hour, and Naperville and West Chicago sit at the longer end. We give you a realistic arrival window when you call rather than a guess. The price ranges on this site apply across the whole coverage area and we do not add a travel surcharge for suburban jobs. The local technicians know the difference between a Des Plaines River flood in Park Ridge, a combined sewer backup in Cicero and a sump failure in Skokie, and arrive with equipment for the job at hand.

Yes, and a large share of our city work is multi-unit. Water in a two-flat, a three-flat, a courtyard building or a high-rise rarely stays in the unit where it started, so we moisture map every affected unit, set up containment and drying floor by floor, and coordinate with the building manager, the condo association and the insurers involved, which are often more than one. We provide a single photo and moisture report covering all affected units so the association has one document for its master policy. Commercial work, including retail, restaurants, offices and below-grade parking and mechanical rooms that flood in a storm, runs on the same 24/7 basis with pumping out before drying begins.