Water damage to your home can be caused by many things – it can be the consequence of flooding, excessive raining, melting snow or of a fire extinguishing process. Extensive water damage usually means more than a few soaked carpets – in most cases, the damage affects important structural components of the building, such as the walls and the floors and it is also associated with serious health risks, such as disease-spreading contamination. Such severe damage requires professional knowledge and professional tools, so the best and safest way to restore your home is by calling water damage Fort Collins specialists in handling water damage. Here are some important things to know about water damage elimination companies and about what sets them apart.
Restoration or Mitigation
While both restoration and mitigation are processes related to handling water damage, the purpose of the two procedures is quite different. While water damage mitigation aims at minimizing the harmful effects of the water damage, such as preventing contamination, pumping out water from the building and measures to prevent the collapse of the building, water damage restoration is a much longer, much more complex process that often involves the replacement of affected flooring and drywall panels and refinishing work.
The difference between the two types of services is important mainly for your insurance claim. Many home insurance policies cover for mitigation, but not for restoration, so before you call a specialist to help you in the trouble that you are faced with, take a quick look at your policy to see the type of coverage included.
Reputation
Beside service range, good reputation is another feature that differentiates water damage Fort Collins remediation companies. Whether you need a company that provides water damage mitigation services or more complex restoration, you should only work with a company that has an excellent reputation, backed up with reviews and testimonials. The best way to find out about the aspect is by conducting some online research – on the results pages returned for your query you can find not only the websites operated by the service providers in your area, but also ratings, reviews and forum entries provided by people who worked with one company or the other in the past, all of them worth reading.
Licensing and Insurances
Only water damage companies that carry a state-issued license and are properly insured can provide mitigation or restoration services. You can find out about that aspect either through your online research or by directly contacting the service providers that seem suitable.
Helpfulness
Personal contact, either in the form of a meeting or via the phone, is also very revealing and can help you differentiate between service providers. While talking to a company, ask about their service range, the size of their team, the equipment and the materials used, the timeframe for the damage remedy process – you might be pressed for time, but even so, knowing what is going to happen on your property is very important. Pay attention to how open and helpful the person you are talking to is and trust your instinct when choosing your water damage restoration company.