How To Minimize Cost When There Is Water Damage In Your Home
Water damage can be tasking emotionally, physically, and financially. While the physical and emotional challenges cannot be controlled, the financial effects of the water damage can be controlled. This is why it is important that you know how to minimize cost when there is water damage in your home.
The costs that you will incur when there is water damage will pile up, but you can keep it to a minimum when you know the areas to reduce cost. In order to help homeowners or property owners, we have compiled a list of how to keep the cost of water damage to a minimum. Find out more about cost reduction on the article below.
Common Costs Related to Water Damage
There are some usual expenses related to water damage. We will discuss the most common costs that are incurred when there is water damage in your home. These are the issues that we have noticed with the clients that we have worked with. There are two main costs related to water damage, which are the costs related to property and belongings. However, there are also other costs related to water damage apart from the two.
Damage to Property
When there is a flood in your home, the structure of your home becomes weaker. In turn, this will lead to damage to property. If the structure becomes weak, it will require either restoration or replacement. The most common part of your home that will be damaged during a flood is the floors, windows, and doors.
Since the flood soaks the floor, it will cause damage to the foundation of your home. It can weaken the base of your home, which will lead to more trouble. The glass windows are usually the damaged during a storm and typhoon. This is also the case for the doors leading to the inside of your home.
Wooden walls are also prone to damage since wood is not very reliable after being soaked in water. When the foundation of your home has become weak, it will easily collapse. Since you do not want this to happen, you will end up spending money on replacement or restoration when your home is exposed to water damage.
Damage to Belongings
In terms of your furnishing and appliances, it can easily be destroyed when there is a flood. This is because your belongings are not designed to stand up to water damage. Even when your appliance says that it is waterproof, they would not be able to withstand being soaked in flood for more than an hour. On top of that, your electronics can also cause electric hazards.
When there is water damage, there is a higher chance of being electrocuted due to the fact that the plug is exposed to water. On the other hand, the pieces of furniture will be soaked in water and there will be an added weight to the item. This can cause injuries, especially when the homeowners try to move the furniture on their own.
Apart from that, you will also find yourself in the midst of flood-soaked food, clothes, and small belongings. Some of them may even be useless after the water damage since it is exposed to bacteria. Restoring them to their original state can be costly. On top of that, you may need to replace some of your former stuff. When the flood is severe, you will also lose important documents and memorabilia. These are the type of items that you cannot put a price tag on.
Temporary Living Costs
One cost that may seem minimal to some is the temporary living costs that you will incur when there is water damage on your home. However, these costs can pile up and can become a major component of what you would normally spend.
When the water damage is severe, the homeowner would have to evacuate the area. They would need a temporary living space, which may require a rental fee. There are times when you would need to leave your home for a week or so. Moreover, you would need to purchase some supplies since some of them may be destroyed by the flood.
How to Minimize Cost when there is Water Damage in your Home
Now that we have pinpointed the common costs related to water damage, we will discuss how to minimize cost in these aspects. Find out about how you can reduce cost during the water damage restoration process.
Repair of Property
In order to minimize the cost related to property, it is important to build a home with a strong structure. When the foundation of your home has structural integrity, it will be harder to take it down. In order to reduce the cost of repair to your property, it is important to prevent using wood for the foundation of your home. Another thing that you can do to minimize cost during water damage is you can weatherproof your doors and windows.
This way, you can reduce the damage that may affect the entryways to your property. You can also protect the outdoors by removing any potential danger like trash bins or fallen branches. Strong winds can blow this off through your home. This means that if they are not present in the area, there is a smaller chance that they can cause destruction to property.
Purchase of Destroyed Belongings
Your possessions would be easier to protect compared to your actual home. This is because most of your stuff is movable. When you first hear the warning that there is a typhoon or storm coming, you can begin waterproofing your belongings. You can cover them the appliances or furniture with plastic to prevent them from being soaked in water.
You can even put your possessions in an elevated area to prevent them from being drenched in flood. On top of that, you can protect your smaller valuables by putting them in a weatherproof safe to prevent them from being soaked in water.
Others have trouble with their insurance claim with regard to their movable belongings. If you wish to prevent this from happening, it is important that you have an inventory of your valuables. You must also keep the receipt of the item so that you will have a proof of the importance of the belonging and their corresponding value.
With this, you can minimize the cost of having to repurchase any of your belongings that have been destroyed by the flood. You can even prevent the need to purchase them at all since your possession has been untouched by the water damage.
Temporary Living Costs
In order to reduce the cost related to your temporary living arrangement, you must have a disaster preparedness kit that can help you survive the first three days. During the first three days after a disaster, the prices of basic necessities usually go up. This is why it is helpful to have your own supply of food and other basic necessities.
However, it is also important to check if the food that you have stored has been soaked in flood. If this is the case, it is best to discard them since they have been exposed to bacteria, which can end up being more detrimental to one’s health.
When choosing a temporary home, it is important to also account for the corresponding transportation. If the commute or travel will be longer when you choose a cheaper accommodation, you may end up spending more than what you intend to.
Ensure Prompt Insurance Claim Application
In order to promptly collect your insurance claim, it is important to have important documents on hand. This will help speed up your application, which is why it is best to keep your insurance policy and identification card in a safe place. You should also have an inventory of your belongings and keep the corresponding receipt for bigger purchases. This will serve as your proof when you are filing an insurance claim.
Being prepared for a calamity is important because “When you have faced a calamity, it is easy to get lost in your thoughts. The last thing on your mind might be the necessary documents to prepare when claiming water damage insurance because, after all, you have a flooded property. This is the reason why you need to prepare these documents before a calamity can even hit your home. The preparation for any adversity should be done before it even happens. However, there are still documents that you need to prepare before you can file your insurance claim.”
Find out more about this topic in this article: Important Documents to Prepare when Claiming Water Damage Insurance
The Ultimate Cost Reduction Tip: Get Water Damage Restoration Services
The ultimate way to minimize cost when there is water damage in your home is by getting water damage restoration services. By getting professional help, you are able to save more in the long run. This is due to the fact that water damage restoration service companies are knowledgeable in what they do. There is less room for error and mistakes, which can add up to the costs that you are already incurring.
When you employ the services of a water damage company, you are also paying for the use of modern equipment. If you use specialized equipment, the restoration process will wrap up in a quicker manner. The use of the right equipment will help you minimize cost. This is because it prevents you from incurring mistakes when cleaning up water damage.
If you get water damage restoration services, you can sit back and relax and wait for the professionals to do the job. The fee that you are paying includes the privilege of having professionals restore the state of your home. When you hire professionals for the job, they would know where to look for water damage. On top of that, they are capable to fix the issue because they know what to do.
Water damage is not something that you can deal with on your own. It is best to have licensed professionals that use specialized equipment to work on the problem. In this manner, you can prevent any mistake that will cause you to spend more.
Doing DIY Water Damage Restoration can Cost More
The danger in doing water damage restoration on your own is best explained in one of our previous articles. It states that “…there are some things that should be handled by capable professionals. One project that you should not try to fix on your own is water damage restoration. When you try to remove water damage on your own, you can cause more danger than there is present. There are several issues that can confront you when you try to DIY the water damage restoration process on your own.”
Some of these issues include the electrical hazard present when doing water damage restoration. You will also be faced with the fact that your belongings now carry an added weight, which adds to the danger that you are facing.
On top of that, the structure of your home is now substantially weaker. One major effect of water damage is the exposure to bacteria and mold growth. This causes a negative impact on those affected since it can even lead to fatality.
Find out more about the dangers of DIY water damage restoration in this article.
In conclusion, the cost of water damage can be minimized by being prepared even before the water damage occurs. There is no better way to eliminate water damage expense than by reducing the chance that water damage may even occur. However, if you are already faced with the damage, it is best to put the work in the hands of capable professionals.
When there is water damage present in your home, you can give Water Damage Miami a call or send us a message and we will take care of the rest the work. We can help you minimize the cost that you will incur in case there is water damage inside your home.