My basement flood clean up took 3 days longer than I planned

I had a pipe burst in my basement back in February and figured I'd have it dried out and patched up in a weekend. Ended up spending 6 days ripping out wet drywall and insulation because I kept finding mold behind the baseboards. The rental dehumidifier from Home Depot ran nonstop for almost a week and my hydro bill was brutal. Took me another 3 days just to get the framing straightened out since the studs had swelled up. Anyone else run into hidden water damage that snowballed way past your timeline?

2 comments

2 Comments

david8219d ago

My buddy Mark had the same thing happen in his rental property last fall. He figured it would be a 2 day job but ended up finding old termite damage behind the wall after the water leak. Took him almost two weeks to get it all replaced and treated.

matthew_owens98d ago

That timeline sounds about right once termites get involved. Two days turning into two weeks is pretty standard for hidden damage like that, almost a law of homeownership. One thing though, termite treatment usually has to wait until the wood is bone dry, so a water leak right before creates a perfect storm of problems. Plus most pest companies won't guarantee their work if there's active moisture behind the wall still. Mark probably learned more about drywall and framing than he ever wanted to.