Your home · 10 guides
Restoration: problems and fixes, explained by Alison
Alison Zelaya is the only restoration member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- Will insurance pay for the water damage? How Texas policies treat leaks and mold Whether insurance pays for water damage depends mostly on how the water got there and how quickly you acted. Here is what Texas consumer guidance says, and what we see on real claims. Sudden, gradual or flood: the distinction that decides coverageWhat sudden and accidental looks like in practiceFlood is not the same as water damageWhere mold fits into a water claim
- Smoke reached rooms the fire never touched: what drives the cost of restoration The flames are only part of the bill. Smoke travel, soot type, contents, firefighting water and the rebuild decide what a fire restoration costs, and you can influence several of them. The short answer on fire restoration costWhy the burned spot is the smallest part of the jobThe six factors that move a fire estimateCleaning versus replacing: where most of the money is decided
- Sewage came up through the tub: what cleanup involves and whether you can stay A sewage backup is not a mop-and-bleach job. Here is what to do in the first hour, what a professional cleanup involves step by step, and how to decide whether your family can stay in the house. Straight answer: what happens and whether to stayWhy sewage is handled differently from a clean leakWhy the drains backed up in the first placeThe first hour, before anyone arrives
- Questions to ask a restoration company before the first fan goes in You usually choose a restoration company in a hurry, with water on the floor. These are the questions that separate a careful company from one that drops off fans and disappears. Ask these before anyone startsWhy the choice is harder than it looksTraining and credentials worth checkingHow will you know when my house is dry?
- Mold on the wall: when you can clean it yourself and when you should not Small, surface mold from a known and fixed leak is often something you can handle. Here is where federal guidance and Texas licensing rules draw the line, and how to do the small job safely. The quick answer on doing it yourselfMold is a water problem firstTwo size lines that matter: 10 and 25 square feetSituations that are not a DIY job at any size
- Is air duct cleaning worth it? What it fixes, what it does not, and the myths Air duct cleaning is sold hard and understood poorly. Here is when it genuinely helps, when it is a waste of money, and how to spot a provider who is selling fear instead of a service. When duct cleaning is worth paying forMyth: every home needs its ducts cleaned every year or twoMyth: clean ducts will fix allergies and indoor airMyth: a quick visit with one hose is a real cleaning
- Hidden water damage: the signs behind walls and under floors most people miss Most water damage starts out of sight, inside a wall or under a floor. These are the signs it leaves on the surface, the checks you can do yourself and the point where measuring beats guessing. What hidden water damage usually looks likeWhy water hides so wellRoom by room: where to look firstSurface clues that something is wet behind them
- A storm opened the roof or broke the windows: securing a Dallas home the same day When a spring storm tears shingles off or sends a limb through a window, the next few hours decide how much water gets inside. Here is the order of operations, from safety to tarp to claim. The order of operations after the storm passesWhat North Texas storms tend to do to a houseSafety comes before photosDocument the damage before anything changes
- A drying company and a contractor, or one company for both: which works better Mitigation and reconstruction are two different jobs, and you can hire them together or separately. Here is how each approach plays out in practice, and how to decide for your house. Two jobs hiding inside one lossWhat mitigation covers and what reconstruction coversThe handoff problemWhere one company for both earns its keep
- You just found standing water in the house: the first 48 hours, step by step Water does its worst damage quietly, inside walls and under floors, in the first two days. Here is what to do in the right order, and what a restoration crew does once it arrives. The sound of water where water should not beWhere the water came from changes everythingWhat to do yourself in the first hourCan this wait until morning, or is this a call right now?