Hiring help
What does a good restoration contractor do that a bad one skips?
The short answer: a good restoration contractor measures first, contains the work area, removes what can't be saved, dries with proper equipment over days, verifies with final moisture readings, and documents everything for your insurance. A bad one skips the readings, skips the containment, sprays something and leaves — and bills for work the moisture would disprove. Three questions separate them every time: do you take moisture readings, do you contain the work area, and do you work to the ANSI/IICRC S500 standard?
Why this page exists
This site is pro-contractor, full stop. Honest restoration crews do hard, technical work that saves houses — and the bad operators are the ones who give the whole trade its reputation problem. Knowing the difference protects you and rewards the crews who do it right. The restoration contractor is the hero of this story. The real remediation sequence →
What the good ones do
- Measure before they touch anything. Moisture meters, thermal imaging — a mapped picture of what's wet, including inside walls. The map becomes the plan.
- Contain the work area. Plastic sheeting, sometimes negative-air equipment, so the dirty work doesn't contaminate your clean rooms.
- Remove what's unsalvageable. Saturated drywall, carpet pad, insulation — out, per the standard's principles, not per guesswork.
- Dry with real equipment. Air movers and dehumidifiers, sized and placed deliberately, run for days — with readings taken throughout.
- Verify before rebuilding. Final moisture readings prove the structure is dry before drywall goes back up. No readings, no proof.
- Document everything. Photos, moisture logs, daily notes — the paper trail your insurance claim needs, handed to you without being asked.
What the bad ones skip
- The readings. No meter comes out of the truck. They "know" it's dry.
- The containment. Work happens in the open; the rest of your house breathes what the work area produces.
- The drying. A spray, a promise, and gone — no equipment left running, no return visit.
- The honesty. Quoting over the phone without seeing the job. Pressuring you to sign today. Suggesting you inflate the insurance claim.
Before you hire anyone
- Verify their license and insurance with your state's licensing board.
- Ask for references from recent water-damage jobs, not just general remodeling.
- Get the scope in writing: what's removed, what's dried, the equipment plan, the timeline.
- How to compare quotes →
Informational only — not professional, medical, or insurance advice.
This is general guidance for hiring, not a substitute for licensed professional advice. Verify any contractor's license and insurance with your state's licensing board before hiring.