Hiring a Water Damage Contractor in Georgia: What to Ask First

What should a written estimate contain?

A written estimate should list the areas, the extraction, the drying method, the items to be removed and the items to be dried in place, and the proof of completion. An estimate that gives a single total without these parts is hard to check.

The areas should be named by room and by surface, so the estimate can be checked against the house. The extraction line describes the removal of standing water, and the drying line describes the equipment and the method. Each removal is listed separately with its reason, so the owner can see what is coming out.

The proof of completion belongs in the estimate too. It is the final set of readings, the photographs and a written statement of what was done. Asking for it at the start makes it part of the work rather than an afterthought.

Why should I ask which items will be replaced and which will be dried?

The split between replacement and drying decides much of the cost and most of the disagreement later. Asking for the split item by item, with the reason, makes the decision visible before work begins.

Porous materials that have soaked up water are often removed, while hard and sound materials are often dried in place. A contractor who replaces everything without showing the readings may be right, but the owner has no way to check. A contractor who dries everything without readings may leave wet material in the walls.

Ask to see the readings for each item on the list. The readings are the honest basis for the decision, and they make the decision easier to explain to an insurer or a second contractor.

Ask also what would change the decision. A contractor should be able to name the readings that would make an item move from dried to removed. An answer that is clear in advance makes a later change easier to accept, and it shows the decision was based on the structure rather than on convenience.

What insurance and registration should I ask for?

Ask for proof of the company's own insurance before work begins, and ask whether any licence or registration applies to the work. If one applies, ask for its number and the office that issued it, in writing.

The contractor's own insurance protects the homeowner and the property during the work. A request for proof is a normal part of hiring, and a company that refuses to show it should be questioned. Keep the proof in the water file with the estimate.

This guide does not name a licence for water damage work in Georgia. Ask the contractor which rule, agency or code applies to the job. A clear answer, in writing, is more useful than a statement that a company is licensed, because it can be checked.

How should the job be explained on site?

On site, the technician should show the readings, walk through the scope and explain each change before it is made. The price should be explained and approved before the work proceeds, and a change to the scope should be approved in the same way.

A technician who explains the readings on site is giving the owner a way to check the work. Ask to see the meter and the figures. Ask why each area is being dried or removed, and ask what the next visit will show.

A scope that changes during the job is normal, because the hidden parts of a structure are found as the work goes on. A change should be shown with the readings, explained and approved before it is carried out.

What should I expect the contractor to do about my insurance claim?

The contractor can supply the readings, photographs, removal list and drying log, and can answer questions about the work. The claim itself is between the homeowner and the insurer, and the contractor does not decide what the policy pays.

Some contractors offer to speak to an adjuster. That can help, but the homeowner should decide what is shared and should receive copies of any written request. The file remains the homeowner's record.

Ask the contractor to put the scope and the readings in a form an insurer can read. A clean record is often the fastest way to move a claim forward, and it protects the homeowner if the file is reviewed later.

What are the warning signs in a water damage estimate?

Warning signs include a total given before any reading, a promise of a fixed completion day, a refusal to show readings or proof of insurance, and pressure to decide before the scope is written. Any of these is a reason to ask more questions before work begins.

A promise of a completion day before the readings are known is a guess dressed as a commitment. Drying depends on what the structure does, and a contractor who cannot show the readings cannot show the trend either.

Pressure to sign before the scope is written is a sign to slow down. A written scope takes time to prepare, and a reputable company will be willing to wait for the owner's questions to be answered.

How do I keep a clear record of the contractor's work?

Keep the estimate, each change order, the readings, the photographs, the removal list and the invoices in one file. Ask for copies at each visit so the file is complete even if the contractor's own records are lost.

A change order should describe the change, its reason and its cost, and it should be signed or confirmed in writing by both parties. Keep the originals in one place, with the dates.

The file is useful well beyond the end of the job. It answers questions from an insurer, a repair contractor or a buyer later on, and it shows what was done to the structure and why.

What if the contractor uses a subcontractor for part of the work?

A contractor may bring in another company for the drying, the cleaning or the repair. That is common, but the homeowner should know who is doing which part, and who is responsible for each. Ask for the subcontractor's name and proof of its insurance before its work starts.

Ask who will be on site each day and who will read the readings. A scope in which the responsibility for each part is named is easier to check, and it is easier to hold a company to what was agreed.

If the work changes hands partway through, ask for the readings and the log to be handed over in full. A gap in the record between two companies is the kind of gap an insurer will question.

How should I check a contractor's references?

Ask for the names of recent jobs of a similar kind, and ask whether the owner would be willing to talk about how the work was explained and carried out. A reference is most useful when it is about the process, such as the readings, the changes and the final record.

A reference call can ask whether the scope was followed, whether changes were explained before they were made, and whether the final record arrived in full. Those questions say more about how the company works than a general opinion does.

Check each reference yourself, and keep a short note of what was said. A reference is one part of the decision, and it should sit beside the written estimate, the proof of insurance and the answers about readings.