The True Cost Of A Flooded Basement
While there is no real way to put a price on your time, it is still valuable nonetheless. But there is a way to put a price tag on the expenses that arise from flooded basements. And while the expenses are real and often steep, a flooded basement will also cost you a ton in time. If this is the first time you’ve dealt with flooding, there’s a good chance you’ll work really hard to salvage certain things to no avail.
The first thing that most people want to do when they see a basement full of water is to try and salvage the area. Most people bust out the shop vacuum and dehumidifier, taking turns with their spouse and spending the whole weekend trying to get that basement dry. But by now the mold has already begun to set in. You won’t be able to see it in the carpet, but if you pick up a piece of furniture in the basement you likely see ominous mold setting in.
With groundwater, you want to try to evacuate the floodwaters within 24 hours. If you fail to meet that time period, then your whole basement will need to be gutted because the proliferation of mold has already gotten so out of control that it could become a safety hazard to your family. By now, it could also start to eat at the framework of your home. To make matters worse, that 24-hour deadline is for professional clean up. If you start vacuuming on your own, it’s next to impossible to work fast enough, as most home owners do not have the specialized equipment necessary for rapid water removal.
The cost to gutting a basement can be pretty significant. A gutting team needs to come in and remove any carpet. Sometimes, they also need to cut away a couple of feet of the wall, as any wall that contacted mold-contaminated groundwater needs to go. Obviously, the higher the flood, the more expensive the wall is to replace.
The final, and perhaps most annoying cost is that, due to flooding, some or possibly even all of your appliances will have to be replaced. They are now water damaged, which means they serve as an electrocution risk.
The cost associated with a flooded basement can add up pretty quickly and can reach well over $10,000 for a medium-sized home, which is why it is always wise to invest in prevention long before such emergencies happen. Paying professionals up front to protect the home against groundwater flooding can save you some serious cash in the end.