Water & Flood Damage Restoration Services for Chicago, IL

Many homeowners insurance policies cover sudden accidents, such as burst pipes or unexpected appliance leaks. However, basement flooding from outside, sewer backups, and sump pump failures may require additional coverage.

Your insurance company will decide what your policy covers based on the cause of the damage and your coverage terms.

If you file a claim, we'll photograph the damage, record moisture readings, prepare restoration reports, and communicate with your adjuster. We work with major insurers, including State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Liberty Mutual, Travelers, and USAA.

When your policy allows, we'll bill your insurance company directly.

Yes. You can hire us and pay for the restoration yourself.

We'll inspect your property, explain what needs repairs, and give you an estimate. You can compare the expected cost with your insurance deductible before deciding whether to file a claim.

If you'd rather make payments over time, we also offer financing options if you qualify.

Several things can make your restoration more expensive:

• Water reaches multiple floors: We may need to open ceilings and walls to dry rooms above and below the original leak.
• Sewage enters your property: Contaminated water requires extra cleaning, disinfection, and sometimes material removal.
• Water soaks into hardwood flooring: We may need to remove flooring or underlayment to reach wet subfloors.
• Older construction makes access difficult: Some Chicago homes have plaster walls, older floor assemblies, or several layers of past renovations.
• You need to move furniture or belongings: Packing, cleaning, and storing belongings can add to the total cost.

Emergency calls at night, on weekends, or during holidays may also involve additional charges.

If we uncover more damage during cleanup, we'll explain what we found and discuss any additional costs before changing the approved work.

You can usually clean a small clean-water spill yourself if it hasn't soaked into your walls, carpet padding, or flooring and you can dry everything completely.

However, you should call a professional when:

• Water leaks through your ceiling from the apartment above.
• Your hardwood floors start lifting or buckling.
• Your drywall, insulation, or subflooring gets wet.
• Sewage or outside floodwater enters your home.
• You can't dry the affected materials within 24 to 48 hours.

If you're not sure how serious the damage is, call (773) 647-1985. Tell us what happened, and we'll help you decide whether you need an inspection.

If you're dealing with a burst pipe, flooded basement, sewage backup, or leaking appliance, take these steps while you wait for our crew:

Do:

• Stop the water at the shutoff valve for the fixture or appliance, if you can reach it.
• Shut off the water main if the leak won't stop.
• Turn off circuit breakers for affected areas, only if you can reach them without standing in water.
• Move furniture, electronics, and valuables away from the wet area.
• Take photos and video of the damage for your insurance claim.

Don't:

• Use a regular household vacuum to remove water. It isn't built for it and can cause an electric shock.
• Touch or clean up sewage or outside floodwater.
• Try to dry major flooding yourself. Improper drying can trap moisture under flooring or inside walls and lead to mold.

Not necessarily. We'll inspect the materials, check how much moisture they've absorbed, and see whether we can dry them safely.

For example, kitchen cabinets may still be in good condition even when water has soaked the drywall behind them. In that situation, we may be able to detach the cabinets temporarily instead of replacing them.

However, if water has severely damaged drywall, soaked insulation, or contaminated materials we can't safely clean, we'll need to remove them.

We'll explain what we can save and why anything else needs to come out.

The IICRC S500 standard divides water damage into three categories based on how contaminated the water is. Each category requires a different cleanup approach.

• Category 1 – Clean water: This comes from a clean source, such as a burst water supply pipe, leaking water heater, or overflowing sink. If you call us quickly, we can often dry and save your drywall, flooring, and other materials.
• Category 2 – Gray water: This water contains contaminants and may come from a washing machine, dishwasher, or toilet overflow without feces. We'll clean and sanitize the area, and we may need to replace materials such as carpet padding.
• Category 3 – Black water: This water contains dangerous contaminants and can come from sewer backups, outside flooding, or toilets overflowing with feces. We'll remove contaminated materials such as carpeting, drywall, and insulation when we can't safely clean them, then thoroughly clean and disinfect the area.

Why does this matter? Even clean water can become more contaminated as it sits and comes into contact with dirty surfaces. The sooner you call us, the better chance we have of saving your materials and preventing further damage.

You can call our emergency team 24/7, including nights, weekends, and holidays.

Our Chicago crews usually arrive within 51 minutes, although arrival depends on traffic, weather, crew availability, and your location in the city.

If water is entering your property, call (773) 647-1985. We'll discuss the situation and confirm when we can reach you.

We've restored hundreds of Chicago homes and businesses after water damage, including properties affected by sewer backups, broken pipes, appliance leaks, and water leaking between apartments.

Chicago's cold winters and heavy summer storms also create different risks throughout the year. Frozen pipes can burst during extreme cold, while heavy rainfall can overwhelm the city's combined sewer system and cause basement backups.

Based on the Chicago properties we've restored, we frequently handle:

• Burst pipes and plumbing leaks
• Sewer backups and basement flooding
• Leaking water heaters and appliances
• Water damage between apartments and condos
• Roof leaks and ice dams
• Overflowing sinks, tubs, and toilets
• HVAC leaks and other moisture problems

Many Chicago neighborhoods have a combined sewer system that carries both wastewater and stormwater.

During heavy rain, the system can fill faster than it can drain. When that happens, water may back up through basement floor drains, toilets, or other plumbing fixtures.

The Chicago Department of Water Management explains how heavy rainfall can overwhelm the sewer system and contribute to basement flooding.

If sewage starts backing up into your basement, stop using the plumbing, stay away from the contaminated water, and arrange professional cleanup.

Chicago uses Rain Blockers in certain street drains to slow how quickly rainwater enters the sewer system.

This means water may temporarily collect along streets during heavy storms. The goal is to reduce pressure on the sewers and lower the risk of backups into nearby basements.

If rainwater starts entering your basement through a window well, outside door, or foundation crack, don't wait for the street to drain. Avoid electrical hazards and call for water removal before more of your property gets wet.

Keep children and pets out of the basement, avoid touching the wastewater, and stop using sinks, toilets, and washing machines until a plumber identifies the problem.

Don't try to clean up sewage with household equipment. It can contain bacteria, viruses, and other harmful contaminants.

You can report sewer-related flooding to Chicago 311. City crews may inspect the public sewer system, while a licensed plumber can check your private sewer line.

For cleanup inside your property, call us at (773) 647-1985. Our sewage cleanup team will remove wastewater, dispose of materials we can't save, disinfect exposed surfaces, and dry your property.

Rainwater may be getting into your basement through foundation cracks, poorly sealed windows, exterior stairwells, or openings around utility lines.

Your gutters and downspouts may also be directing rainwater toward the foundation.

The City of Chicago recommends directing downspout water away from the building to help reduce basement flooding.

If your basement keeps flooding, identify the cause before paying for repairs. Fixing foundation drainage or a leaking window well requires a different approach than repairing a blocked sewer line.

We can usually dry affected areas in about 3 to 5 days, depending on how much water entered and which materials got wet.

For example, a small bathroom leak may dry faster than a finished basement with wet drywall and insulation. If water gets trapped beneath hardwood floors, we may need to open or remove some flooring before we can dry the subfloor properly.

We'll check moisture levels throughout the process, adjust equipment as needed, and keep you updated until the remaining materials reach their drying targets.

Yes. We restore apartments, condos, and multifamily buildings after water damage throughout Chicago.

If a sink, toilet, or pipe leaks in the unit above yours, water may soak through your ceiling, walls, and flooring. We'll inspect the damage, remove materials we can't save, and dry the affected rooms.

We'll also work with your property manager, condo association, neighbors, and insurance adjuster to coordinate access and document the damage.

Yes. We restore water damage in Chicago's older homes, such as brick bungalows in Portage Park and Jefferson Park, two-flats in Logan Square and Avondale, and older apartment buildings in Rogers Park and Edgewater.

These homes often have plaster walls, original hardwood floors, and wood trim that need extra care after a leak or flood.

If water has damaged these materials in your home, we'll inspect them carefully, explain what we can safely dry and restore, and only recommend replacement when necessary.

Often, yes. We'll check which belongings got wet, whether the water was contaminated, and what we can safely clean and dry.

If clean water gets on your furniture, rugs, or personal belongings, we may be able to save them if we start drying them quickly.

If sewage reaches your belongings, we'll check whether we can safely clean them or need to replace them. We can also pack, clean, and store your belongings while we restore your property.

Yes. According to the EPA, drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours can help prevent mold growth.

Even if your walls or floors feel dry, moisture may still remain behind cabinets, beneath flooring, or inside wall cavities.

If mold has already developed, our mold remediation team will contain the affected area, remove contaminated materials when necessary, clean exposed surfaces, and address the remaining moisture.

It depends on what repairs your property needs.

You generally don't need a building permit just to remove water or run drying equipment. However, structural repairs, certain demolition projects, and plumbing or electrical changes may require permits.

You can check the requirements through the Chicago Department of Buildings.

If your reconstruction needs a permit, we'll help coordinate the paperwork and required inspections.

Yes. We help Chicago business owners recover from water damage, including restaurants in River North, offices in the Loop and West Loop, retail stores, apartment buildings, and industrial properties throughout the city.

Whether a pipe bursts in your office, a roof leak damages your inventory, or water floods a restaurant kitchen, we'll remove the water, dry affected areas, protect equipment we can save, and handle the repairs.

We'll also plan our commercial water damage restoration work around your business hours and building access requirements whenever possible.

Yes. We help homeowners and businesses recover after heavy rain, severe winds, frozen pipes, and winter storms.

If rain floods your basement or a damaged roof lets water inside, our storm damage restoration team can remove the water, dry affected materials, and repair the damage

Yes. We repair and replace water-damaged drywall, insulation, flooring, cabinets, ceilings, baseboards, and trim.

Whether water has damaged one room or several floors of your property, we'll handle everything from cleanup and drying to rebuilding, so you don't have to hire multiple contractors.