How It Works: From Your Call to the Final Walkthrough
This page explains how calling works, what a proper restoration job looks like, what records you should get, and how the bill is put together. Use it to judge any company you hire.
Water in your home right now? Call (425) 307-0286 to be connected with a local company.
How does calling work?
You call (425) 307-0286, and a call partner connects you with a participating independent restoration company that serves Bellevue. You talk with that company directly. It sets the visit time, sends its own technician, writes your estimate and does the work.
This website is run by WD Repair Bellevue. WD Repair Bellevue doesn’t send crews or bill you for repairs. Your contract is with the company you hire. You’re never obligated to hire the company you’re connected with. Full details: about us.
What is water damage restoration?
Water damage restoration means removing the water, drying the building, cleaning what the water touched, and repairing it to its pre-loss condition. The first part, extraction and drying, is called water mitigation. Repairs such as new drywall or flooring come after the structure is dry.
The work should follow ANSI/IICRC S500, the industry standard for water damage restoration. The IICRC is the body that certifies restoration firms and technicians. Ask the company whether it is an IICRC Certified Firm.
What does a proper restoration job look like, step by step?
Every job is different, but the order rarely changes.
1. Your call
Tell the company where the water came from, how long it ran, and which rooms are wet. That tells the crew what equipment to load. If water is still running, shut off the main valve first.
Tell them what matters most to you, too. A room with family photos or a hardwood floor you want saved changes what the crew protects first.
2. Safety check on arrival
Before any work starts, the technician should look for hazards. That means water near outlets or the electrical panel, sagging ceilings, and signs of sewage. If water has reached the panel, an electrician deals with the power first.
3. Finding how far the water spread
Water moves under baseboards and into wall cavities, so the wet area is usually bigger than it looks. The technician checks walls, floors and cabinets with a moisture meter and, where useful, a thermal camera. The result is a moisture map: a sketch of every wet area with its readings.
4. Paperwork before work goes further
You’ll be asked to sign a work authorization so extraction and drying can start. Read it first. The section below explains what to look for.
5. Removing the water and wet materials
Standing water comes out first with extraction equipment. Materials that can’t be dried or cleaned, such as soaked carpet pad, are removed. Each item should go on the removed-materials list with a photo.
6. Setting up drying
Dehumidifiers and fans (air movers) go in each wet room. Windows usually stay shut while professional equipment runs, because the equipment works best in a closed space.
7. Daily monitoring
A technician should come back to take readings at the same marked spots each visit. Equipment gets moved or added if an area isn’t drying.
8. Equipment comes off when the readings say so
The drying goal is set against dry, unaffected material in your home. Equipment comes off when the wet areas reach it, not on a fixed number of days. Typical timelines are in how long drying takes. See water extraction and drying for more on the drying stage.
9. Final walkthrough
The company should walk the home with you, go over the final readings, and hand over the full record. If repairs are needed, they get their own written estimate. That stage is covered in water damage repair.
What should be documented and shared?
You and your adjuster should get the same records the company keeps. Ask for these:
- Dated photos of each room, the water source and damaged belongings, before anything is moved.
- Moisture readings from every visit, with the moisture map showing where each reading was taken. These are your drying logs.
- A removed-materials list showing what was taken out, how much, and why.
- The equipment log: how many units ran in each room, and for how many days.
These records document the damage for your claim. The adjuster decides what’s covered. Good records help that decision rest on facts. More on claims is in our Washington water damage insurance guide.
How does billing work?
Most insurance-paid jobs are billed in Xactimate, estimating software widely used by insurers. Its price lists are set by region. The bill shows each line item, so your adjuster can check it line by line.
- Written estimate first. Ask for the line items before work goes past the emergency stage.
- Equipment is billed per unit per day. Each dehumidifier and fan is its own line.
- Your deductible is yours to pay. A company should not offer to cover or absorb it. Ask for any pricing promise in writing.
- Paying yourself? Ask the company which payment methods it accepts and whether it offers a payment schedule.
Published price ranges, with sources, are on our water damage restoration cost page.
Work authorization or assignment of benefits?
They sound alike, but they do very different things.
A work authorization gives the company permission to start work in your home. It should say what work is covered and how you’ll be billed. You still own your insurance claim.
An assignment of benefits hands some of your insurance rights to the company. The insurer may then pay the company directly, and the company may deal with the insurer about that money. Read any document for words like “assign,” “assignment” or “benefits” before you sign.
Ask these questions about anything you’re handed:
- Is this a work authorization or an assignment of benefits?
- Who pays if insurance covers less than the bill?
- What’s the daily rate for each piece of equipment?
You can take time to read it, and you can ask for a copy. Our hiring checklist covers red flags and credential checks.
Do I need to move out while my home dries?
Usually not, for a clean-water leak in one part of the house. Many families stay home during drying. Expect loud fans running day and night and some areas off-limits.
Sewage, flood water from outside, or exposed wiring are reasons to stay somewhere else until the area is safe. If you have to leave, ask your adjuster whether your policy pays for a hotel before you book. Renting or in a condo? See who pays for water damage.
Do I need to be home during the work?
Someone needs to be there for the first visit and the paperwork. After that, you don’t have to be home for every monitoring visit. Ask the company about key or lockbox access if that’s easier.
Who monitors the equipment?
A technician from the restoration company does, on each monitoring visit. They take readings, check that every unit is running, and empty or check dehumidifier drain lines. Between visits, don’t switch equipment off or move it. If something trips a breaker or stops running, call the company that set it up.
What should a restoration company not do?
Hold any company you hire to these points:
- It isn’t your public adjuster. Negotiating an insurance claim on someone’s behalf is public-adjuster activity under Washington law (RCW 48.17.010). The company should document the loss and work with your adjuster.
- It doesn’t waive or absorb your deductible. Ask for any pricing promise in writing.
- It doesn’t test and remove mold on the same job without telling you. Ask whether the same company will test and remove the mold, and whether the testing is independent. See Washington mold law and mold remediation.
- It doesn’t do plumbing without a certified plumber. Only L&I-certified plumbers can legally perform plumbing work on someone else’s property (Washington L&I). Ask for the plumber’s certification.
Be careful with any company that offers to “handle your claim” or “waive your deductible.”
What should I check before the work starts?
Ask the company for these, and check each one:
- Registration, bond and insurance (Washington L&I verify tool)
- IICRC Certified Firm status (IICRC Global Locator)
- Licensed plumber for pipe repairs (Washington L&I)
- City of Bellevue contractor registration (City of Bellevue)
- Certificate of insurance
More about how this site works: about us.
Ready when you are
Shut off the water, take photos, then call. We’ll connect you with an independent local restoration company.