Any water leak, large or small, can eventually be devastating, especially when it builds up over time. If it isn’t noticed and addressed right away, more and more damage is likely. 360 virtual tours help us document the damage and repair to give our customers a complete water damage repair for the fairest cost.
Expert Water Removal recently dealt with a situation where a PVC pipe broke in a client’s attic. Eventually, the weight of the water caused the ceiling to break, leading to a stream of water, insulation, flooring material and other debris falling into the kitchen below it.
Of course, water doesn’t just stay in place, and in no time, the flood continued to spread to the rest of the home. The water also splashed much of the walls, counters and cabinets, and the force of it damaged tiles. The client wasn’t home to notice this, so the flooding went on for two days.
When Expert Water Removal was called in, we had to start with the more critical situation of getting rid of the water, followed by figuring out what was damaged and then take steps to reduce the need for mold remediation.
The Loss Mitigation
Every situation calls for different tools, and plenty were required for this one, including six dehumidifiers and 50 air movers just to get started!
After the debris was removed, we carefully removed the baseboards to lessen the damage and removed all perimeter drywall due to wet insulation. The entire home became a drying chamber to prevent mold, odors and secondary damages. We also cut out a larger area of the ceiling to access the pipe and to remove the area that was initially damaged.
Next we worked with the homeowner and their adjuster to properly estimate the loss and requirements to restore the home to pre-loss conditions.
Due to the severity of this loss, all damages were not immediately obvious so we documented newly discovered items along the way and submitted those to the adjuster and insurance carrier to properly compensate the owner for those damages.
Repairing the Loss
In this case, the damage was so extensive, the clients were able to make some changes to the style of their home including some much desired upgrades like upgraded countertops and cabinets, new appliances and premium wood flooring. Our in house general contractor pulled the necessary permits and we were able to move a couple of walls, installed a new island in the kitchen and even installed a new internal home vacuum system.
Outside of the kitchen remodel, most of the home was repaired to pre-loss conditions with new flooring, baseboards and painting.
The 360 Virtual Tour Improves our Results
In addition to the traditional methods we use to document these situations, such as taking plenty of photos of damage or sketching these details, Expert Water Removal has invested over $10,000 in a new state-of-art virtual tour camera system.
This new Matterport system can provide a 360-degree walkthrough of a client’s home while capturing all of the details along the way. These scans add to everyone’s ability to review the loss and compensate the customer appropriately for the damages incurred.
For instance, in this particular loss, the Matterport scan provided a walk-through right after the water was removed, followed by one after all damaged material was taken out, and then as construction and renovation was taking place. Lastly, the final repair Matterport documents the quality of the work performed along with the newer looks the owners wanted.
Overall, Matterport makes it easier for insurance companies, adjusters, and the homeowners themselves to see a better view of the damage than photos alone. It provides a more accurate image than sketching and also is a useful tool for generating estimates. Having access to this information also streamlines the process and reduces the number of people on site especially if hazardous conditions remain.
