Cleaning up a flooded basement can be overwhelming. Fortunately, for most people, the task becomes easier by seeking the help of water damage restoration experts such as Water Damage Near Me. The National Flood Insurance Program suggests that floods are major disasters in the United States.

Floods occur throughout homes or other buildings for various reasons, including burst pipes, leaking foundations, or even natural calamities, such as storms. When you have a flooded basement, it needs your immediate attention, as it can lead to mold formation, spreading rapidly to other parts of the house.

However, you will need to consider several things when dealing with a flooded basement, including safety precautions and the cost.

What is the Cost of Cleaning a basement?

Most people spend between $2,000 and $5,000 to clean up a flooded basement. However, several factors go into estimating this price range. Also, it can be hard to know the cost of cleaning up a flooded basement without assessing the damage done first.

The amount and type of water standing are among the biggest factors you need to consider. Whether the water entering your basement due to the flooding is fresh and clean or dirty.

Similarly, the time, that is, for how long the water remained, is another vital factor to consider when estimating the cost of cleaning up a flooded basement.

Factors Affecting the Cost of Cleaning Up a Flooded Basement

You also have other factors that you may need to consider, such as the average cost per square foot, whether your insurance covers the expenses, whether you can save up by doing it yourself, or whether it would be better to contact a professional.

Average Cost
Per Square Foot

The cost per square foot is another essential factor to consider when estimating how much you would spend for the job. While what you would need to pay may vary depending on factors like the location and the damage done, here is what you will need to consider as part of the expenses of cleaning up a flooded basement.

  •  If the standing water is clean, you may spend up to $3.75 per square foot.
  • However, if you have contaminated water, you might be somewhere close to $4.5 per square foot.
  • If the water standing has sewage components, you may need to go for a sewage treatment plan where you might be spending up to $7 per square foot.

Insurance
Cover

Depending on various factors, your home insurance may cover the expenses you may incur for cleaning up a flooded basement. For instance, most insurance plans cover the damage done, especially if there is not much standing water. However, they may not cover those expenses if the flooding has occurred due to severe storms or other harsh weather conditions, including rain or snow.

Cost of Cleaning Up a Flooded Basement Yourself

While you may assume that you can save up by dealing with basement flooding yourself, many a time, you may only be able to lower the cost of the damage is not too severe. However, in cases where more significant damage may require more time, you will spend more money.

Also, the equipment you will need for the job can drive the cost up. For example, you may be spending more than you initially estimated by using regular fans for drying since it can take longer than it would by using sophisticated equipment such as dehumidifiers, and cause more damage, too.

So, you might want to get pumps to suck the water out and high-volume fans, or structural dehumidifiers, for drying the place out from a reputed equipment rental company.

Again, here too, you may be shelling out more, depending on the damage. You could do with two or three fans and a dehumidifier if the affected area is small. However, you will need more than this if you have more ground to cover.

Besides, you also need to check if the basement has dried up after the remediation process, using a moisture meter, which can add to the expenses.

Flooded Basement Restoration Cost

Cleaning up a flooded basement also involves several other processes, including repairing or restoring affected items and areas depending on these factors.

1. The Amount of Standing Water

The amount of water standing is one of the foremost factors to consider when estimating the cost of restoring a flood-affected basement. If there is more water standing, it can cause more damage and be harder to remove, so the amount of money you need to spend may increase.

However, the cost of restoring the items affected by a flooded basement can vary greatly depending on the area affected, not to mention components such as dirty water, mud, or debris.

2. The Source

The cost of restoring a flooded basement also depends on the source of flooding. Basement flooding can occur due to various reasons. However, major reasons or sources may include clean water leaking out from broken pipes or leaky faucets that may involve removing the standing water and excess moisture and drying the affected area. All these processes can cost from $500 to $1,500.

However, the flooding may have occurred for other reasons, including broken or malfunctioning appliances, such as dishwashers or washing machines. You may need to remove the excess water and clean up the basement before drying it.

So, if the flooding has occurred due to any of these reasons, you could easily spend between $3,000 and $5,000.

Basement flooding could also result from sewage backups and overflows containing harmful contaminants such as toxic debris. In such cases, you ought to let the professionals handle the situation. Water damage restoration professionals such as Water Damage Near Me have the necessary tools and equipment, not to mention the training required for the job.

Dealing with basement flooding occurring due to sewage backup requires special skills and training, and you may even end up spending over $10,000 for this job.

3. Damage

The cost of restoring your basement after a flood has occurred also depends on the damage done. You would be spending a lot less (a mere few hundred dollars) if there was only moisture. However, the cost can increase if the flooding results in structural damage that needs repairs or replacements.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that you must attend to a flooded basement immediately. However, while you may be able to do it yourself, especially if there is not too much damage done, it would be better to call experts such as Water Damage Near Me and let them take care of it.

Professionals such as these have the necessary equipment for the drying and dehumidification processes, which are some of the most critical steps to take when basements flood.

Besides this, they also have the necessary skills and training to deal with such situations. They sanitize the affected area, structural repair damage caused to the woodwork, flooring, drywall, and even attend to the mold formation and corrosion.

The following table sums up the factors that affect the cost of cleaning up a flooded basement.

Serial Number Factors Affecting the Cost of Cleaning up a Flooded Basement
1 The Amount of Water Standing
2 The Source of Flooding
3 The Extent of Damage Done