Water Damage Restoration Cost Calculator

For a single-room-to-basement-size loss, plan on $3,849 — Angi's 2026 national average is $3,868 with most projects between $1,305 and $5,707, Fixr books $1,200–$5,000 around a $3,000 average, and HomeGuide pegs the typical job at $2,000–$6,000. Small clean-water dry-downs land under $1,500; the 300 sq ft black-water version of the default job prices at $5,024 before any contents are touched.

Usually yes for sudden and accidental events — a burst supply line, an overflowing washing machine — minus your deductible, and insurers expect mitigation to start within 24–48 hours. Gradual leaks that seeped for weeks and surface flooding are normally excluded (flood needs a separate NFIP/private flood policy). Restorers bill insurers from Xactimate line items, so the cash-pay prices here are what you'd pay out of pocket or on a denied claim.

Categories describe the water: Category 1 is clean (supply line), Category 2 is gray (appliance drains, shower water), Category 3 is black (sewage, rising floodwater). Classes 1–4 describe how far the water soaked in, from surface-wet Class 1 to deeply bound Class 4 that needs specialty low-humidity drying. Category moves the sanitation price, Class moves the equipment count and drying days — this calculator keys on category and depth.

Professional crews reach dry standard in 2–4 days on most jobs; soaked subfloors, plaster or category 3 losses stretch to 5–7. "Dry" is a moisture-meter reading against an unaffected control area, not how the surface feels, and equipment keeps running until the readings hit it. At 300 sq ft of gray water, going from 2 days to 7 moves the bill from about $3,684 to $5,634 — speed is money.

Clean water inside ~48 hours: carpet is usually dried in place and only the pad is swapped — pad is cheap, carpet is not. Gray water: pad is replaced and carpet is salvaged only with hot-water extraction and antimicrobial treatment. Black water: carpet and pad are always removed and discarded — there is no industry-accepted way to disinfect them. This calculator prices tear-out plus replacement for whatever carpet footage you enter.

Extraction, drying and flood cuts don't require permits anywhere in the US — mitigation crews can start the moment you authorize the work. Permits re-enter at reconstruction, which is exactly where this calculator stops: relocated electrical or plumbing, structural framing, or a rebuilt wet wall need them like any remodel, and restorers billing insurance carry the permit pulls as Xactimate line items. One legal trap in pre-1978 homes: disturbed paint triggers EPA RRP lead-safe work practices, which licensed restorers price into demo whether or not anyone mentions it.

Mold can colonize damp drywall, pad and paper-faced materials in 24–48 hours. That's why antimicrobial treatment at ~$0.75/sq ft is in this calculator — it's an insurance policy against a separate mold remediation project that runs $10–$30/sq ft. If growth is already visible or musty, you need remediation first: see the mold remediation calculator.

Restoration companies charge about $100–$200 to roll at night or on weekends (Fixr, 2026) — this calculator carries $150. Do the arithmetic against waiting: equipment alone rents for roughly $390 per day on the 300 sq ft reference job, and every day water sits is a day the loss can worsen — clean water wicking through a soaked floor is treated as dirtier the longer it stands. A night call that saves one drying day pays for itself several times over, and a mitigation log showing you responded within hours is exactly what an insurance adjuster looks for. Toggle the emergency line above to price it in.