The things people ask us at 9pm.

Stop the water if you safely can — a supply valve, the main shut-off, or the source of the leak. Move furniture and anything fabric off the wet floor, because wet legs and cushions trap moisture against both the floor and the item. Do not run a household fan over a wet wall; it moves air but can spread contamination and rarely dries the structure. Then call us and describe where the water is.

Do not pull up flooring or cut into drywall to "let it breathe" before it has been assessed — you can turn a dryable floor into a replacement job, and if there is asbestos or lead in the material you can spread it through the house. Do not run the HVAC system if the damage involves sewage or mold. Do not assume a carpet that feels dry on top is dry underneath.

Either order works, but calling us first usually helps the claim. We can tell you what we are seeing, whether it looks like a covered event, and what documentation your adjuster will want — which means the claim starts with evidence rather than a description over the phone. We document every job for exactly this reason.

For water that is still present, sewage, or a fire loss, yes — we treat those as urgent, and we are available Monday through Sunday, 8am to 5pm. Call and tell us what happened; if we genuinely cannot get there that day we will say so and tell you what to do in the meantime.

Most residential losses take three to five days of equipment running, depending on what got wet and for how long. Carpet and pad dry faster than a saturated subfloor or wall cavity. We check readings daily rather than working from a fixed number, and we do not pull equipment until the structure is actually dry.

Not necessarily. A lot of water damage is dryable in place if it is caught early — carpet and pad can sometimes be saved, hardwood can sometimes be dried with the right equipment, and drywall can stay if the water did not wick up into it. Anything that has been sitting wet, or that took contaminated water, usually has to come out. We tell you which is which before we start pulling anything.

Because water hides. A wall can look and feel dry on the surface while the insulation behind it is soaked, and that is where mold starts weeks later. Meters and thermal imaging show the wet areas we cannot see, and the same readings at the end prove the building is dry. They are also the record your insurance company asks for.

A lot, in both risk and cost. Clean water from a supply line can often be dried and the materials saved. Sewage is contaminated with bacteria, so porous materials it touched — carpet, pad, drywall, upholstery — generally cannot be saved, and the surfaces that remain have to be cleaned and disinfected, not just dried.

You often cannot tell by looking. Mold, mildew, efflorescence and dirt can look similar, and the only way to know what is growing is a sample. We inspect, take samples where they are needed, and send them to an independent lab — so the answer comes from a report, not from someone squinting at a wall.

Testing tells us what is present and how far it has spread, which shapes how the work is contained and what gets removed. It is also what you need if you are making a claim or renting the property. We will tell you if a job is small enough that a full assessment is not worth the money.

Chicago has a lot of pre-1980 housing, and asbestos turns up in floor tile, pipe insulation, joint compound and roofing. Lead paint is common under later layers. Both are a real problem when they are cut, sanded or demolished, which is exactly what a water or fire repair involves. We sample before that work starts, and we are EPA Lead-Safe (RRP) certified for renovation in buildings with lead paint.

It depends on the size of the affected area and where it is. A contained bathroom job is usually fine to live alongside; a large area, or remediation in a bedroom or a home with young children or respiratory conditions, is often better with the space empty while we work. We will tell you honestly what we would do in our own home.

The price depends on the size of the affected area, what materials have to be removed, and how long the drying takes — so we scope it before quoting, not over the phone. You get the scope in writing with what is included. If the work is covered by insurance, we document to their standard so the claim and our invoice line up.

Yes. We document the loss with photos, moisture readings and a written scope, and we will talk directly with your adjuster. We are also used to working for landlords, property managers and condo associations where the responsibility is split between units.

Chicago and the surrounding communities. If you are outside that, call anyway — we will tell you straight whether we can get to you.

Call (877) 923-8883 and you reach our line directly. Tell us what happened and where, and we will tell you what to do next.