What does basement flood cleanup cost in Ontario?

Why we do not publish a number

A basement flood can mean a few centimetres of clean water on bare concrete, or sewage through a finished suite with a bedroom and bathroom. The first is a day of extraction and a few days of drying. The second involves removing flooring, the lower walls, insulation and contents, disinfecting, drying and then rebuilding a living space. A single “average” figure would be wrong for nearly everyone. What follows is how the cost is made up, so that you can judge a quote.

The six things that decide it

1. What kind of water

This matters most.

• Clean water from a supply pipe or water heater: materials can often be dried and kept.
• Grey water from a washing machine or a sump overflow: underpad goes, and surfaces need cleaning as well as drying.
• Sewage or outdoor flood water: everything porous that it touched is removed. Carpet, underpad, drywall, insulation, panelling, upholstered furniture. Then cleaning and disinfection before drying.

See clean, grey and black water.

2. Finished or unfinished

Bare concrete and exposed framing are quick to dry and have little to replace. A finished basement has flooring, drywall, insulation, baseboards, doors, cabinets and often a bathroom, all sitting at the lowest point in the house.

3. How deep and how far

A puddle in one corner or water wall to wall. Depth decides how high up the walls damage goes. Water wicks upwards inside drywall, well above the visible line.

4. How long it sat

Hours or days. After a day or two, clean water is treated as contaminated, mold begins, and materials that could have been dried have to come out.

5. What is in the basement

Furniture, electronics, stored belongings, a furnace, a water heater, a washer and dryer, a freezer. Contents have to be moved, sorted, cleaned or listed for replacement. Mechanical equipment that was submerged needs checking by a licensed technician and may need replacing.

6. The rebuild

Usually the largest part of the bill for a finished basement: insulation, drywall, taping, paint, flooring, trim, doors and any cabinets or bathroom fixtures.

What the work includes

Emergency phase

• Safety check, particularly electrical
• Pumping and extraction
• Removal of contents from the wet area
• Removal of materials that cannot be saved
• Cleaning and, for contaminated water, disinfection
• Drying equipment, run for several days with daily readings
• Documentation for the insurer

Afterwards

• Fixing the cause: plumbing, sump pump, drainage or a backwater valve
• Electrical and mechanical inspections
• Reconstruction

What makes it cost more

• Sewage or outdoor flood water
• Carpet over underpad, or laminate over a subfloor
• Wood framing and drywall sitting directly on the slab
• A basement bathroom or kitchen
• Built-in cabinets and finished storage
• Water that reached the furnace, water heater or electrical panel
• Asbestos in older floor tiles, drywall compound or pipe insulation
• Mold already present from an earlier problem
• A delayed start
• A second flood before the first is fixed

What keeps it down

• Act the same day. Nothing reduces the cost as much.
• Get things off the floor as the water arrives, if it is safe.
• Know the water type. Do not let anyone strip a basement after a clean-water leak without readings to justify it, and do not try to save carpet after sewage.
• Dry properly the first time. Stopping early leads to mold and a second job.
• Fix the cause before rebuilding.
• Rebuild with materials that tolerate water: rigid foam insulation, moisture-resistant wall systems, tile or vinyl in place of carpet.

Who pays

It depends on how the water got in, because each route is a different coverage:

• Burst pipe, water heater or appliance failure: commonly covered under a standard home policy.
• Sewer backup or sump pump failure: covered only with the sewer backup endorsement, which has its own limit and deductible.
• Water over the ground from rain, snowmelt or a river: covered only with the overland water endorsement.
• Seepage through foundation walls and floor: often excluded.

Where it is covered, you pay your deductible and the insurer pays the agreed scope, up to the limit. Sewer backup limits can be lower than the cost of a finished basement, so check yours. See does home insurance cover basement flooding in Ontario.

Subsidies for prevention

Many Ontario municipalities subsidise backwater valves, sump pumps and downspout disconnection. They do not pay for cleanup, but they reduce the chance of a repeat. Programs and amounts change, and some require approval before work starts. See preventing basement flooding in Ontario.

Reading a quote

A proper quote for a flooded basement shows:

• The source and the category of water
• Which areas and materials are affected
• What will be removed and what will be dried
• The equipment planned and the expected number of days
• How dryness will be confirmed
• Whether contents handling is included
• Whether the rebuild is included, and to what standard
• What is excluded

If two quotes differ widely, compare what each proposes to remove and how many equipment-days each allows. See how restoration companies charge.

Can I do it myself to save money?

A small amount of clean water on an unfinished floor, caught early, is a reasonable job for a householder with a wet vacuum, fans and a dehumidifier. Sewage, deep water, wet walls or anything electrical is not. The usual false economy is leaving wet drywall and underpad in place and paying for mold remediation two months later.

More: basement flood cleanup.