Gateway/FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
What homeowners ask us, organized by topic. If you don’t see your question here, call, we’d rather answer it on the phone than have you guess.
Emergency & response
What happens when I call.
How fast can you actually get here?
We answer the phone live and dispatch the nearest crew immediately. Arrival time varies with location, weather, and what else is happening in the queue, most St. Louis metro addresses see arrival within a couple of hours under normal conditions, outer suburbs typically longer. During major surge events, longer still. We give you a real ETA on the call.
Do you really answer the phone at 3am?
Yes. Live, every hour of every day. We have crews on rotating after-hours dispatch every night, weekend, and holiday of the year.
What should I do until you arrive?
Stop the source if safely possible. Cut power to affected outlets. Move people, pets, and important contents out. Take photos. Don’t tear out drywall yourself, it can hurt your insurance claim.
What if the source is still active?
We can usually work around an active source while waiting for a plumber. If you don’t have one, we have plumbing partners we can dispatch alongside us.
Can I text instead of call?
Call is faster, especially after hours, dispatch is voice-first. Text works during business hours for non-urgent questions, but if water is actively coming in, pick up the phone.
Water damage
What gets saved, what doesn’t.
Will my insurance cover this?
Most sudden, accidental water-damage events are covered (burst pipe, appliance failure, sewer backup with rider). Slow leaks and groundwater seepage often aren’t. We can usually tell you which category you’re in within minutes of being on-site.
How long does drying take?
Typical residential mitigation is 3–5 days of active drying. Larger jobs or significant absorption (hardwood, plaster, insulation) can run 7–10 days.
Can I save my hardwood floor?
Often yes, if we get to it within 24–48 hours and the saturation hasn’t reached the subfloor adhesive. We’ll tell you honestly which side of the line your floor is on.
What about my carpet?
Carpet often saves; the pad usually doesn’t. Pad acts like a sponge and holds saturation indefinitely. Carpet-only replacement is much cheaper than full carpet + pad.
Do I need to leave the house during drying?
Almost never. Equipment is loud (small commercial kitchen volume) but the affected area is usually one section of the home, you can sleep, eat, and live around it.
Do I need to throw out everything that got wet?
No. Hard, non-porous items (glass, sealed plastic, finished metal) almost always save with cleaning. Porous absorbent items (mattresses, upholstered furniture, particle-board) often don’t. Photos, documents, and electronics are case-by-case, freeze the photos and documents fast if you can, that buys time.
Mold
About testing & remediation.
Do I really need a test, or can you just look at it?
For small, obvious cases sometimes a visual is enough. For anything ambiguous, anything large, anything with a health concern, we test. Cost of testing is small compared to remediating something that wasn’t actually a problem.
How much does a mold inspection cost?
Residential air-quality inspection with control sample + one affected-area sample is typically $375–$550. Surface samples $75–$125 each. We give a fixed quote upfront.
Will my insurance cover mold?
Maybe. Most policies cap mold coverage at a flat amount ($5K–$10K typical) and require the source to be a covered peril. Sudden water event with prompt mitigation: usually yes. Slow leak ignored: usually no.
When can I move back into the room after remediation?
Usually within 24 hours of clearance, once the post-remediation air-quality test passes and containment comes down.
Is black mold actually dangerous?
“Black mold” usually means Stachybotrys chartarum, which is one species of many. Color isn’t a reliable identifier. Health impact depends on species, spore count, and individual sensitivity. We let the lab tell us.
Insurance
About claims & carriers.
Do you bill insurance directly?
Yes, when authorized. Most homeowners prefer it: file goes direct to the carrier, carrier pays us direct, you only handle the deductible.
What if my carrier denies part of the scope?
We file a supplemental with the documentation to back it. Most denials of legitimate scope come from insufficient documentation in the original file, not actual coverage issues.
What is Xactimate?
The line-item estimating software ~95% of insurance carriers use to validate restoration scopes. Estimates in this format clear faster because the adjuster’s software can reconcile them automatically.
Will my premiums go up after a claim?
Possibly, depends on carrier, claim history, and claim size. Most single water claims don’t move premiums dramatically. We won’t tell you to file or not file; that’s your decision.
How big does my deductible need to be before it’s worth filing?
Generally if the loss is more than 2x your deductible and you’ve had a clean claim history, filing is usually worth it. Smaller losses sometimes come out cheaper paying direct, especially on a high-deductible plan. We’ll give you our honest read on the call.
Service area & logistics
Coverage, scheduling, scope.
Where do you cover?
Greater St. Louis metro, both sides of the river, roughly 30 miles around downtown. MO and IL. Same crew, same response standard everywhere.
Do you handle commercial properties?
Yes, commercial single-tenant, multi-family, and small commercial regularly. Different paperwork sometimes (property management involved), same response and protocols.
Do you do the rebuild too, or just mitigation?
Either. We do mitigation-only when you have your own contractor, or full mitigation + reconstruction when you want one team. Different scopes.
Can I get a written estimate?
Always. Estimates are free, written, and Xactimate-aligned if it’s an insurance job. We don’t quote over the phone without seeing the work.
Question not on the list?
Call. Live phone, twenty-four seven.