Restoration
Water Damage Restoration Cost Calculator
Prices a water loss, where the category of the water and the class of the loss set the scope.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus equipment and materials and the call-out. What determines the scope is not the volume of water but two classifications the industry works to. Category describes how contaminated the water is, from clean supply water through water carrying significant contamination to grossly contaminated water, and it rises over time as clean water sits. Class describes how much of the structure absorbed it and therefore how hard it is to dry. Together they decide what dries in place and what has to be removed, which is most of the cost.
What moves the number
- Water category, which rises with time and dictates what can be salvaged.
- Class of loss, meaning how much porous material absorbed water.
- Equipment days, since air movers and dehumidifiers are charged per unit per day.
- Whether affected materials are removed or dried in place.
Where this one goes wrong
Category changes with time, and that is the single most important fact in this trade. Clean supply water left sitting becomes contaminated as it picks up material and supports growth, so a loss that could have been dried becomes a loss that has to be stripped, and the difference is large. That is why response time matters more than crew size. Documentation is the other professional requirement: moisture readings by location and date, equipment placement, and photographs are what justify the scope to an insurer, and work done without them is work that may not be paid for. In pre-1978 buildings, removing wet materials can disturb lead paint, which brings its own requirements.
Before you quote
- Record category and class, and the reasoning, at the first inspection.
- Log moisture readings by location and date throughout drying.
- Document equipment placement and run days with photographs.
- Check for lead paint before removing materials in pre-1978 buildings.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Why does the type of water matter so much?
Because it decides what can be saved. Clean supply water allows much to be dried in place. Water carrying contamination, and water that has been sitting long enough to become contaminated, requires porous materials to be removed instead. The classification drives the scope, and the scope is the cost.
Does waiting make it worse?
Substantially, and not only through more water spreading. Clean water becomes contaminated as it sits, which moves the loss into a category where materials have to be removed rather than dried. A fast response can be the difference between drying a floor and replacing it.
Why so much documentation?
Because the work is usually paid by an insurer against a justified scope rather than by a homeowner against a quote. Moisture readings by location and date, equipment logs and photographs are the evidence that the scope was necessary. Work performed without them is work that may not be reimbursed.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 22 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $135.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $1,300.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 22 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $135 |
| Parts and materials | $1,300 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $4,365 |
| Labour | $2,970 |
| Before tax | $4,365 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $4,365: $2,970 of labour, $1,300 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $68 | $2,891 |
| $101 | $3,617 |
| $135 example above | $4,365 |
| $203 | $5,861 |
| $270 | $7,335 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 22 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $135.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $1,300.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.