24/7 Emergency
Storm & Flood Damage Recovery in St. Augustine, FL
The opening is closed, the water is extracted, materials floodwater touched come out, and the structure is dried and rebuilt in that order. The opening is closed first, with tarps or board-up, so the building stops taking on water. Floodwater is extracted, and the porous materials it touched come out rather than dry, since it crossed ground outside. The structure is dried and re-read, and the rebuild waits until the readings and the roof both allow it.
No obligation: the assessment comes before any scope
Often needed alongside
- Emergency Water Extraction
Standing water is pumped and extracted around the clock, before it climbs the walls and soaks the subfloor. Same-day response where coverage allows.
- Structural Drying & Dehumidification
Sealed air movers and dehumidifiers bring framing, subfloor and drywall back to a measured dry standard, with daily readings logged from inside the material.
- Sewage & Contaminated Water Cleanup
Sewage and black-water losses are contained, the materials the water touched are removed and disposed of, hard surfaces are disinfected, and the space is dried to a reading.
Frequently asked questions
What is different about a coquina wall?
It is porous all the way through. The stone is compressed shell, and it behaves like a sponge with a structure: water moves into the body of the wall rather than running off it, and it leaves the same way, slowly, by evaporation. A wall like that will read wet long after the room it encloses is dry.
Can the wall be sealed to stop that?
No, and doing it causes real damage. The wall depends on being able to give moisture back through its surface. A modern sealer or cement render traps that water inside the stone, where it concentrates salts and breaks the face off. Lime render and breathable finishes are what these walls need.
How is a drying job judged on a building like this?
Against the rest of the same wall rather than against a number. The contractor meters a section that was not involved in the loss and works to that, because the material's normal condition is wetter than a table would allow. Rushing it, or trying to force a reading, is what destroys historic fabric.
These questions come from the St. Augustine page.