Water damage restoration in Richmond Hill, Ontario, groundwater below and hardwood above
The north of the city sits on the Oak Ridges Moraine, the big houses have hardwood through the main floor, and the towers along Yonge stack one suite on top of the next. Three different ways for water to get in, and three different ways to dry it out.
From $1,500. Price confirmed before we start.
Streets we are on most
Richmond Hill, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
- Oak Ridges
- Mill Pond
- Richvale
- Langstaff
- Jefferson
- Westbrook
- Rouge Woods
- Bayview Hill
- Crosby
- Harding
Not on the list? We still come. See every area we cover, or call and ask.
Working here
Oak Ridges sits on the moraine, and the sump pump earns its keep
The Oak Ridges Moraine is a broad ridge of sand and gravel that soaks up rain and snowmelt and stores it as groundwater, and the north end of Richmond Hill, Oak Ridges and the streets around Lake Wilcox, is built on it. Where groundwater sits near a basement floor, the sump pump is the only thing keeping it out of the room. A pump that burns out, or loses power in the same storm that is filling the pit, lets the water rise through the slab and the floor drain at once.
Wet hardwood swells first and tells the truth later
In Bayview Hill, Jefferson and Mill Pond the main floor is usually solid hardwood or engineered plank. Wood takes water in at the joints and the edges, so a few hours of standing water can leave the boards crowned or cupped. Some of that settles back as the wood dries slowly and evenly, and some does not. We dry it, measure it, and tell you honestly which boards have recovered. Sanding a floor that is still wet underneath only moves the problem.
Suites along the Yonge and Highway 7 corridor
Richvale and Langstaff have towers where a leak travels downward through the slab to the suite below, often within the hour. That makes two households and a condominium corporation part of the same job. Tell us the building and both suite numbers when you call, and let the property management office know at the same time, because they control the riser valves and the service elevator.
When the water is coming from the ground
A burst supply line is something you can turn off. Groundwater is not. If the sump pit is full and the pump is silent, check the breaker and the plug first, and if the pump still does not run, call the 24 hour line on 647-697-7435 and then a plumber. Until the pump is working again, the water will keep coming, and we can extract it and keep the level down while you wait for one.
Leave the room as you find it once you are clear of the water. We document the damage for an insurance claim, and photographs of the basement while it is still wet are worth far more than any account of it afterwards. If you are not sure what order to do things in, the flooded basement guide sets it out step by step.
Big houses, more square footage to dry
Many Richmond Hill houses, the newer ones especially, are large, and the basement is often finished to the same standard as the floors above it: a bedroom, a bathroom, a media room, sometimes a kitchen. Water across a lower level like that reaches more drywall, more flooring and more built-in cabinetry than it would in a cellar, and every one of those holds moisture in its own way.
So we work in order. Standing water out first. Then the underlay, the baseboard and the bottom of the drywall where the meter says it is wet. Dehumidifiers and air movers go in and stay until the readings come down, and the hardwood upstairs, if it took water too, is dried slowly rather than fast, because fast drying is how boards split.
If the water came up through a floor drain rather than out of the ground, it is sewage and the job changes. The sewer backup clean-up guide explains what comes out and why.
What it costs
A single small area is $1,500 to $3,500. A whole room flood is $4,000 to $7,500. A full basement is $5,000 to $25,000. Where you land depends on how far the water spread, how long it sat and what it soaked, which is why we look before we quote. The price is confirmed before work starts, our cleaners are insured and background-checked, and the line is answered 24 hours. The cost breakdown goes through what moves a job up or down.
Water damage and emergencies
Get a price in Richmond Hill.
Tell us what needs doing and where. You get a figure before anyone is booked.
- The price comes first. You hear the figure before any work starts.
- Insured, background checked cleaners. Confirmed in writing if you ask.
- Answered 24 hours. For standing water, the phone is faster than any form.
While the van is here
Rarely the only thing that needs doing.
Also nearby
Other places we work.
- Carpet cleaning in Richmond Hill
- Water damage restoration in Brampton
- Water damage restoration in Etobicoke
- Water damage restoration in Markham
- Water damage restoration in Mississauga
- Water damage restoration in North York
- Water damage restoration in Scarborough
- Water damage restoration in Toronto
- Water damage restoration in Vaughan
Asked in Richmond Hill
Our sump pump stopped during a storm and the basement is wet. Is that clean water?
It is groundwater that came up through the pit or the slab, so it is not sewage, but it has passed through soil and it is not clean either. Carpet and underlay that sat in it for more than a short time usually come out. If water also came up through the floor drain, we treat the whole area as contaminated. The pump itself is a job for a plumber.
Will hardwood go back flat after a flood?
Sometimes. Boards that cupped from a short exposure often flatten as they dry, provided the drying is slow and even and the moisture below is drawn out too. Boards that sat in water for a day or more, or that have lifted at the joints, frequently stay distorted. We dry first, measure, and only then talk about what needs replacing.
What does water damage restoration cost in Richmond Hill?
The same published bands apply across the GTA. A single small area is $1,500 to $3,500, a whole room flood is $4,000 to $7,500, and a full basement is $5,000 to $25,000. A large finished lower level with wood floors upstairs that also took water sits higher in its band. The price is confirmed before work starts.