0–6 hours
Hour 6
Water is still spreading through subfloor and wall cavities.
Still salvageable: Hardwood · Drywall · Insulation · Cabinetry · Carpet + underlay
Water category: 1 — clean
Most of this is still recoverable. That changes tomorrow.
Metro Vancouver · 24/7
We're awake.Water damage restoration in Metro Vancouver
Burst pipe, flooded basement, sewage backup — a person answers the phone, a crew is on the road, and we extract, dry to a documented target, and rebuild.
2 crews on call · Metro Vancouver
- 60 min worst-case response, Tier 1 areas
- $400 call-out — rates published, no fuel surcharge
- Day 5 equipment cap, drying log closed at target
How long has it been wet?
The damage clock
These bands are what water does to a building as the hours pass, shaped by IICRC S500 guidance and the jobs we run. Not a countdown — the hour a given material turns depends on how much water there was, how warm the room is, and what the water was carrying. Use it to work out which job you have, then call whichever band you are in.
6–24 hours
Hour 24
Absorption into subfloor and cavities. Carpet underlay at risk.
Still salvageable: Hardwood · Drywall · Insulation · Cabinetry
At risk: Carpet + underlay
Water category: 1 — degrading
The underlay is the first material we usually lose. Call while the rest is still a drying job.
24–48 hours
Hour 48
Mould growth begins in this window. Drywall and insulation at risk. Category 1 becomes Category 2.
Still salvageable: Hardwood · Cabinetry
At risk: Drywall · Insulation · Carpet + underlay
Water category: 2
This is now a remediation job, not a drying job. Call.
48–72 hours
Hour 72
Insulation typically lost. Hardwood cupping. Cabinetry swelling.
At risk: Hardwood · Cabinetry · Drywall
Typically lost: Insulation · Carpet + underlay
Water category: 2
We can still dry the structure. Some finishes will not return to what they were.
72 hours and after
Hour 72+
Structural drying takes materially longer. Mould remediation likely required. Category 3 possible.
At risk: Hardwood · Cabinetry
Typically lost: Insulation · Carpet + underlay · Drywall
Water category: 2–3 possible
Call anyway. The log still has to close. Waiting does not make the invoice smaller.
Dry by day 5
Readings to target
Surfaces read dry days before cavities do. Stopping here is where callbacks, odour, and mould come from.
Day 0
24.1%
Extraction complete, equipment set, first readings logged
Day 1
21.8%
Readings at marked points, plan adjusted
Day 2
18.4%
Surfaces read dry. Cavities do not.
Day 3
15.2%
Cavity readings approaching target
Day 4
12.9%
One point still above target — equipment stays
Day 5
11.6% · target
Target met at every point. Equipment out, log closed.
How a job runs
01
Answer
A person picks up.
02
Stop
Shut the source.
03
Extract
Pull the water.
04
Dry
Run to target.
05
Verify
Close the log.
06
Rebuild
Finish the walls.
Documented jobs
Where we go
Coverage by area
Published worst-case minutes. Outer tiers are slower on purpose — we would rather print the truth.
| Area | Tier | Worst-case |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | 1 | 60 min |
| Burnaby | 1 | 60 min |
| New Westminster | 1 | 60 min |
| North Vancouver | 1 | 60 min |
| West Vancouver | 1 | 60 min |
| Richmond | 1 | 60 min |
| Surrey | 2 | 90 min |
| Coquitlam | 2 | 90 min |
| Port Coquitlam | 2 | 90 min |
| Port Moody | 2 | 90 min |
| Delta | 2 | 90 min |
| White Rock | 2 | 90 min |
| Langley | 3 | 120 min |
| Maple Ridge | 3 | 120 min |
| Pitt Meadows | 3 | 120 min |
| Abbotsford | 3 | 120 min |
Reviews
“They arrived after midnight, left a drying log on the counter every day, and the fans were gone when the last point hit target. That is all I wanted.”
A.K. · Townhouse, supply line · Burnaby
“The board got photos, readings, and a written rebuild scope. No performance. No mystery fees.”
Strata council member · Low-rise, stack leak · Vancouver
“We paid out of pocket on purpose. The card on the site matched the invoice. I had not seen that before.”
Shop owner · Ground-floor seepage · Richmond
“They told us the living room was the wrong room to worry about. The crawl space was. They were right.”
Homeowner · Storm, crawl space · North Vancouver