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Water still coming in? Shut off the main valve first. First-hour checklist
Cost guide

Water Damage Restoration Cost (2026)

Water damage costs $1,050⁠–⁠$2,550 for a small clean-water leak (150 sq ft) caught early, and $10,400⁠–⁠$21,900 when sewage backs up into a basement. A typical one-room job runs $3,650⁠–⁠$7,850, from drying through repairs.

By Erik Leavell, Editor Updated Oct 2026 · 13 sources
A wet hardwood floor in a living room with yellow air movers drying it
Drying and repairs One 200 sq ft room, Category 2 water

$3,650–$7,850

Drying and tear-out$1,500–$3,400
Repairs after drying$2,150–$4,450

Where you land depends on how dirty the water is, how long it sat, and what got wet.

Estimate your cost Check a quote Built from 10 published price sheets, trade wages and store prices.

Water Damage Cost Calculator

Four questions. It runs on this page and sends nothing anywhere.

1What kind of water?
2How long since it started?
sq ft
A 12 by 12 ft room is 144 sq ft.
For local labor costs.
4What got wet?Pick all that apply

Turn on JavaScript to change the answers. The estimate shows a typical case.

Your estimate

$3,650–$7,850

Drying, tear-out and repairs. National prices. Add your ZIP for local ones.

Drying and tear-out$1,500–$3,4003–4 days, right away
Repairs after drying$2,150–$4,450Drywall, paint, carpet and baseboard
See the line items
Estimate by line item
Drying and tear-out
Emergency service call1 visit$118–$279
Water extraction200 sq ft$110–$154
Air movers12–16 unit-days$308–$580
Dehumidifiers3–4 unit-days$305–$664
Technician: setup, daily checks, pickup8–9 hours$396–$626
Tear out wet carpet and pad200 sq ft$170–$212
Flood cut drywall113 sq ft$117–$256
Antimicrobial200 sq ft$24–$46
Overhead and profitSome companies add 10% + 10%$0–$563
Drying and tear-out3–4 days of drying$1,500–$3,400
Repairs after drying
Hang and finish new drywall113 sq ft$477–$781
Prime new drywall113 sq ft$29–$49
Paint the walls, two coats385 sq ft$250–$554
New carpet and pad200 sq ft$724–$1,236
New baseboard, installed and painted57 linear ft$301–$564
Trips and setup6 hours$379–$520
Overhead and profitSome companies add 10% + 10%$0–$741
Repairs$2,150–$4,450
TotalDrying, tear-out and repairs$3,650–$7,850

Drying and tear-out (mitigation) for a home, then the repairs after drying: drywall, paint, baseboard, flooring and base cabinets. Drying low end: lower-quartile rates from 10 published price sheets; high end: upper-quartile rates and a day more drying. Repairs are built from published labor hours, local trade wages and store prices for materials, and checked against public price sheets. Both high ends add overhead and profit. Totals are rounded out to the nearest $50, so line items may not add up exactly. How we built it

Final price comes from an on-site inspection.

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On this page
Cost factors

What drives the cost

Four things set most of the bill. The calculator asks about all four.

  • Water category

    The same 200 sq ft room costs $1,150⁠–⁠$2,750 with clean water caught early, $3,650⁠–⁠$7,850 with gray water and $4,700⁠–⁠$10,050 with sewage.

  • Time

    Water picks up contaminants as it sits, so our calculator treats clean water left over 48 hours as gray: another day of drying, and wet carpet and drywall come out. A burst pipe in one room goes from $1,150⁠–⁠$2,750 to $3,950⁠–⁠$8,300.

  • Wet area

    Drying and tear-out are priced by the square foot and the day, so size sets the baseline. Double the wet area to 400 sq ft, about two rooms, and it runs $6,100⁠–⁠$13,100.

  • Materials

    Replacing carpet and pad costs $3.62⁠–⁠$6.18 per sq ft, drywall along a flood cut $4.22⁠–⁠$6.90 and vinyl plank $3.31⁠–⁠$5.05, before overhead and profit. Base cabinets cost the most: $120⁠–⁠$240 per foot.

Water category moves the price most

  1. Category 1 Clean water Burst supply line, clean sink overflow $$$Lowest cost
  2. Category 2 Gray water Washing machine, dishwasher, aquarium $$$Higher cost
  3. Category 3 Black water Sewage, sewer backflow, floodwater from outside $$$Highest cost
Water categories and classes explained
Where the money goes One 200 sq ft room, Category 2 water · drying, tear-out and repairs · typical ranges
  • Water extractionPumping and vacuuming out the water $110–$150
  • Drying equipment Check the daily logAir movers and dehumidifiers, billed per day $610–$1,240
  • Technician timeEmergency call, setup, daily moisture checks, pickup $510–$910
  • Tear-outWet carpet and pad, drywall cut 2 ft up $290–$470
  • AntimicrobialApplied to wet materials $20–$50
  • Drywall and paintNew drywall along the cut, primed, walls repainted $760–$1,380
  • New flooringCarpet and pad, or vinyl plank $720–$1,240
  • BaseboardInstalled and painted $300–$560
  • Trips and setupTravel and setup for each trade $380–$520
  • Overhead and profitSome companies add 10% + 10% $0–$1,300
Total, one room$3,650–$7,850
By situation

Cost by situation

Where the water came from changes the job. Each range is the calculator’s answer for a typical case, at national prices, from drying through repairs.

Where water damage starts in a house: 1 ceiling leak below an upstairs bathroom, 2 burst pipe in a wall, 3 flooded basement, 4 sewage backing up through a floor drain. 1 2 3 4 sewer line
Check your quote

Got a quote? Check it line by line

Padding hides in lump sums, extra equipment days and repairs priced by the room instead of the square foot. Upload your quote and we’ll check it line by line.

Water Damage Quote Checker

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  • Every line compared with price sheets near the job
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What you get back
Sample quote · water mitigation
Emergency service call$350
Water extraction, 400 sq ft$1,100
Flagged:Equipment, 6 days$3,900
no daily log?
Antimicrobial treatment$420
TotalHigh$5,770

A fair quote shows

  • Drying equipment by the day, backed by a daily moisture log
  • The water category, the rooms and the square footage
  • Drying priced separately from repairs
  • Drywall, paint and flooring by the square foot

Red flags

  • One lump sum for “mitigation” or “rebuild” with no line items
  • More equipment days than the drying log shows
  • Pressure to sign before your insurer has seen the damage
See the full price list
Insurance

Will insurance pay?

Usually, when the water was sudden and accidental, like a burst pipe. Usually not when it built up slowly, came in as a flood, or backed up from a sewer.

Usually covered

  • Burst or frozen pipe
  • Sudden leak from an appliance or water heater
  • Accidental overflow from a tub, sink or toilet

Usually not covered

  • Slow leaks and damage from poor upkeep
  • Flooding from outside, which needs a flood policy
  • Sewer backup, unless you added that coverage

Your policy wording decides.Does homeowners insurance cover water damage?

First hour

Before the pro arrives

  1. 1

    Shut off the main water valve

    It's usually where the water line enters the house, near the water heater or in the basement.

  2. 2Safety

    Keep clear of water near electrical

    If anything electrical is wet, turn off the power at the main breaker, but only if you can reach it without stepping into water. Otherwise, call an electrician. Don’t turn the power back on until an electrician has checked it.

  3. 3

    Photograph everything first

    Wide shots of each room, then close-ups of the damage and the source.

  4. 4

    Report it to your insurer

    Ask for the claim number and the adjuster’s name in writing. Keep receipts for anything you buy to stop the damage.

Full first-hour checklist
FAQ

Questions people ask

What’s the difference between mitigation and restoration?

Mitigation stops the damage: pumping out water, drying, and tearing out what can’t be saved. Restoration puts the house back: drywall, paint, flooring and trim. They’re often quoted and billed separately, sometimes by different companies. On a typical one-room job, drying runs $1,500⁠–⁠$3,400 and repairs $2,150⁠–⁠$4,450.

How long does water damage restoration take?

Drying comes first. Our calculator assumes 3 to 4 days for clean or gray water and 4 to 5 for sewage, plus a day if the water sat more than 48 hours. Repairs start once everything reads dry. Our estimate assumes three trips for drywall alone: hang and tape, a second coat, then a final coat and sanding.

Is it cheaper to dry it out myself?

For a small clean-water spill you catch right away, often yes: a wet vac, fans and a dehumidifier can do it. The EPA says to dry wet areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold. Call a pro when the water is sewage or otherwise contaminated, when a lot got wet, or when water got into walls or under floors, where you can’t see whether it’s dry.

Do I have to use the company my insurer recommends?

Usually not. Insurers may suggest “preferred” companies they’ve worked with, but you can generally pick your own; Washington’s insurance commissioner says so plainly. Read your policy too: some say the insurer may repair the damage itself instead of paying you. Whoever you hire, get the price in writing before work starts.

How often does water damage happen?

About 1.5 of every 100 insured homes, roughly one in 67, had a water damage or freezing claim each year from 2019 to 2023, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Those claims averaged $15,400, counting every claim, large and small.

What does flood damage cost?

Flood insurance claims are tracked separately. Paid claims on single-family homes from 2021 to 2025 had a median of $45,226, but about 60% were in Florida; elsewhere the median was $20,000. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood, so it takes a separate flood policy.

How we got these numbers

Drying prices come from 10 published price sheets. Repair prices are built from published labor hours, federal wage data for each trade and store prices for materials, then checked against public repair price sheets. Both are adjusted for labor costs near your ZIP. Ranges are national until you add one. Read the full methodology.

  1. Published restoration price sheets (state and county contracts, contractor price lists), RestoreCost. 10 published price sheets, collected Oct 2026.
  2. Seabee Planner’s and Estimator’s Handbook (NAVFAC P-405), U.S. Navy. Labor hours for repairs. 1996 edition.
  3. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trade wages by metro. Checked Oct 2026.
  4. 2027–2028 Construction Cost Sheet, SC Housing. One of 10 public repair price sheets used to check repair prices. Checked Oct 2026.
  5. ANSI/IICRC S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration, IICRC. Water categories. Checked Oct 2026.
  6. Category of Water Damage and Weather-related Events (S500 position statement), IICRC. Feb 10, 2026.
  7. A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home, U.S. EPA. Checked Oct 2026.
  8. Facts + Statistics: Homeowners and renters insurance, Insurance Information Institute. ISO data, 2019–2023. Checked Oct 2026.
  9. Which disasters are covered by homeowners insurance?, Insurance Information Institute. Checked Oct 2026.
  10. When are water damage and mold covered by insurance?, Texas Department of Insurance. Updated Apr 24, 2025. Checked Oct 2026.
  11. Filing a homeowner insurance claim, Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Checked Oct 2026.
  12. What to Do to Protect Yourself From Electrical Hazards, CDC. Aug 26, 2026.
  13. NFIP Redacted Claims (v3), OpenFEMA. Flood claims only, single-family homes, 2021–2025. Our analysis, Oct 2026.