Before

After

Ft. Lauderdale Home Needs Assistance From SERVPRO Post-Tropical Storm Damage

While Florida is no stranger to hurricanes, tropical storms can deliver water damage in Ft. Lauderdale homes too. The gusting winds from this incident drove rain into the house in areas where the caulking was not maintained, and cracks existed, particularly around the window frames. When SERVPRO technicians arrived on the scene, they found the sheetrock on the ceiling saturated and had fallen onto the hardwood floor in some places. The water stains on the walls and warped trim required addressing by the certified technicians.

Halting Further Water Damage in Ft. Lauderdale Homes

During the water damage restoration, actions need to get taken to ensure that the structure does not receive any more damage. SERVPRO techs sealed up the areas where water entered previously using a combination of plastic sheeting and other applications that will repel moisture until the homeowner can get the house properly repaired.

The damaged building materials in the home required removal. Wet walls can sometimes get dried without incident, but when the sheetrock has begun to peel or buckle, it is past the point of saving. SERVPRO technicians use their equipment to determine where the wet areas are and cut around them to remove only the damaged portion of the wall or ceiling.

Extraction and Drying in the Ft. Lauderdale Home

The Before Photo shows a room with water spots on the walls, trim, and floorboards that look discolored from exposure to excessive moisture. The technicians extracted the moisture and set up drying equipment to get the wall cavities dried. The most common setup is air movers and dehumidifiers to rapidly pull out embedded water and get the room dried as quickly as possible.

Updating the Look of the Home During Repairs

Once the structure was verified as dry through air moisture measurements, the technicians moved on to the next step in the restoration process. The homeowner wanted to update the look of the interior while the window frames were repaired. The job of the reconstruction and repairs was handing off to SERVPRO as this location holds a general contractor license. Plus, allowing the same company that did the water damage cleanup allows the same team to do the repairs conveniently. They already know exactly what needs to get done for the Ft. Lauderdale property.

As seen in the After Photo, new floorboards have been installed along with new baseboards. The damaged sheetrock on the walls around the window frames has been removed and replaced. New window frames will keep the water and drafts out of the home, and the walls and ceiling have a fresh coat of primer and paint. There is no hint that this room had storm damage such a short time ago, "Like it never even happened."