Water heater failure, third-floor bath and the rooms below in Hinsdale, IL

A water heater on the third floor of this Hinsdale house failed, and the water worked its way down through three floors. Dylan, our project manager, rated it Category 2. The scope touched seven areas: the upstairs utility room, two bathrooms, a closet, the dining room, the stairs and the laundry room.

The crew started by laying floor protection from the entry. The utility room was cleaned and treated with antimicrobial. The first bathroom took the most labor: everything was covered in plastic, the wet drywall, ceiling and soffit came out, and the fiberglass tub surround was removed, which alone took an hour and a half, so the insulation behind the tub could come out too. In the closet beside it the crew opened only the right-hand wall, trying to dry the vanity in place instead of tearing it out.

The dining room had a mirror to protect and a ceiling to open, so the crew set containment first and took the mirror down carefully. The plan had them meter the ceiling and photograph the wet readings before removing it, so the file shows why it came down. The stair ceiling came out under floor protection. In the laundry room the washer and shelving were detached before the wet drywall and ceiling were removed. The second bathroom lost its baseboard, toilet, pedestal sink and fixtures, along with the wet drywall and ceiling.

The scope called for four dehumidifiers and eighteen air movers across those rooms. Three days later every area read dry and all of the equipment came out. Before leaving, the crew capped the open supply lines and the toilet line and reconnected the washer and dryer so the household could use them again.