Sump pump failure, basement main room, utility and storage in Oak Brook, IL

A failed sump pump left water across the basement of this Oak Brook house. Diego, our project manager, scoped it as Category 2 water, and the written scope tied each cut to what the crew would find. Core holes came first, then a check of the insulation behind them, and a two-foot flood cut only where that insulation turned out to be wet.

The main room carried the most work. Contents were moved, baseboard and trim detached, and a cabinet and sink pulled away from the wall so the crew could see and dry what was behind them. Core holes went into the drywall, and the opened surfaces were treated with antimicrobial. The scope set ten air movers and two dehumidifiers in that room alone. In the utility room and the back storage room, the scope allowed for drying the walls in place with air movers, drilling only if they were very wet; those rooms took four and three air movers. The bathroom had its baseboard detached, its walls core-holed and three air movers set.

The owners asked the crew not to touch the interior doors, and the crew worked around them. At a monitoring visit the highest meter reading was 260, so two air movers and a dehumidifier stayed while the rest of the set came out. Three days after that visit the meters read dry everywhere, the last fans came out, and the owners signed the certificate of completion. At that final visit the owners asked about having the doors removed.