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

This Oak Brook basement took on water when the sump pump failed. The scope covered three rooms: the utility room, a storage room and the small closet that houses the sump. Dylan, our project manager, rated it Category 1, clean water, and the work was booked for the next day.

The crew worked a single afternoon. They put down floor protection from the main entrance before carrying anything through the house. In the utility room the lower cabinets were broken down and thrown out. The crew drilled core holes in the walls and detached the face of a stair step. The scope allowed a wall cut in that room only if the insulation turned out to be soaked, and the crew stopped at core holes. Everything was sprayed with antimicrobial and wiped down.

The storage room took more. The carpet and a rug went out. The crew detached the door trim, cut one wall two feet up, and drilled core holes along the wall the room shares with the next space. In the sump closet the job was a spray of antimicrobial and a single air mover.

Across the three rooms the crew set two dehumidifiers and nine air movers: one dehumidifier and five air movers in the utility room, one dehumidifier and three in storage, and the last air mover in the sump closet. Clean water and a small footprint made this a short job, and the plan called for a three-day dry. Pickup was set for three days later. Nobody was home on pickup day, so the certificate of completion went to the owner by email. Category 1 jobs like this one show why calling quickly matters: clean water that sits for days can degrade into a dirtier category and take more of the room with it.