Water Damage Restoration in Fairfax, VA

We handle water damage restoration for homes in the City of Fairfax and the Fairfax County neighborhoods around it, 24 hours a day. One crew pulls out the water, dries the house, documents the damage for your insurer and rebuilds what had to come out.

Water damage in Fairfax homes, and where it starts

Fairfax is two places that share a name. The City of Fairfax is its own independent city, built around Old Town, the courthouse and George Mason University. Around it, thousands of Fairfax County homes carry a Fairfax mailing address, from Mantua and Fairlee to Kings Park West and Fair Lakes. We serve all of it, and the water problems we see depend a lot on when and how your house was built.

Split-levels and ramblers from the 1960s and 1970s

A large share of Fairfax houses went up between the late 1950s and the late 1970s. In Mosby Woods, many single-family homes date to the early 1960s, and split-level layouts are common. Kings Park West, off Braddock Road in 22032, is full of split-level and four-level homes built from the late 1960s through the 1970s. Mantua, in 22031, has brick ramblers and colonials from around 1960, some on lots of half an acre or more.

In homes this age, water problems tend to start in the same few places:

• The lowest level. In a split-level, the family room, laundry and water heater often share the bottom floor, a few steps below the yard. When a water heater or washing machine hose fails, the water lands on carpet and finished drywall.
• Older supply lines and valves. Shutoff valves, toilet supply lines and pipe joints that have never been replaced can let go without warning, often inside a wall or under a vanity.
• Pipes in cold spots. Lines in exterior walls, over garages and in crawlspaces are the first to freeze when a cold snap drops temperatures into the teens. Many of these pipes burst when they thaw.
• Window wells and below-grade walls. Lower levels set partly into the ground take on water when a window well drain clogs or rain pools against the foundation.

Townhomes and condos in Fair Lakes, Fair Oaks and the city

Fair Lakes and Fair Oaks, in 22033, were built out later than the older neighborhoods near the city, with many townhome rows and condo buildings. Inside the city, the Mosby Woods Garden section has condos, and there are townhome communities throughout 22030 and 22031.

Shared walls and stacked units change how a leak behaves. Water from the unit above can travel through a ceiling and down a wall cavity before it shows up in yours. A leak that starts in your kitchen can reach your neighbor's living room. In a condo, the association's master policy and your own policy may each cover part of the damage, so it matters to document where the water started and what it touched. We photograph the source, map the wet areas with moisture readings, and put it all in writing for each insurer involved.

Creeks, heavy rain and basements

Accotink Creek and Daniels Run both run through the City of Fairfax, and plenty of homes sit on lots that slope toward a stream valley. After a long, soaking rain, groundwater can push up through a basement slab or seep in where the wall meets the floor. A sump pump that fails during a storm, or stops when the power goes out, can put inches of water across a finished basement in a few hours. That is a flooded basement cleanup job: pump out, pull wet carpet and pad, cut drywall above the water line, dry the framing and slab, then rebuild.

What a Fairfax water job looks like with us

You call and tell us what happened. We come out, stop the water if it is still running, and extract what is standing. Then we take moisture readings and set drying equipment. We come back to check the readings until the structure is dry. Along the way we photograph everything, log every reading and write the estimate, then send that documentation to your insurer and meet your adjuster at your home.

When the house is dry, the same crew rebuilds it. Curtis Berg, who owns the company, has 42 years as a journeyman builder, so the drywall, trim, flooring and paint are done by people who build for a living. You deal with one company and one phone number from the day the water shows up to the day the room is finished.