Water damage restoration in Hollywood Hills, Hollywood, FL

Most jobs fall between about $1,364 and $6,301, based on HomeAdvisor's 2025 national data. That is roughly $3.50 to $7.50 per square foot. In a Hollywood Hills house the total moves with how many open terrazzo rooms got wet, whether carpet or vinyl over the terrazzo must come up, whether the slab has to be opened, and whether the water came from a drain or septic line. We quote in writing after an inspection.

Many policies cover sudden water damage from a slab leak. Long-term seepage is usually excluded, and the pipe repair itself may be handled differently from the damage the water caused. Read your policy for tear-out or access coverage, which pays to open the floor so the plumber can reach the pipe. Report the loss quickly and keep the plumber's written report. This is general information, not legal advice; your policy and adjuster decide.

It depends on your policy's tear-out coverage and how the adjuster handles matching. A patch rarely matches original terrazzo, and the National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association's restoration guide says aggregate color matching may not be exact. Photograph the whole floor before the cut and keep the plumber's report. Then ask the adjuster in writing how matching between connected rooms will be handled. Nothing is covered until the insurer decides.

Sudden storm damage that lets water in is usually covered. Leaks from wear, age or poor upkeep usually are not. Some Florida policies settle older roofs at actual cash value instead of replacement cost, so check your declarations page and any roof endorsement. Hurricane losses fall under the separate hurricane deductible, which on many policies is a percentage of the dwelling limit, such as 2% or 5%.

Under s. 627.70132, F.S., notice of a new or reopened claim must be given within 1 year after the date of loss. A supplemental claim gets 18 months. For a hurricane, the date of loss is the day it made landfall. Report as soon as you find the damage, though, because a long delay gives the insurer room to argue the damage was gradual, and gradual seepage is often excluded.

Yes, it can. Insurers review prior losses on a property, and Citizens requires a four-point inspection for homes more than 20 years old, which covers nearly every Hollywood Hills house. Citizens lists active leaks or unrepaired water damage as reasons a home is ineligible. Ask the seller for repair invoices, moisture logs and photos from any earlier water damage, and get open leaks fixed before closing.

We answer calls 24/7 and dispatches crews from Hollywood. While you wait, shut off the water at the house valve or the meter box by the street. If you can reach the electrical panel without standing in water, switch off the breakers for the wet rooms. Then take photos and video of every wet area before you move anything.

Stop the water at the house valve or the city meter box near the street. Next, switch off breakers for the wet areas if you can do it from a dry spot. Move rugs and furniture off the floor, and slip foil or plastic under legs you cannot move. Take photos and video. Do not aim fans at the floor, since they push water under baseboards and into walls. Then call us.

Many clean-water jobs dry in about 3 to 5 days. A concrete slab, CBS block or plaster can take longer, because those materials hold bound moisture that leaves slowly. Drying ends when meter readings reach dry standard, compared against the same material in a dry room and logged each day. It does not end on a set date. Humid summer weeks can add days.

Usually, yes. Terrazzo is dense and handles clean water well. The risks come from dirty water that stains it, a slab cut for a pipe repair, and glue left behind by carpet or vinyl laid over it. The National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association notes that not every stain can be removed during restoration. Grinding, polishing and sealing terrazzo is a separate trade.

Often, yes. Water trapped between a covering and terrazzo cannot dry in place and starts to smell within days. Wet carpet pad is usually replaced. Carpet soaked by Category 3 water, such as a drain or septic backup, is thrown away under IICRC S500 guidance. Some floating vinyl planks can be lifted, dried and put back down. We photograph everything first for your claim.

Most families stay home for a clean-water job in one or two rooms. Moving out makes sense with sewage or septic water, with mold, when the kitchen or the only bathroom is out of use, or when young children live in a house where drying equipment runs day and night. Many homeowners policies include additional living expense coverage. Check yours before you book a hotel.

Because the original pipes under the slab are about 55 to 75 years old. Metal lines corrode, the slab shifts slightly over the decades, and pipe wears where it rubs against concrete or gravel. Water pressure adds stress at every joint. Hot-water lines often fail first. Watch for a higher water bill, a warm spot on the terrazzo and the sound of running water when nothing is on.

Look for flexible gray plastic pipe, sometimes blue or black, at the water heater, under sinks or near the meter. It is often stamped PB2110. Polybutylene went into Florida homes from about 1978 to 1995, so a 1960s house has it only if someone re-plumbed it in those years. Citizens says it cannot insure new-business homes over 20 years old that have polybutylene piping (FAQ updated January 2026).

Yes, and the water counts as Category 3 because it carries waste. Signs include slow drains in several fixtures, a sewer smell, damp floor or baseboards near a bathroom, and drain flies or roaches. A plumber confirms the break with a camera run through the line. On a house with a septic tank, the same signs can point to a failing tank or drainfield, which a septic contractor inspects. We remove contaminated materials and dries the area inside containment.

It can be. Popcorn or acoustic ceilings in homes built before about 1980 may contain asbestos, and only a sample tested by an NVLAP-accredited lab can confirm it. Do not scrape, knock down or vacuum the wet texture. If the texture is sagging or falling, close the room and keep people out until the result comes back. Removal rules depend on the building and the amount of material, so plan the work from the lab report.

Usually it is a condensate line clogged with algae, a cracked or rusted drain pan, or a float switch that is missing or not working. Many older closet installs also lack the auxiliary pan or overflow line that the Florida Building Code now calls for. When water appears, turn the system off at the thermostat. Call an AC technician for the unit and Water Damage Hollywood Florida for the wet drywall and flooring.

Mold can start within 24 to 48 hours on wet drywall, wood and carpet, according to the EPA. South Florida humidity keeps those materials from drying on their own. Common spots in these houses are closets, under-sink cabinets and the bottom of walls behind furniture, where air barely moves. Testing comes from an independent licensed assessor under Florida law, not from the company doing the removal.

Stop the water first, then call both. The plumber repairs the pipe, while the restorer removes the water, dries the house and documents the loss. We can start drying rooms while the plumber works. Our thermal readings also help the plumber narrow down where a slab leak sits before anyone opens the floor. Ask the plumber for a written report that names the cause, because your insurer will want it alongside our moisture logs.

Yes. Our technicians are IICRC certified. The IICRC S500 standard sets how water is categorized, removed and dried, and the S520 standard covers mold remediation. S500 also defines the three water categories and four drying classes you will see on our moisture logs. You can ask any company for its certifications in writing, and the IICRC runs an online lookup for certified firms and technicians.

No. Florida law, s. 468.8419, F.S., bars a mold assessor from remediating a property it assessed in the previous 12 months, and bars a remediator from assessing one it remediated. We remediate. An independent licensed assessor tests and clears the job. State licensing applies to mold work covering more than 10 square feet. The rule keeps the person who judges the mold separate from the company paid to remove it.

For some work, yes. Plumbing, electrical, mechanical and structural work needs a permit in Hollywood at any price. From July 1, 2026, the City's HB 803 exemption lets single-family owners request a waiver for other projects under $7,500, such as floor tile, unless the lot sits partly or fully in a flood hazard area. Ask the Building Division (954-921-3335) about drywall and cabinet work before the rebuild starts.

Get dated photos and video, a moisture map, daily moisture logs, an itemized scope and estimate, an equipment log and a list of removed materials. Add the plumber's or roofer's report that names the cause. Insurers read that report when they decide whether a loss was sudden or gradual. Keep copies of everything you send and note the date of each call. We provide its records on every job.

No. For policies issued on or after January 1, 2023, Florida bars assignment of benefits for property insurance (s. 627.7152, F.S.), so you stay in control of your claim. We work with your insurer through photos, logs and estimates. You keep your own copy of every report we send. Water Damage Hollywood Florida is not a public adjuster or an attorney.