The time it takes to perform a complete water damage restoration project varies and depends on the severity of the situation.
The more severe, the longer it will take to get your home back to its pre-damage state.
If you are experiencing a minor water leak in one area, then it might just be an hour or two before everything is good as new.
A major flood would require much more time and effort for restoration crews to adequately clean up and make repairs.
Water damage repairs can take up to 72 hours for a small area like a bedroom with wet carpet and subfloors.
Larger areas can take as long as one to two weeks from start to finish.
Restoration crews use air-movers, fans, and dehumidifiers to dry up any standing water.
If the materials are not dried out in time, then it will result in mold growth which is worse than the damage that was initially created by flooding or leaking pipes.
Common Causes of Water Damage
Some common causes of water damage include plumbing issues, faulty equipment, roof leaks, or natural disasters, such as hurricanes and flooding.
Factors That Impact the Length of a Water Damage Restoration Project
There are many factors that should be considered in determining how long the structure dry out process will take.
Some of these factors include, if your home is in a colder climate then it would take much longer to dry out.
Also, if the home is unconditioned with a crawl space, then it will take even longer.
Unconditioned spaces can have an expected timeframe of up to ten days for drying out time compared with conditioned spaces which would only require three or four days.
Areas with insulation and no air flow could result in the process taking as long as a week to complete.
Wet insulation will take longer to dry out and if the materials are not dried properly then there is a chance that rot will occur.
In some instances, the wet insulation must be removed and replaced.
Saturated carpeting and padding can take up to ten days for all the moisture to be extracted and is safe for people to return home.
Once again, if there are no fans or dehumidifiers that are running then this process could take even longer than expected.
Wet insulation and drywall 
Wet wall testing with moisture meter
Basements that have concrete walls and floors will take longer than wood or vinyl flooring throughout other areas of your home.
Concrete or masonry materials tend to hold on to moisture for much longer because of their porous nature.
As a result, more equipment in needed to dry out the area in a timely fashion. In some cases, concrete materials require about three to five days of drying time before restoration crews can start repairing any damaged walls, floors or other areas affected by water damage.
The age of the structure can also make a difference in how long the water restoration process may take.
Older homes may have issues with mortar and brick materials that are porous which will not allow for quick drying times even by using fans or air-movers.
So, the type of building materials also plays a part in the restoration process.
Severity of the damage is another factor that should be considered.
If it’s a small area with minor leakage then an hour or two may suffice but if you have major flooding from burst pipes or heavy rain, then it can take much longer for your home to dry out and become habitable again.
In addition, you should also consider the size of your home when determining how long it will take to complete the restoration process after an incident occurs.
Smaller single story homes may require only an hour or two for restoration crews to dry out and make repairs. In larger homes, this process takes longer to complete.
How much water damage is another factor to be considered.
For example, a broken pipe in the kitchen will take much less time than if you had flooded your entire home due to an overflow or water line rupture in a bathroom.
The length of time the water has been in contact with the building materials is another thing to consider.
If the items have been wet for about four hours or longer this will increase the length of time needed for the dry out process.
This will also increase the cost because mold may have begun growing which would require additional steps.
Are the affected items porous or non-porous? This affects the dry out time since porous materials will wick in moisture from the air and take much longer to dry.
For example, carpeting that has been saturated for several hours can be pretty difficult to restore since it may not completely dry out for days even constant air movement.
The type of water is also another important factor. There are different categories of water that include the following:
Category 1 Water damage is considered safe and can be easily dried out with fans, dehumidifiers and air movers.
Category 2 Water (Grey Water) damage includes small amounts of clean water such as from a broken dishwasher or washing machine line that has not been contaminated by other materials like mud.
This will make it more difficult to restore since additional equipment may be needed to clean the area correctly.
Category 3 Water damage is considered dangerous due to possible biological contaminants that can carry viruses or bacteria.
When handling category 3 water, additional treatment of materials is required.
Additional treatment could include, using anti-microbial cleaners, chemical foggers, lights along with special biocides to prevent any health risks from developing for you or your family members residing in the home.
Water damage repair and restoration is all about efficiently getting everything back where it should be before any further issues arise. Issues such as mold growth which can become a health hazard in some cases.
The process of water damage restoration can take anywhere from a few hours to days or weeks depending on the type of water damage that has occurred, how long it’s been in contact with building materials and what material is being restored.
The best way you can help speed up water damage restoration is by not using your home until it is completely dried out.
Water damage restoration can be completed by a team of experts.
These experts will efficiently dry up all sources of water and begin the process for repairing any structural damages. This service includes water extraction, cleaning, sanitizing, deodorizing, and restoring affected materials including carpeting, and subfloors.
Points to Remember
Water damage restoration time depends on how severe your water damage is, and it also heavily depends on the material that was affected by a flood or leak.
When you are experiencing water damage in your home, be sure that you act fast by removing items away from the source.
If there is standing water or you can smell an odor, call your water damage restoration team immediately.
The most important step in the process of water damage restoration is time management and acting fast to avoid any complications like mold growth.
Mold growth associated with water damage will cause bigger issues down the road. Keeping this tip in mind along with hiring professionals who have experience dealing with water damage restoration should help you achieve the best results.
Thank you for reading, I hope this blog post has helped answer some questions! If it did, please share so that others can read as well.