Identify the water category and class

Restoration estimates start with two classifications. The water category describes the source: clean supply water, gray water from appliances, or contaminated water from sewage or flooding. The class describes how much is wet and how hard it will be to dry, from a small area with low absorption to deep saturation of walls and floors.

Both change the scope. Category decides handling and what can be saved; class decides equipment and days. Write both on the estimate, because they explain the price to anyone reading it later.

Scope extraction first

Extraction is the first billable work and the easiest to scope: standing water by area and depth, the extractor hours it takes, and any content moving needed to reach the floor. If water is still coming in, stopping the source, whether by you or a plumber, is a line of its own.

Drying is equipment per day

Drying is priced as equipment per day: air movers by count, dehumidifiers by capacity, and the day count from your moisture readings and the class of the loss. Add monitoring visits, because someone comes back to take readings and move equipment, and those trips are labor.

Bill the equipment you actually place for the days it actually runs. Padding day counts is how restoration contractors lose trust and referrals.

Demolition and rebuild are separate scopes

Some materials dry in place; others come out. Baseboards, swollen drywall, wet insulation, and delaminated flooring are demolition scope, priced by area with disposal as its own line. Say in the estimate which materials you expect to remove, and note that hidden damage found after opening walls is quoted as a change.

Rebuild is a different scope from mitigation. Many contractors estimate drying and demolition now and quote the rebuild once the structure is dry and measurable. If you do both, keep them as separate sections so the customer and their records stay clean.

Documentation is part of the job

Photograph everything before you touch it, log moisture readings by room and day, and keep a drying log. If the customer involves an insurer, that file is what they will ask for. What a policy covers is between the customer and their insurer; your job is an accurate scope and clean records, not promises about coverage.

Mistakes that erode restoration margins

  • Skipping the category and class, so the scope has no logic
  • Flat-pricing drying instead of equipment per day
  • Forgetting monitoring trips and content moving
  • Burying demolition disposal in the drying price
  • Quoting rebuild before the structure is dry and measurable
  • No photo and reading log, so the invoice has no backup

The estimate the customer can act on

The estimate should show extraction, drying equipment and days, monitoring, demolition and disposal, and rebuild scope as separate sections, with the category and class stated, exclusions, and validity. That structure is also what makes a good estimate generally: scope, assumptions, and a number the reader can follow.

On site, EstimateBook can draft the estimate from your walkthrough: describe the loss by voice or attach photos and readings, review and edit line items, quantities, and markup, then share a PDF. The draft is a starting point; your moisture map is the authority.