Water from outside is its own job.

Houston floods in more than one way. Brays Bayou has put water into low Meyerland houses. Clear Creek has done it in Friendswood. Cypress Creek and Spring Creek have wet streets on the northwest and north sides. The San Jacinto and Lake Houston have reached low ground in Humble and Kingwood. A house three blocks uphill in the same neighborhood can stay dry in the same storm. We do not treat a ZIP code as a water line.

Look at the walls. Outside water often leaves a line. It comes in at doors, weep holes, and low vents. A pipe break starts at a fixture or a ceiling and runs down. Wind-driven rain starts at a roof or a window and stains from above. If you had more than one, say so. Your insurer needs the distinction. So do we, because the dirt in flood water changes what has to be thrown away.

Stay out until the water has left and the power is safe. Do not run a generator in a garage or a closed room. Do not turn breakers on while you are standing in water. When the house is safe to enter, photograph every room before you drag furniture to the curb. The line on the wall, the wet cabinet, and the floor that buckled are the record.

Call your insurer and ask which policy they want you to report under. Then call (713) 909-0034 if you want the building dried and the wet finishes removed. We are not public adjusters. We do not tell you the claim will pay. We muck out what cannot stay, set drying equipment, and keep a list of what came out.

• Photograph the water line and each wet room.
• Do not mix flood debris with ordinary trash if your insurer told you to keep it separated.
• Leave power off until someone who understands the panel says it is safe.
• Start drying as soon as the house can be entered safely.

Drywall and insulation that sat in flood water come out above the water line, with a margin, so the cavity can dry. Baseboard comes off. Carpet and pad come out. Cabinet boxes that swelled and particle board that fell apart come out. Solid wood that only got splashed might be cleanable. We decide that in the room, not from a list.

Tile on a slab can sometimes stay if it is bonded and the water did not travel under it. That is a meter question. Vinyl and laminate that floated are done. Wood flooring that cupped across a flooded slab is usually done. We do not nail a new floor down to hide a damp slab. The smell comes back, and the floor moves.

• Water damage restoration
• Bayou water in Meyerland
• Clear Creek and Friendswood houses
• Vinyl floors after the slab is dry

Air movers move air. Dehumidifiers pull moisture out of that air. In this climate, one without the other leaves you with a warm, wet room. We set them for the rooms that got wet, not as a decoration in the hall. Doors stay positioned so the air can actually cross the floor. A closed closet that took water gets opened.

Slabs hold water longer than people expect. The surface looks dry. The meter does not. We check. Paint and new flooring wait. If the house was lifted or rebuilt after an earlier flood, we still test this slab. A new house can take water at the door the same as an old ranch. Kingwood and Humble have both older slabs and later houses on the same kinds of low streets.

Putting the house back means drywall, texture, paint, floors, and the cabinets that were lost. That is restoration. A new layout, a moved sink, or a shower where the tub was is a remodel. You can do both. Do not start the remodel on wet studs. Dry and stabilize. Then decide what is worth changing while the walls are open.

Permits follow the address. Friendswood, Humble, and Tomball are not Houston City Hall. Meyerland is Houston. We confirm. If an association cares about the exterior, a flood rebuild inside the house is usually a different question. Call (713) 909-0034 when you are ready for the dry-out or for the rebuild. Family-owned since 1993.

• River and lake flooding around Humble
• Low ground in Kingwood
• Cypress Creek and nearby houses
• Spring Creek flooding

We will not call flood water a plumbing leak to make a story simpler. We will not promise a payment. We will not dry a house halfway and close the walls because the truck is scheduled. If we think something can be saved, we say that too. Throwing away a solid door because the floor was wet is waste. Keeping wet drywall because it might be fine is how mold smells show up next month.

Bring the photos you took and any letter from the insurer. We read the scope you were given and compare it to the rooms. If something wet was missed, we point at it. The decision to pay still sits with your insurer. Our work is the building.