Water cleanup and drying for offices, shops, restaurants and multi-unit rental buildings in Colorado Springs and El Paso County, with a record the owner can use.
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A commercial building holds more equipment, more fixtures and more people than a house, and a water loss there affects the business as well as the building. The cleanup follows the same sequence as in a home, but the work is planned around the operating space, the wiring and the records. The record of readings and removed material is kept in a form the owner and the insurer can use.
A water loss in a commercial building is often a loss of use as much as a loss of material. A shop that has to close while its floor dries, a restaurant whose kitchen is wet, or a multi-unit rental where tenants cannot stay in a flooded apartment all face the same question: how soon can the space be used again. The cleanup is planned to answer that question with readings rather than estimates, and it is staged so that the parts that can be used are kept open.
Commercial work also brings its own complications: suspended ceilings, raised floors, large HVAC runs, plumbing in the walls of several units and fixtures that run on a schedule. The crew needs to know the layout and the equipment before it starts, and the owner should provide the building plans and the list of tenants or staff who must be kept out of the area during the work.
Do not enter a commercial area where the power or gas has not been confirmed off. Keep the public and the tenants out of the wet area, and post a notice at the entrance. Use the protective equipment for the work, and do not work on a suspended ceiling or a raised floor without checking its load and its support.
The owner and the people who use the space are asked which areas must stay open, which must be shut and what the layout looks like. The electrical, the HVAC and the plumbing are identified before work starts, so the crew does not disturb a live system.
Electrical circuits and gas lines in the affected area are switched off where the power is safe to do so. The wet area is closed off with barriers, and access is controlled so people do not walk through standing water.
Standing water is extracted and wet ceiling tiles, carpet tiles, cardboard and insulation are removed. Each removed item is listed by location and type so the owner and the insurer can see what was taken out.
The building is dried in zones, each with its own equipment and readings. The zones are kept separate so that moisture does not move from a wet area into a dry one, and the readings are logged on a plan of the building.
Once every zone meets the dry standard, the area is handed back with the readings, the photographs and the list of removed material. The record is organized so the owner can give it to the insurer, the landlord or the lender as needed.
The work is staged by zone, so the parts that can be used are kept open. The owner decides which areas must close first, and the crew plans the removal and the drying around the operation.
A commercial loss is planned with the owner before the work starts. The layout, the operating hours and the equipment are discussed, and the zones are marked on a plan. The work is then sequenced to keep the most important area open for as long as the readings allow.
The owner is told the expected time for each zone, and the timeline is updated at each visit. A commercial loss that runs longer than planned is explained, so the owner can plan around it.
Commercial property and business-income policies differ from homeowner policies, and the terms vary by policy. Sudden water damage is commonly covered, while flood, gradual leakage and sewer backup are often excluded unless endorsed.
Business-income coverage, which pays for lost operations, is a separate part of many commercial policies, and it has its own waiting period and conditions. The terms are set by the policy and the insurer, and this page does not describe any particular policy.
The Colorado Division of Insurance regulates insurers in Colorado and takes complaints about how claims are handled. The owner should keep the readings, the photographs and the removed-material list, and should ask the insurer to explain its position in writing.
The building owner and the building's own contractors are responsible for the HVAC, the electrical and the plumbing. The cleanup crew works around those systems, and it does not repair them.
A commercial system, such as an HVAC unit or a fire-suppression line, is not repaired by the cleanup crew. The owner's own contractor or the system's maintenance provider should check it before it is returned to service.
Where the cleanup finds a damaged system, it is recorded and reported to the owner. The owner is then responsible for the repair and for the permit, if one is needed.
The plan with the zones, the readings, the photographs, the list of removed material and the invoices. These are the documents an insurer, a landlord or a lender will ask for.
The owner should keep a single file for the loss, with the dates of each visit, the readings at each zone and the decisions made about each area. The file should also include the cause, the time it was discovered and the time it was stopped.
Where tenants are affected, the owner should keep a copy of each unit's record and the notices given. The record protects the owner in any later dispute about the work or the time it took.
Water above a suspended ceiling runs along the grid and drops into the room through the tiles. The wet tiles are removed and the plenum above is checked for water and debris, and the cleanup covers the space under the tiles as well as the floor.
Kitchen water loss involves the floor drains, the cooler lines and the fryer or dishwasher connections. Food-contact surfaces are cleaned and sanitized, and porous material that is wet is removed. The kitchen is closed to food service until the readings and the sanitation are complete.
Water that moves from one unit to another is a common problem in a multi-unit building. The cleanup covers each affected unit, the shared wall or ceiling and the common corridor, and the owner is given a record for each unit.
Commercial buildings in Colorado Springs include older downtown blocks and newer retail and office space. The age of the building decides how the water moves through its walls and ceilings, and the plan is made after the building is read.
Storm water and runoff from a burn scar have reached lower-level space in the city and the creek towns, so a commercial building on a lower lot should be checked for water after heavy rain.
Hail in the city has damaged commercial roofs and rooftop equipment as well as homes, and a commercial roof leak can reach a suspended ceiling and a row of units below it before the owner knows.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Cutting out and drying water-stained ceiling board and wall board in Colorado Springs and El Paso County, so the repair can be closed over dry framing.
Air movement and dehumidification that dry the framing, subfloor, insulation and wall cavities of a Colorado Springs building after water has been removed.
Removing sewage that has backed up through a floor drain, toilet or basement fixture in Colorado Springs and El Paso County, and cleaning and disinfecting the space.
Pumping and vacuuming standing water out of basements, garages and lower floors across Colorado Springs and El Paso County, with the call answered at any hour.
A water damage company should be able to explain its method, its credentials, its insurance and its written estimate before any work begins.
In many cases, yes, if the affected area is closed off and the rest of the building is safe. The owner and the crew agree which areas can stay open before the work starts.
The readings and the condition of the tiles decide it. Wet tiles are removed, and the plenum above is checked. The owner is shown the decision and the reasons for it.
No. The cleanup removes the water and dries the structure. The building repair, such as the new ceiling, the flooring and the drywall, is a separate job for the owner's contractor.
The record is built to be used in a claim, with the readings, the photographs and the removed-material list. The insurer decides what it accepts, and the owner should ask for its requirements in writing.