Water damage in Ottawa is a race against the clock: at normal indoor temperatures, wet cellulose materials begin supporting microbial growth within 24 to 48 hours. Our Ottawa crews carry truck-mounted extraction, LGR dehumidifiers, air movers and HEPA air scrubbers on every dispatch, so drying starts on the first visit rather than after an inspection appointment days later. Most Ottawa companies are booking two weeks out — we are on-site the same hour.
Work is performed to the IICRC S500 standard: moisture mapping of every affected assembly, extraction before evaporation, engineered drying with daily psychrometric logs, and a documented dry standard before equipment comes out. You receive itemized scope, moisture logs and photo evidence you submit to your own insurer — we are paid by you, not by a carrier, so nothing waits on adjuster approval.
We respond across Centretown, the Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Sandy Hill, Westboro, Hintonburg, Alta Vista, Kanata, Stittsville, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orleans, Gloucester and Manotick.
Our industry-standard protocol
- 1
Emergency dispatch & source control
24/7 phone triage with shut-off guidance while the crew rolls. On arrival we stop or isolate the source before anything else.
- 2
Moisture mapping & category assessment
Penetrating and non-invasive meters plus thermal imaging map how far water travelled through wall cavities, subfloor and insulation. Water is classified Category 1, 2 or 3, which sets the entire scope.
- 3
Extraction
Truck-mounted and portable extraction removes standing and bound water — extracting is hundreds of times faster and cheaper than evaporating it.
- 4
Engineered structural drying
LGR dehumidifiers and air movers sized to the affected volume, with daily temperature, relative-humidity, GPP and material-moisture readings logged until the documented dry standard is met.
- 5
Verification & handover
Final moisture readings, photo set and itemized scope handed to you for your insurer. Our scope ends at mitigation — we do not rebuild.
What's included
- ✓ Burst and frozen supply-line failures
- ✓ Water heater, dishwasher and washer floods
- ✓ Basement water extraction & wet carpet removal
- ✓ Ceiling and multi-storey water migration
- ✓ Hardwood and engineered-floor rescue drying
- ✓ Wall cavity and insulation drying under negative air
- ✓ Category 2 and Category 3 decontamination
- ✓ Daily psychrometric logging & moisture maps
- ✓ LGR dehumidifier and air mover rental for small losses
- ✓ Itemized documentation for your own insurance submission
- ✓ 24/7/365 Ottawa dispatch — no answering service
- ✓ We do not rebuild — mitigation and remediation only
Why Ottawa water losses escalate so fast
Ottawa's building stock and climate combine badly. Century homes through the Glebe, Sandy Hill, Centretown and Old Ottawa South run supply lines through uninsulated exterior walls and cold rim joists, where a single 12 mm line can release thousands of litres before anyone is home. Suburban Kanata, Barrhaven, Nepean and Orleans depend on sump systems that fail during melt or storm surge. And deep freeze-thaw cycling means January damage often shows up as March mould.
The other accelerant is delay. Every hour water sits, it moves further into subfloor, insulation and wall cavities, and the difference between a two-day drying job and a demolition-and-mould scope is usually the first 24 hours.
What to do in the first hour
- Shut off the water at the main valve if the source is a supply line.
- Kill power to affected circuits if water is anywhere near outlets or panels.
- Photograph everything before you move a single item — this is your claim evidence.
- Lift furniture off wet carpet or place foil under legs to stop staining and rust transfer.
- Do not run household fans through contaminated water — you aerosolize what is in it.
- Call 24/7 dispatch. Extraction inside the first hours is what keeps the scope small.
Ottawa water damage cost — realistic ranges
Mitigation cost is driven by affected square footage, water category and the number of drying days, not by a flat rate. Typical Ottawa ranges for the mitigation phase alone:
- Single room, clean water, 3-day dry: $1,200–$3,000
- Finished basement, clean water, partial removal: $3,500–$9,000
- Category 3 sewer or septic backup: $8,000–$25,000
- Multi-storey migration or commercial loss: quoted on scope
Reconstruction is not included in any of these figures — we dry, decontaminate and verify, then hand the file to your own builder. Financing through our partners can bridge the gap while your reimbursement claim is reviewed.
Where we respond
Crews dispatched 24/7 across Eastern Ontario, including:
Instant cost estimate
Preliminary CAD range in under a minute. A free on-site inspection confirms the scope, and financing is available while your claim is reviewed.
Estimated mitigation range
$2,848 – $4,188
Mitigation and remediation only — we do not quote or perform reconstruction.
Frequently asked questions
How fast can you reach a water damage emergency in Ottawa?
Standard on-site arrival is inside 90 minutes to the Ottawa core — Centretown, the Glebe, Westboro, Alta Vista, Sandy Hill and Old Ottawa South — and about two hours to Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orleans, Gloucester, Stittsville and Manotick. Dispatch is live 24/7/365.
Do I have to wait for my insurer before drying starts in Ottawa?
No. You pay us directly, so mitigation begins the moment you authorize it. We then hand you the itemized scope, daily moisture logs, photo evidence and verification letter to submit to your insurer for your own reimbursement.
How long does it take to dry an Ottawa basement?
Most clean-water basement losses reach the dry standard in three to five days with correctly sized LGR dehumidification. Dense assemblies — hardwood over concrete, plaster, or wet insulation in exterior walls — can run seven days or longer. Daily readings tell us when equipment comes out, not a calendar.
Can I rent drying equipment instead of hiring a crew?
Yes, for small clean-water losses. We rent commercial LGR dehumidifiers, air movers and HEPA air scrubbers across Eastern Ontario from Belleville to Ottawa, with setup guidance and target moisture readings.
Do you repair the damage after drying?
No. Our scope stops at extraction, structural drying, hazardous-material abatement and sanitization. We do not rebuild. You receive verified dry readings and a documented scope so your own contractor can start immediately.