Dunbar, WV's #1 Property Restoration Company

Yes. We're based in Charleston and serve all of Dunbar, from the streets around City Hall and the older grid downtown to the homes near Shawnee Park, the hillside neighborhoods north of the tracks and the area out toward West Dunbar and Institute. Our crews take care of water, fire, mold and sewage damage for homes and businesses, and we also clean carpets and air ducts. Call (304) 395-3925 any hour of the day or night.

Mostly because so much of the town is built on flat river bottom. On flat ground, storm water doesn't run off quickly, so when a heavy summer storm hits, ditches and culverts fill and the water spreads into streets and yards. Parts of Dunbar saw exactly that in 2018 and again in 2025. Homes near the hillsides also catch runoff coming down the hollows. Once water sits against a foundation for a while, it tends to find its way under the house.

Stay safe first. If water is near outlets or the breaker panel, don't wade through it. Close the main water valve if you can get to it without risk. Take photos of everything before you move it, and if you rent, let your landlord know right away. Then call a restoration company. Don't wait to see if it dries on its own. Water keeps spreading into floors and walls, and mold can start within a day or two.

Yes. Crawl spaces are one of the most common jobs we see in Dunbar because so many older homes sit on them, and basements on the hillside side of town take on runoff during storms. Water left under a house soaks insulation, weakens floor joists and raises the humidity in every room above it. We remove the water, dry the space with dehumidifiers and air movers, and check the framing with a moisture meter before we finish.

They have different ones. The larger homes built in Dunbar from the late 1970s on usually don't have the corroded galvanized pipes found in the older bungalows. They do have plastic supply lines, ice maker lines, water heaters that reach the end of their life and finished basements where a leak can hide behind drywall and carpet. Drainage on a hillside lot can also change as the ground settles. We treat every home the same way, with readings and thermal imaging.

Sometimes in a day or two. Wet wood, drywall and carpet pad can start growing mold within 24 to 48 hours. The Kanawha Valley's warm, humid summers speed that up, and the crawl spaces under many older Dunbar homes are already damp before any leak, which gives mold a head start. The longer water sits, the more material ends up being removed. Getting the water out fast and running real drying equipment is what keeps a leak from turning into mold.

Yes. We seal off the affected area with containment so spores don't travel through the house, run HEPA air scrubbers, remove moldy drywall, insulation and flooring, and clean and treat the framing that can stay. Then we dry the space back to normal. We also find and explain what caused it, whether that's a damp crawl space, a slow leak under a sink or storm runoff getting in at the foundation, so it doesn't return.

Call us and keep everyone out of the area. Sewage is Category 3 water, the most contaminated kind, and it has to be handled differently than a clean water leak. In Dunbar, backups often show up during heavy rain, when lines fill and water comes up through a floor drain or lower toilet, and older drain lines in the grid homes make it more likely. We remove the contaminated materials using protective gear, then clean, disinfect and dry the area so it's safe again.

Yes. After a fire, the damage reaches well past the room where it started. Smoke and soot drift through the whole house and into closets, cabinets and ductwork, and the odor can linger for months if it isn't treated. The water used to put out the fire soaks floors and walls too. We secure the house, clean soot off every surface it reached, deodorize the rooms and get the water dried up so rebuilding can start.

It's a good question to take to your insurance agent, especially if your home is on the low river bottom or near a ditch or culvert that backs up. Standard homeowners policies typically don't cover water that comes in from outside, such as storm runoff, surface water or a rising river, and flood coverage is a separate policy. We don't sell policies, but our photos and notes on every loss give your insurer the facts it needs.

It depends on the cause and the policy. Sudden damage, like a pipe that bursts or a washer hose that splits, is often covered. Water that comes in from outside during a storm usually needs flood coverage, and long slow leaks are often excluded. Renters should know the landlord's policy covers the building, while their own covers their belongings. Your insurer decides coverage. We provide photos, moisture readings and a written scope to support the claim.

Yes. Yes. Our team is IICRC certified, and every crew we send to Dunbar works to those standards, whether the job is a wet crawl space, a mold problem or a smoky kitchen. The IICRC lays out how each type of job should be handled, from how to treat contaminated water to how to confirm a home is dry. Following those standards keeps the work consistent and gives your adjuster records showing it was done properly.

For a typical home, plan on three to five days of drying if we get in early. Older bungalows with damp crawl spaces, hardwood floors or plaster, and homes where storm water sat overnight, can take longer. In apartment buildings, the timeline depends on how many units were affected. Repairs follow the drying. We'll give you a realistic schedule after the first visit and keep you updated as the readings come down.

Look for a musty smell, especially near the floor or when the heat comes on, ceiling or wall stains that grow, peeling paint, warped baseboards and floors that feel soft or bouncy. In older Dunbar homes, a floor that's cold and damp above the crawl space or a white powdery line on block walls is another clue. Renters who notice these signs should tell their landlord. A thermal camera and moisture meter let us pinpoint where it's coming from.

Because damp crawl spaces and humid valley air make it very hard for a home to dry on its own. Fans only push the wet air around. Our dehumidifiers dry the air, our air movers draw water out of joists and drywall, and daily meter readings show us when the wood is back to normal. Without that, wood framing under the floor can stay wet for weeks, and that's where mold and rot get started.

Yes. We restore stores, restaurants, offices, churches, apartment buildings and other commercial properties throughout Dunbar, including the shops and offices downtown around City Hall. A business that's closed loses money every day, so we assess the damage quickly, explain the plan up front and schedule drying around your hours when we can. Property managers and owners get documentation for every affected space.

No. The readings decide it. If the water was clean and the wall hasn't been wet long, we can often dry it in place with air movers and dehumidifiers. If the insulation is soaked, the water came from sewage or outside flooding, or the wall stays wet after drying, we cut out only the damaged section. Our decision comes from the readings.

We cover towns within roughly 15 miles of our Charleston office. Near Dunbar, that includes Institute, West Dunbar, South Charleston across the river, St. Albans, Nitro, Cross Lanes and Charleston. Up the Elk River and the Kanawha we reach Sissonville, Elkview, Belle, Marmet and the smaller river towns, and we serve Morgantown as well. Unsure if your street is included? A quick call will settle it.

Call (304) 395-3925. The line is staffed every hour of every day, weekends and holidays too. If it isn't urgent, like booking carpet or air duct cleaning, use the contact form on this page or book online and we'll get back to you. For active water, sewage or fire damage, calling is the quickest way to get a crew started. We're a locally owned, licensed and insured team with a 5 star rating on Google.