Water damage restoration in Phoenix, AZ

The city, and what we mean by Phoenix

Phoenix covers more than five hundred square miles, from Deer Valley and the Arrowhead area in the north to South Mountain in the south, and from the West Valley edge to the Biltmore, Arcadia and the central city. We are based near Sun City, so the northwest and west parts of Phoenix are closest. Call with your address and we will tell you what we can do.

Neighborhoods vary enormously: pre-war bungalows around Willo and Encanto, mid-century ranch homes in Arcadia and the Biltmore area, newer subdivisions in the north and far south, condos and apartments throughout, and high-rise office and residential towers downtown. We treat each building as its own problem.

Soil: clay in places, caliche in others

Phoenix is a patchwork. Many areas have caliche, the cemented desert layer that blocks water from draining downward. Other pockets have clay soils that are called expansive, because they swell when they get wet and shrink when they dry. The geology can change from one block to the next, and some lots have both.

Why does it matter for water damage? Because what happens under a house depends on the ground.

Caliche: water from a leak near or under the slab tends to spread sideways along the hard layer and come up where it finds a path.

Expansive clay: water soaks into the clay and makes it expand. If a leak is under a slab, the clay beneath can swell and push upward. This is called heave. It can crack a slab, lift tile, shift walls and cause doors to stick. It is slow and uneven, and it can take weeks to show. The reverse, shrinking, happens when the soil dries out.

We are not geotechnical engineers, and we do not diagnose foundation movement. But we have seen floors that are wet from a slab leak develop cracks and lifting, and we know that quick extraction and drying lower the risk. If you notice cracks, doors that suddenly stick or lifting tile after a leak, tell us, and talk to a structural engineer.

Slab leaks in central Phoenix

Many central and older Phoenix homes are slab-on-grade with plumbing in or under the slab. As in Sun City, older pipes corrode and fail. In clay areas, the movement of the soil can stress the pipes, and a leak can feed the swelling that stresses them further. See slab leak water damage cleanup.

Signs include warm spots on floors, rising water bills, the sound of running water, damp floors and cracks. A plumber locates the leak. We map the moisture and dry the affected materials. See moisture mapping.

Older and historic homes

Neighborhoods like Willo, Encanto, F.Q. Story and the Coronado district contain houses from the early to mid twentieth century, with plaster walls, original wood floors, old plumbing and sometimes lath and masonry. They take water differently from newer homes.

• Plaster dries slowly and can crack if dried too quickly.
• Original wood floors can cup and may be worth preserving.
• Old plumbing is a mix of materials, and repairs are patchwork.
• Materials from before 1980 may contain asbestos or lead paint, and we recommend testing before demolition. See controlled demolition.

We take a gentle approach, with careful monitoring and photographs of the condition before and after.

Mid-century and ranch homes

Arcadia, the Biltmore area, Moon Valley and many other neighborhoods have 1950s through 1970s ranch homes. They share many problems with Sun City houses: copper pipes that are decades old, water heaters in garages, attic lines, and slab leaks. Many have been remodeled, and the combination of old plumbing and new finishes means a failure can ruin recent work.

Condos, apartments and multi-unit buildings

A large share of Phoenix's housing is attached. When water starts in one unit, it can affect the one below and the one beside. Responsibility between owners, associations and insurers gets complicated, and speed matters, because each unit's damage grows with time.

We map each unit separately, record readings for each owner and share the results with the property manager. We coordinate access with tenants and owners. See commercial water damage restoration for how we handle multi-unit properties.

Offices and commercial buildings

Phoenix has a lot of offices, retail space, restaurants and light industrial buildings. Water loss in a commercial space involves tenants, business interruption and bigger floor areas. We work in phases where possible, and we document in detail. Downtown towers involve building engineering teams, shared risers and sometimes multiple floors.

Common calls

• Slab leaks and the damp floors and walls that follow.
• Water heater failures in garages and closets.
• Hidden pipe leaks in older homes.
• AC and condensate leaks in attics and closets.
• Multi-unit leaks from above.
• Sewer backups in older neighborhoods.
• Monsoon water, roof leaks and storm intrusion.

Phoenix heat and drying

In summer, outside humidity is low, but inside a sealed house the story is different. We close the house and use dehumidifiers. In monsoon season, humidity rises and drying takes more equipment. Our setup depends on the conditions, not the calendar.

Insurance

Policies vary, and the larger the building, the more complicated. For multi-unit buildings, both the association's master policy and the owners' policies may be involved. Keep notes on who you spoke with and when. We provide records for each party.

North and west Phoenix

The parts of Phoenix closest to us are Deer Valley, Arrowhead, Moon Valley, Sunnyslope and the northwest side along the Loop 101 and I-17. These have homes from the 1960s through the 2000s, many on slabs, many in ranch layouts, and a lot of the same issues as nearby Sun City, Glendale and Peoria: aging copper, garage water heaters, attic lines and AC drain problems. Sunnyslope and the hillside areas around North Mountain have older homes on rocky lots, with their own drainage characteristics.

Central and south Phoenix

The central city, Encanto, Willo, the Biltmore area and Arcadia have older and more expensive homes, many remodeled, many with original plumbing behind new finishes. South Phoenix, Laveen and the Ahwatukee side of South Mountain have both older homes and newer subdivisions, and in some places clay soil. Each has its own mix of owners, landlords and families, and each has its own rhythm.

High-rise and downtown buildings

Downtown Phoenix and Midtown have office towers, residential high-rises and mixed-use buildings. Water loss in a tall building involves risers, shared systems and building engineers. Water from a failure on an upper floor can travel through slab penetrations to floors below. We coordinate with building management, and we work unit by unit or floor by floor. We keep careful records so that the building, the owners and their insurers can each see their share.

Heat and the monsoon

Phoenix summers are long and hot, and the monsoon brings sudden storms, high winds and dust. A roof leak in July is common, and wind-driven rain can reach places that a gentle rain does not. After a storm, check ceilings and the tops of walls for stains, especially under roof penetrations, skylights and flat roof sections. A small stain is often the first sign of a larger wet area above.

Questions from Phoenix residents

Can a leak crack my slab?

In expansive clay areas, prolonged moisture can contribute to heave. Quick extraction and drying help. A structural engineer evaluates actual movement.

Do you work in downtown buildings?

We handle commercial and multi-unit properties. Call with the details.

Are older Phoenix homes harder to dry?

Plaster and old wood take more care. We go slowly.

My neighbor's unit leaked into mine. What do I do?

Photograph it, notify your association and insurer, and call us. We map your unit separately.