Dry Patrol WATER DAMAGE

good.....happy with results.

This is a real "on the one hand, on the other hand" story.
One the one hand...DP was responsive when we called about our basement.  Salesman came out on Saturday and provided an estimate of between $4000 and $7000. Given that the water was already gone and we had moved everything that needed moving, I asked that everything possible be done to keep the final invoice at the lower figure, given that I wasn't sure at the time if insurance would cover it or not.  The equipment was brought out on Sunday and installed.  
Everyone from Dry Patrol was friendly and helpful.  The equipment was in for six or seven days.  We were pleased with the service and responsiveness.  They even helped us by providing information to the insurance company.
On the other hand....then came the invoice.  It was enough over the estimate that I thought it was the wrong invoice.  There had been no indication that the final invoice would exceed the estimate.  There was a large mistake on it, which they removed right away.  I was still unhappy with the invoice for a variety of reasons but we eventually settled on an amount I could live with.
Here's what I learned about working with basement dry companies:
Get a detailed estimate: what category of water is being estimated for, how many machines of what type will be needed, how many days the machines will be needed, what other work and services is included.  Don't settle for just a number, like I did.  Ask lots of questions about the estimate.  Ask what could make the final invoice be larger than the estimate.
Count the machines that are brought in and note the type of each machine.  There will be fans and dehumidifiers and perhaps some other equipment.  You'll be paying a fee per machine per day.  If you don't count the machines of each type, you'll have no way of knowing if the final invoice is correct.  
Ask how often they'll be coming out to check for moisture.  More often is better but make sure to find out if you're paying for every check.  When they come out, ask if they are seeing anything that would cause the estimate to be low.
Go over the invoice with a fine tooth comb.  Ask questions about every item.  If insurance is covering the damage, ask them to look over the invoice to check for red flags even if they are just sending you a check and you will be doing the negotiating.
So, Dry Patrol did a good job on the basement but hassling over a final invoice is no fun.

He was so great for us!  Super responsive, helpful and respectful.  He was very thorough; did a great, professional job; took the time to explain everything to us.  We would use him again without hesitation. 

The water line coming into our house broke, flooding the basement.  Most of the water went into the storage/work/laundry/furnace areas, but the finished part of the basement was also damaged.  Dry patrol arrived shortly after we called.  The cleared out the basement, moving dry items we hoped to save to the garage and wet items we did not want to a dumpster.  They then installed a huge dehumidifier, an air filter, and 15 commercial fans.  They provided a lock box for the door so that their technician could come back daily and monitor the situation.  However he always called first and we were always there when he came.  We were most concerned about carpet, carpet padding, and dry wall.  The entire basement, including these areas, were monitored by special tools and probes.  They removed baseboard in the wettest areas to check the drywall and pulled the carpet in the one area to visually inspect it as well and to apply an anti-mold treatment.  After a full week the basement was totally dry and they removed their equipment.
Dry Patrol is not the large company recommended by our insurance company.  It is not a franchise operation, but a small locally owned up and comer.  Our plumber recommended them so I gave them a shot.  The insurance adjuster clearly would have preferred a larger chain operation but they worked professionally with Dry Patrol.

They cleaned everything out, tried to keep what he could. Still need insulation out back in. They had to tear up all the walls in the basement, tore out carpet on first floor. It went great, did a beautiful job. They started in November, it took them this long to clean everything out. They sealed off register for the heat. They wiped down all the vents before the reattached.

It took about  4 days but everything went well.

unknown

It went as well as could be expected.  No other company could have taken care of the problem any better.  I am VERY glad we had Dry Patrol!

We were very pleased with the work performed by Dry Patrol. Both Jeff and Gregg at Dry Patrol carefully explained issues involved in water damage clean-up and mold remediation, referred us to other contractors that would be needed, and performed the work professionally. We were very satisfied and would recommend them to others and have been recommending them to others. We had first used another company that quit in the middle of the project, leaving a mess. This other company was less than conscientious and did not perform the work according to industry standards. Dry Patrol was very insistent on using industry standards for clean-up and performing the tasks correctly.

The provider explained everything he needed to do to completely dry our basement to avoid mold and mildew occurring. He took the time to explain in laymen terms. Our basement was dryer when Dry Patrol left then it originally was prior to the water back up. Greg and Jeff was very professional, timely and responsive. I would definitely use and recommend this company again if the need arises, but I hope it doesn't.

They came @ 7 pm & worked till 2 am to be sure the drying process was begun as soon as possible & have worked with us for more than a week to be sure we are satisfied.