Nobody shops for restoration in advance. You are almost always pricing this while standing in an inch of water, which is a terrible position from which to evaluate a quote. So here is the actual structure of restoration pricing, with real 2026 Greater Houston numbers.
Typical cost by scenario
| Scenario | Mitigation | Repairs | Typical total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single bathroom, clean water, caught fast | $1,200 - $2,400 | $800 - $2,500 | $2,000 - $4,900 |
| Kitchen supply line, 1-2 rooms | $2,500 - $5,000 | $3,000 - $9,000 | $5,500 - $14,000 |
| Water heater burst in attic | $3,500 - $7,500 | $5,000 - $18,000 | $8,500 - $25,500 |
| Whole-floor loss, hardwood affected | $6,000 - $12,000 | $12,000 - $40,000 | $18,000 - $52,000 |
| Sewage backup, finished basement | $5,000 - $11,000 | $8,000 - $25,000 | $13,000 - $36,000 |
| Mold remediation, single room | $2,000 - $6,000 | $1,500 - $6,000 | $3,500 - $12,000 |
Those ranges are wide because the variables genuinely are. Here is what moves you between the low and high end.
The four variables that set the price
1. Water category
Category 1 is clean supply water. Category 2 is grey water — appliance discharge, an overflow with no solids. Category 3 is black water: sewage, flood water, or any water that has been standing more than about 72 hours.
Category drives everything downstream. In Category 1, drywall and carpet often dry in place. In Category 3, every porous material in the affected zone is removed and disposed of, crews work in full PPE, and disinfection and verification testing are added. The same square footage can differ by 300% on category alone.
2. Affected square footage — including what you cannot see
Pricing is driven by the metered wet area, not the visibly wet area. A stain the size of a dinner plate on a ceiling routinely maps to 60 square feet of saturated drywall and insulation. This is the most common source of surprise when a scope comes back larger than expected.
3. Days of equipment
Air movers and dehumidifiers are billed per unit per day. A three-day dry-out on six air movers and two dehumidifiers is a very different line item from a nine-day dry-out on twenty units. Duration is driven by material type, saturation depth and how long the water sat before extraction.
4. Reconstruction scope
Mitigation is fairly predictable. Reconstruction is where budgets diverge, because it is driven by your finishes. Replacing builder-grade carpet is not the same project as matching 30-year-old discontinued tile or rebuilding custom cabinetry.
What insurance actually changes
On a covered loss, you pay your deductible and the carrier pays the rest of the approved scope. Practically, the questions that matter are whether the cause is covered and whether the full scope gets approved.
- Sudden and accidental discharge — burst pipes, failed appliances, water heater ruptures — is covered by nearly every standard policy
- Gradual seepage, long-term leaks and deferred maintenance are excluded
- Rising surface flood water requires separate flood coverage, full stop
- Mold is usually capped at $5,000-$10,000 in Texas policies unless you carry an endorsement
- Sewer backup often requires a specific rider — check yours before you need it
How to read a restoration estimate
Ask for an Xactimate line-item estimate. That is the platform adjusters price against, and it makes every line comparable. Then check for these specific things:
- 1Is the equipment quantity and duration stated, or is it a lump sum?
- 2Does it distinguish between drying in place and removal for each material?
- 3Are moisture readings referenced to justify the affected area?
- 4Is antimicrobial application included where the category requires it?
- 5Is reconstruction quoted separately, or bundled in a way you cannot evaluate?
A vague one-page quote for a five-figure job is a warning sign. Not necessarily of dishonesty — often just of a company that has not actually measured the loss yet.
When a lower bid is genuinely worse
Most large gaps between restoration quotes are scope differences, not margin differences. One estimator metered the subfloor and found it saturated; the other did not check. One included the wall cavity behind the cabinets; the other assumed it was dry.
The cheap version of that decision surfaces four months later as a musty smell and a mold claim your carrier will not pay because the original loss is closed. Ask both companies to show you their moisture readings, and the difference usually explains itself.
Frequently asked
Occasionally, but it frequently backfires. Uncontained demolition of Category 2 or 3 materials spreads contamination through the rest of the house, and carriers routinely refuse to pay for work performed before the loss was documented. If you want to reduce cost, ask about self-performing the paint and finish work at the end instead.