Water Damage Restoration in Brooklyn

Water damage risks across Brooklyn

Brownstones and rowhouses

Brownstones and brick rowhouses have flat roofs, parapet walls and box gutters that leak as they age, and old cast-iron and galvanized plumbing inside the walls. Garden-level apartments sit partly below the sidewalk, where sewer backups and runoff reach first. Water also travels through the shared party walls between houses.

Apartment buildings

In prewar and postwar buildings alike, a failed riser, toilet supply line or washing machine hose can damage a whole line of apartments. Building staff should shut off the source, and both the owner and each resident’s insurer may need to be notified.

Coastal neighborhoods

Sandy’s surge in 2012 flooded Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach, Red Hook, Canarsie and parts of DUMBO and the Gowanus area. Many of these neighborhoods are in FEMA high-risk flood zones, where flood insurance is the only coverage for water entering from outside.

Cloudbursts and combined sewers

Like most of the city, Brooklyn is served by combined sewers. In intense rain, they back up into basements and cellars through floor drains, toilets and showers. Low-lying blocks near the Gowanus Canal, Newtown Creek and Jamaica Bay flood first.

First steps for Brooklyn homes and apartments

1. Stop the water

   In a house, close the main valve in the cellar by the meter. In an apartment, call the super to shut the riser. If a valve fails, call 311 for DEP to shut the curb valve.

2. Stay safe

   Stay out of water near outlets, appliances and the electrical panel. If water reaches the panel, call Con Edison.

3. Handle backups as contaminated water

   If sewage is coming up from the street, report it to 311. If only your building is affected, call a licensed plumber, because the house sewer line is the owner’s responsibility.

4. Document and notify

   Photograph everything, notify your landlord or managing agent in writing, and report the loss to your insurer.

5. Start drying within 24 to 48 hours

   Mold can begin on wet drywall, plaster and wood within a day or two. Professional extraction and drying is much faster than fans alone.

Owners, renters and co-ops

In a rental, the landlord repairs the building and renters insurance covers your belongings. In co-ops and condos, the proprietary lease or bylaws decide who handles which repairs. Brownstone owners renting a garden or upper-floor unit are landlords too, with the same repair duties. See our landlord and tenant guide.

Winter in older Brooklyn buildings

Brownstones and older apartment buildings often have pipes in exterior walls, under bay windows, and in unheated vestibules, cellars and rear extensions. In a hard freeze, those are the first to split. In buildings with steam heat, failed radiator valves and air vents leak or spit hot water, and boiler room floods often start at a relief valve or a feed line.

Keep cellar windows shut in winter, insulate pipes along outside walls, and find the main valve before the first cold snap. See burst and frozen pipes.

Choosing a restoration company in Brooklyn

• Ask for the company’s NYC home improvement contractor license from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
• In landmarked brownstones, ask about drying plaster, wood trim and original floors in place rather than removing them.
• Many buildings require a certificate of insurance before work. Ask the managing agent.
• For mold over 10 square feet, New York requires a licensed mold assessor and a separate licensed remediator.

ZIP codes we take calls from in Brooklyn

Calls are accepted from every Brooklyn ZIP code below. If you are not sure, call anyway: the team will tell you right away whether it can help.

• 11201
• 11203
• 11204
• 11205
• 11206
• 11207
• 11208
• 11209
• 11210
• 11211
• 11212
• 11213
• 11214
• 11215
• 11216
• 11217
• 11218
• 11219
• 11220
• 11221
• 11222
• 11223
• 11224
• 11225
• 11226
• 11228
• 11229
• 11230
• 11231
• 11232
• 11233
• 11234
• 11235
• 11236
• 11237
• 11238
• 11239
• 11249