Water Damage Restoration
Extraction, moisture mapping and drying for Portland-area houses, whether the water came through the roof, up from the ground or out of a wall.
Portland, Beaverton, Gresham, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Vancouver and 15 more towns
Water in the basement or ceiling? Close the valve, then call.
Basements that take on winter ground water, roofs that leak through six rainy months, old pipes that split behind plaster. Call (833) 490-5225 at any hour. A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available, and the price is written down before anything is switched on.
- Phones answered 24/7
- Basements, roofs and old pipes
- Ask for the licence number
Get a fast quote
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
24/7Phones answered, nights and weekends included
~45%of Portland homes were built before 1960 (Census-based estimate)
Oct–MarThe wet season, when most of the year's rain falls
1,000+Potential water-emergency calls to Portland firefighters in the January 2024 freeze (KOIN)
Today in Portland
Winter atmospheric rivers and long soaking fronts from October to March saturate Portland's hillsides and low river land, which decides which water problems are most likely in the city from week to week.
Portland & Multnomah County
Local water damage restoration you can reach by phone
Portland Water Damage Restoration at a glance
Portland Water Damage Restoration answers water damage calls 24/7 for Portland and 20 nearby towns across Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Clark counties. A local technician pumps out standing water, traces moisture with meters and a thermal camera, and dries basements, crawl spaces, walls and ceilings. The price is confirmed in writing first.
Begin with the source. If a pipe or appliance is leaking, close its valve or the main, which in many older Portland houses sits where the line enters the basement wall or crawl space. If the water is coming through a roof or a foundation wall, you cannot shut it off, so lift belongings, stay out of any room where water has reached an outlet and photograph everything before you touch it.
Water reaches Portland-area houses three ways. It comes down through roofs and gutters during the October-to-March wet season, up through basement walls and crawl spaces when the ground is full, and out of old plumbing. In neighborhoods built on combined sewers, heavy rain can add a fourth route, back up a floor drain. About 45 percent of the city's homes predate 1960, so old pipes and old foundations are common, and the right response depends on which of the four you have.
- Service area
- Portland and 20 nearby towns in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, Oregon, plus Vancouver and Camas in Washington, all within 25 km of central Portland
- Address
- Portland, OR 97204
- Hours
- Phones answered 24/7
- Pricing
- Ask for the price in writing before work starts. Costs depend on the size of the damage and the access; national averages are not Portland prices
- What we handle
- Basement and crawl-space water, roof and ceiling leaks, burst and frozen pipes, water heaters, appliance leaks, sewage backups, flood water, slope water, structural drying, and mold inspection and remediation, for homes and commercial buildings
- Who else you may need
- A licensed plumber repairs the pipe or water heater, a sewer contractor repairs the line, and a roofer repairs the roof. Licensing differs by state: Oregon work is checked against the CCB, and Vancouver and Camas contractors register with Washington L&I. Ask for the number and check it
Services
Water damage services across Portland and the metro
Pick a service for symptoms, process and typical cost, or call and describe what you hear and see.
Emergency Water Removal
Pumping and extraction for standing water in Portland basements, living areas and crawl spaces, followed by the drying plan.
Basement Water Damage
Water removal and drying for Portland basements, from slow wall seepage to a drain that has backed up into a finished lower level.
Burst Pipe Water Damage
Cleanup and drying after a supply line splits, whether from freezing, corrosion or a failed joint, in a Portland house.
Frozen Pipe Water Damage
What to do about frozen pipes in Portland's mild climate, and how thaw leaks are dried when a pipe has already split.
Sewage Backup Cleanup
Handling sewage that has come up through a floor drain or toilet in a Portland house, including the question of city versus owner responsibility.
Flood Damage Cleanup
Removing river, creek and storm flood water, silt and ruined materials from homes near the Willamette, Columbia and Johnson Creek.
Storm Damage Restoration
Water cleanup and drying after winter storms push rain through roofs, walls and windows or drop limbs on Portland houses.
Roof Leak Water Damage
Drying attics, ceilings and walls after a roof leak, and how to tell a leak from condensation in a long Portland wet season.
Crawl Space Water Damage
Pumping, drying and documenting wet crawl spaces under Portland-area houses, including insulation, joists and vapor barriers.
Slope and Landslide Water Damage
Removing and drying water that enters Portland homes from saturated slopes, and what to document when soil is moving.
Mold Remediation
How mold is removed from Portland homes after water damage, and why fixing the moisture matters as much as the cleaning.
Mold Inspection and Testing
How mold is found, documented and sampled in Portland houses, and why an inspection should be separate from the cleanup.
Structural Drying and Dehumidification
How air movers and dehumidifiers dry Portland houses in a cool, humid climate, and how readings decide when the job is finished.
Ceiling Water Damage
Dealing with stained, bulging or dripping ceilings in Portland houses and apartments, from roof leaks to upstairs plumbing.
Water Heater Leak Cleanup
Dealing with water from a leaking or burst water heater in Portland basements, closets, garages and crawl spaces.
Appliance Leak Water Damage
Cleanup and drying after washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator or icemaker leaks in Portland houses, apartments and condos.
Commercial Water Damage
Water extraction and drying for Portland businesses and multifamily buildings, including masonry buildings, sprinkler failures and supply-line breaks.
Why homeowners call us
Why Portland Water Damage Restoration
Someone picks up at 3 a.m.
Pipes split on the thaw and storms arrive on weekends, so the line is answered around the clock. A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available, and you get a plain answer about timing instead of a promise that nobody can keep.
Both sides of the Columbia
Calls come from the east side, the West Hills, the Tualatin Valley, the Clackamas towns and Vancouver and Camas in Washington. The dispatcher tells you honestly what the distance means for your address.
The price comes before the equipment
Extraction and drying are scoped and priced in writing before anything is plugged in. Rebuilding is quoted separately once the structure is dry, so nobody guesses at repairs while the floor is wet.
How it works
From phone call to fixed, in four steps
Stop what you can, then call
Close the valve if a pipe is involved. Tell the dispatcher which floors are wet, where the water started and how long it has been running.
A crew is dispatched
A crew goes out as fast as one is available. While you wait, photograph the wet areas and lift belongings off the floor.
Measure, agree, extract
On site the technician maps the moisture, puts the price in writing and starts extraction once you agree. Anything that must be cut out is explained first.
What should you do first when water is spreading in a Portland house?
Close the supply valve or the main if a pipe is the cause, stay clear of water near outlets or the furnace, photograph the damage and lift valuables. If rain is the source, protect what sits below the leak. Then call. The EPA advises drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours.
The main shutoff is the item people wish they had found sooner. In an older house it may be a stiff gate valve in the basement or crawl space that has not turned in years. Try it once on a dry day, and mention a seized valve to a plumber instead of forcing it.
Leave wet drywall and carpet in place until a meter has read them, and never run a household vacuum on water that came up a drain. Photographs, a short list of what got wet and a phone call are the most useful things you can do before a crew arrives.
- Close the supply valve or the main if a pipe or appliance is leaking
- Stay out of rooms where water has reached outlets, the panel or the furnace
- Photograph and video the damage before moving anything
- Lift boxes and electronics off wet floors
Why does Portland water damage follow the wet season?
Downtown Portland averages about 44 inches of rain a year, and most of it falls from October to March, with December the wettest month at 7.35 inches and July the driest at 0.43. Roofs leak, ground water presses on foundations and crawl spaces fill in those months, and a rare freeze can split pipes.
Read the table as a tendency, not a forecast. The January 2024 ice storm shows that a freeze can land in a mild year, and an atmospheric river can bring heavy rain in any wet month.
For a deeper look at how the rivers and creeks behave, the guide to flood risk around Portland sets rain normals beside the flood record.
| Months | What usually goes wrong | Worth doing now |
|---|---|---|
| Oct to Nov | First heavy rains meet gutters packed with needles and leaves; wind drops limbs on roofs | Clear gutters and downspouts, look into the attic after the first big storm, test the sump pump |
| Dec to Feb | Saturated ground sends seepage into basements and crawl spaces; creeks rise; a hard freeze can split exposed pipes | Clear window wells, know the main shutoff, insulate pipes in crawl spaces and garages |
| Mar to May | Roof leaks that began in winter finally stain ceilings; slopes stay wet | Check ceilings and crawl spaces for stains and standing water |
| Jun to Sep | Dry weather, with July and August averaging about half an inch of rain | Inspect roofs, drains and grading before the next wet season |
How is a Portland basement different from a slab house?
A basement sits below grade, so it takes ground water, window-well overflow and drain backups that a slab house rarely sees. Finished walls hide the wet, and concrete and masonry dry slowly. In some neighborhoods, combined sewers add the chance of a backup through a floor drain in heavy rain.
Many older Portland houses have basements, and plenty have been finished with carpet, paneling or drywall. The first sign of trouble is often a smell or a cold, damp patch of carpet along an outside wall.
The city's Bureau of Environmental Services runs a Basement Moisture Survey for sewer backups and seepage. It is not monitored for emergencies, so if water is rising now, phone, and if it is sewage use the city's 24-hour maintenance line too. The guide to wet basements in Portland homes covers the first 48 hours.
Service areas
Serving Portland and all of Multnomah County
Portland
ZIP 97201, 97202, 97203, 97204, 97205, 97206…
Beaverton
ZIP 97003, 97005, 97008, 97075, 97076, 97077
Lake Oswego
ZIP 97034, 97035
Marylhurst
ZIP 97036
Happy Valley
ZIP 97086
Vancouver
ZIP 98660, 98661, 98662, 98663, 98664, 98665…
Milwaukie
ZIP 97222
Gladstone
ZIP 97027
Clackamas
ZIP 97015
West Linn
ZIP 97068
Tualatin
ZIP 97062
Fairview
ZIP 97024
Gresham
ZIP 97030, 97080
Tigard
ZIP 97223
Damascus
ZIP 97089
Hillsboro
ZIP 97123, 97124
Oregon City
ZIP 97045
Camas
ZIP 98607
Troutdale
ZIP 97060
Sherwood
ZIP 97140
Aloha
ZIP 97006, 97007
Portland, OR 97204 · 25 km service radiusCall (833) 490-5225
Not on the list?
We also cover many smaller communities across Multnomah County. Check your ZIP.
Job stories
Typical jobs around Multnomah County
Heavy rain pushes water up a floor drain in an older Portland basement
- What homeowners notice
- After a long soaking rain, a household in a neighborhood served by a combined sewer finds dark, smelly water rising through the basement floor drain and spreading across the laundry corner.
- What we do
- The technician treats the water as contaminated, pumps it out in protective gear, removes the wet carpet remnant, pad and the base of the drywall, then cleans and disinfects the slab and framing before setting dehumidifiers and air movers.
- What to expect
- Readings are logged until the slab and walls match a dry reference, and the owner receives photographs and a list of removed materials for the city's claim route or an insurer.
A creek rise sends silty water into a low Milwaukie basement
- What homeowners notice
- After days of heavy rain a creekside lot takes water through a basement window well, leaving an inch or two of muddy water and a gritty film on the floor and the bottom of the stairs.
- What we do
- Crews in protective gear lower the water in stages, shovel out silt, remove carpet, pad and wet drywall, wash and disinfect the concrete and framing, and then dry the space with dehumidifiers and air movers.
- What to expect
- The homeowner gets photographs, a moisture log and an itemized removal list, with flood coverage left to the insurer and the window well flagged for a drainage contractor.
Winter ground water pools in a Beaverton crawl space
- What homeowners notice
- A musty smell comes up through the floor registers, and the hardwood in the hallway has started to cup. Through the access hatch the crawl space shows a pool of water and insulation hanging from the joists.
- What we do
- The technician pumps the standing water, removes the sagging insulation and torn plastic, then runs dehumidifiers and air movers while checking joist and subfloor readings on each visit.
- What to expect
- The framing reaches its dry readings, and a note about the gutter discharge and grading near the foundation goes to the owner for a drainage contractor.
Still stuck? We pick up 24/7.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent water damage restoration, send the form and we'll call you back.
Guides
Answers before you call
Water Damage Restoration Cost in Portland: What Moves the Bill
We found no price for water damage restoration that we could trace to a Portland job, so this guide prints no dollar figure.
Wet Basement in a Portland Home: The First 48 Hours and What Comes After
In the first hours of a wet Portland basement, find out whether the water is clean or came up a drain, stay out if it has reached an outlet, photograph it, lift belongings and call.
Sewer Backup in Portland: Who Owns the Pipe and Who Pays
Responsibility depends on where the blockage is.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Will someone come out at night or on a holiday?
The phones are answered 24/7, holidays included, and a crew is dispatched as fast as one is available. We cannot promise an arrival time. The dispatcher tells you plainly how long the wait is likely to be.
Do you serve Vancouver and Camas, across the river?
Yes. Both are within about 25 km of central Portland and reachable by road. Washington has its own contractor rules, so on that side you ask for an L&I registration number rather than an Oregon CCB license number.
Who repairs the pipe or the roof?
A plumber repairs pipes and water heaters, a roofer repairs the roof, and a sewer contractor repairs the line you own. We extract the water and dry the structure, and say early which of those trades you need.