What the assessment actually decides
The first job on site is not extraction. It is classification. A burst supply line in a Park Slope kitchen is Category 1 water until it sits long enough, or crosses building materials, to become Category 2. A basement floor drain that backed up during a rain event is Category 3 the moment it enters the building, because the source is combined sewage.
Category drives what we can dry in place and what must be removed. Porous materials touched by Category 3 water are removed and bagged, not dried and disinfected. Getting this backwards is the most common expensive mistake in the trade, and it is invisible for about three weeks until the smell arrives.
Class sets the equipment count, not the technician's opinion
Class 1 means less than 5 percent of porous material is wet. Class 2 is 5 to 40 percent. Class 3 is more than 40 percent. Class 4 is deeply bound water in plaster, hardwood, concrete, brick or stone, and it needs specialty drying rather than more air movers.
Brooklyn's older row houses are frequently Class 4 in the walls even when the floor looks like Class 2. Plaster on rubble masonry holds water deep, and a dehumidifier reading that looks fine at the surface will read wet at the lath for another week. That is why drying is documented with daily moisture readings rather than judged by touch.
Documentation is the deliverable as much as the dry structure
Every project produces a moisture map, daily readings, equipment placement records, and photographs of affected materials before removal. If the loss goes to insurance, that file is what supports the claim. If it does not, that file is what proves the structure was dry before the rebuild started.
We will not issue a dry standard certificate based on appearance. The certificate follows readings in the dry standard range for the material assembly, taken on consecutive days.
Where this scope ends
We dry and we remove what cannot be dried. We do not rebuild. Drywall, tape, paint, tile, trim and cabinets are a separate contract with a licensed contractor, and where the rebuild is structural or changes the layout, a Department of Buildings permit applies. Mixing the two contracts is how a drying bill becomes a renovation dispute.
Mold is a separate license. If growth is found beyond the area already scoped, work stops and an Article 32 licensed assessor writes the remediation scope. The contractor that performs remediation cannot be the one that clears it, so on a job with growth there are at least two parties and we will tell you which role we are in.
Questions we get on this scope
How long does structural drying take in Brooklyn?
Most Class 2 losses in a frame or masonry row house take three to five days of active drying. Plaster and rubble walls, hardwood floors and anything classified Class 4 commonly run seven to twelve days. The number is set by readings, not by the calendar.
Can you dry a finished basement without removing drywall?
Sometimes. If the water was Category 1, reached the cavity quickly, and the drywall is standard half-inch board, a drying system with cavity injection can work. If the water was Category 2 or 3, or the board has been wet for more than 48 hours, removal is the correct answer.
Do you work with insurance adjusters?
Yes. We document to a scope an adjuster can read, and we will talk through the classification with them directly. We do not negotiate the settlement on your behalf and we do not tell you what your policy covers.
Will you rebuild the rooms you opened?
No. We will leave the structure clean and dry with a documented moisture map, and you can use any licensed contractor for the rebuild. We will hand that contractor the readings and the photographs so the rebuild is not guessing at what is behind the wall.