Rocky Mountain Catastrophe & Restoration FAQs

How fast can you get to my home?

Typically in about an hour. A crew is on call around the clock, holidays included. Homes farther out, like those near Kremmling or outside Grand County, can take longer to reach.

What areas do you serve?

All of Grand County, where we’ve worked since 2008. Our office in Tabernash sends crews to Winter Park, Fraser, Granby, Hot Sulphur Springs, Grand Lake, and Kremmling, and beyond the county, we take on work in Routt County, Walden, and the Front Range. You can read more about our history and team.

Do you handle the rebuild too?

Yes. We’re licensed general contractors, so the same company that dries out or cleans up your property also rebuilds it, including the drywall, floors, paint, and trim. You won’t need a second contractor or have to explain the damage twice.

What happens when I call you?

We’ll ask what happened and whether the damage is still spreading. If it’s an emergency, a crew heads out right away. If it can wait, we’ll book a free assessment for a time that suits you, or you can send us a message online.

What should I do while I wait for your crew?

Stay safe first. If someone is hurt, call 911 right away, and if there’s fire or gas, get everyone outside and call from there. If you can reach the main water shutoff without walking through standing water, close it, but don’t touch anything electrical. Stay out of rooms with sewage or a sagging ceiling, and take photos from a safe spot if you can.

Do you serve second homes and rental properties?

Yes. A lot of the homes we work on belong to owners who live somewhere else. Whoever holds the keys, whether that’s a property manager, an HOA, or a neighbor, lets us in, and we keep you updated with photos and video until the work is done.

Where do my belongings go while you work?

Into secure storage. We photograph and inventory anything damaged or in the way, pack it out, and clean whatever we can save. Your belongings stay in storage while the repairs are underway, and then we bring them back.

Do you offer radon testing and mitigation?

Yes. Every county in Colorado, Grand included, is considered high risk for radon, so along with restoration, we test homes and can install a mitigation system if the levels come back high.

Will my homeowner’s insurance cover this?

Often, but it depends on your policy. Sudden damage like a burst pipe or a kitchen fire is usually covered, while slow leaks and wear over time often aren’t. Your adjuster decides what the policy pays for, and we give them the photos, moisture logs, and other records from the job.

Can I pick my own restoration company?

Yes. Your insurance company may recommend a contractor, but the decision is yours, and you can call us directly. Whichever carrier you have, we’ll coordinate with them on your insurance claim.

Do I call my insurer before I call you?

It’s up to you, but if water is still moving or the roof is open, call us first. Stopping the damage sooner limits what the claim has to cover, and we document the damage before we remove anything.

What will I pay out of pocket?

Your deductible, plus anything the policy doesn’t cover. The insurer approves the covered work, and if you’d like upgrades or repairs outside the claim, we’ll price those with you before that part begins.

Can wet drywall be saved?

Often, if it got wet from a clean-water leak and the board hasn’t softened. During water damage restoration, we dry it in place when possible and replace only the pieces that sagged, swelled, grew mold, or took on sewage.

How long does drying take after a leak?

Usually three to five days. Large losses and dense materials like hardwood can take longer, so we track moisture levels and leave the equipment running until each material is back to its normal dryness.

Why does the source of the water matter?

It decides what can be kept. A broken supply line usually leaves clean water, so most of what it soaked can be dried out and saved. Overflow from a dishwasher or washer is dirtier, so less of what it reaches can be saved. Porous materials that sewage touched, like carpet and drywall, have to go.

Can we stay home while the house dries out?

Usually, yes. Only the wet rooms are closed off while the dryers run, and the other rooms stay usable. When sewage is involved or the damage takes out the only kitchen or bathroom, we’ll be upfront about whether a few nights away is the better call.

Can you clean up a sewage or septic backup?

Yes. We extract the sewage right away, remove the soaked flooring and drywall, and clean and disinfect every surface that stays before drying and repairs start. Please don’t clean it up yourself, since sewage carries bacteria that call for protective gear and careful disposal.

Is it too late to call once a pipe has frozen?

No, and the best time to call is before it thaws. We close the water off first and thaw the line gradually, without an open flame, so if the pipe has cracked, the water doesn’t pour out the moment it warms up. If it has already burst, burst pipe cleanup starts right away with extraction and drying.

Can pipes freeze even with the heat running?

Yes, because the heat doesn’t always reach them. In a deep cold snap, lines in outside walls, crawl spaces, and sink cabinets against an exterior wall can still freeze while the furnace runs, especially where a draft hits the pipe. If you’re leaving, setting the thermostat to at least 55 degrees helps.

Why didn’t the pipe leak until it thawed?

Because the ice was acting like a plug. Pressure builds between the frozen section and a closed faucet, so the pipe often splits somewhere other than where it froze, and nothing leaks until the ice melts. We check the full length of that line, not just the coldest spot.

Can a house be saved if a leak ran for days before anyone noticed?

Usually, yes. A leak that runs for days reaches deeper into the rooms below, so you can expect to replace more drywall and insulation, and mold may have started. The framing and subfloor often dry where they are, and we look for mold before anything gets closed back in.

Will everything that smells like smoke have to be thrown out?

No. Anything with only a smoke film on it usually cleans up, including glass, metal, tile, masonry, sealed wood, and painted walls. Charred, melted, or warped materials are replaced, and we walk you through the fire and smoke restoration plan before demolition starts.

Can the smoke smell really be removed?

Yes. The smell lives in soot and in porous materials like insulation and carpet pad, so we clean or remove what’s holding it and filter the air, instead of covering it with fragrance.

What happens once the fire is out?

Securing the building comes first. We board up the broken windows and doors, put a tarp over any hole in the roof, and brace whatever the fire weakened. Then we clean the soot, remove the odor, and restore your belongings, and once the cleaning is done, we handle the rebuild.

Can you remove wildfire smoke from a home the fire never reached?

Yes. Smoke and fine ash drift in through vents and small openings and coat surfaces and fabrics, even when the flames stayed miles away. We vacuum up the ash with HEPA equipment, clean the soot off the house and your belongings, and treat the lingering odor.

Does a small kitchen fire really need professional cleaning?

Often, yes. Even a stovetop fire can push greasy smoke residue into cupboards, closets, and the bedrooms upstairs, and that film holds the smell. We follow where the residue went, clean everything it settled on, and deodorize the house, including rooms the fire never touched.

Will the musty smell go away?

Yes. The smell comes from the mold itself, so it goes away when the growth is removed and the area stays dry. During mold remediation, we take out the moldy materials, clean what stays, and run HEPA air scrubbers to clear the air.

Can mold really grow when the air up here is so dry?

Yes. Mold only needs something that stays damp, even if the air around it is dry, so a slow drip inside a wall, wet insulation along the eaves, or a crawl space that took on meltwater is enough. We see a fair amount of it every year in Tabernash and around the county.

How quickly does mold start after something gets wet?

In as little as two or three days. When materials stay wet and indoor humidity sits near 70 percent, growth can begin even in our dry climate, so we start drying and checking for mold as soon as we can after a leak.

How long will mold removal take?

Usually a few days. A single area often wraps up within three days, and growth spread across several rooms can take about a week. Repairs begin after the area passes its final check, and we’ll give you a schedule before any work starts.

Is a mold check worth it before buying a second home?

Often, yes, especially for a house that’s empty for part of the year, since a slow leak can go unnoticed for months. We work with your real estate agent to schedule the visit, check where moisture tends to collect, test anything suspicious, and walk you through what a fix would take.

Is an ice dam leak worse than the stain I can see?

Usually. Meltwater pushed under the shingles can soak the attic insulation, roof decking, and the tops of the walls along the eaves before a stain appears. During storm and ice dam restoration, we find the wet areas in the attic and walls, dry what’s salvageable, and replace the rest.

What happens if my roof is damaged in midwinter?

We tarp the roof once it’s safe to climb up, then start drying the attic and the ceilings below. If the shingles need warmer days to seal, we finish the roofing on a milder stretch while the inside work keeps going.

Do you repair the roof as well as the water damage inside?

Yes, as one project. Roofing, drying, and interior repairs all run through us, so there’s no separate roofer to hire and your adjuster has a single company to work with.

Why is my ceiling stain so far from where the roof leaks?

Because water travels before it drips. It follows the rafters and the roof deck downhill, which puts the stain well away from the opening. We trace that path through the attic to where the water enters, often around a valley, vent, chimney, or skylight, and fix the roof there.

Can I make changes while my home is being rebuilt?

Yes. With the walls and floors already open, it’s a good time to move a wall, add a bathroom, or redo the kitchen. We plan those changes as part of your reconstruction, so everything is built as one project.

Can we live in the house during the rebuild?

Often, yes, as long as the work stays in a few rooms. Dust barriers keep the other rooms livable. If the plan leaves you without a working kitchen or bathroom for a while, we’ll help you decide whether to stay elsewhere for that stretch.

How long will the rebuild take?

It depends on the scope. One room usually takes a week or two, a few rooms can take several weeks, and a whole-house rebuild can last months, especially when materials are backordered or winter slows outside work. We’ll go over the timeline with you before construction begins.

Can a rebuild make my home more resistant to wildfire?

Yes. During the rebuild, we can add features that help a home stand up to embers, like a Class A roof, ember-resistant vents, noncombustible decking, metal gutters, and multi-pane windows.

Why do sprays and candles stop working on a bad smell?

Because they only mask an odor that’s coming from something physical, like soot, urine, or growth on a damp material. Our odor removal crew finds that source and removes it, so there’s nothing left to cover up.

What if we can’t find where a smell is coming from?

That’s common, since smells drift. We look where odor usually hides, such as under stained carpet, inside damp walls, in insulation, and down in crawl spaces. A thermal camera also helps us spot wet areas you can’t see.

Can you get pet urine odor out of carpet and subfloors?

Usually, yes. Fresh spots that never reached the pad can be treated right in the carpet, but older spots and urine from bigger animals tend to soak deeper, so we swap out the soaked pad and treat, seal, or replace the subfloor beneath it.

Can years of cigarette smoke be cleaned out of a house?

In most cases, yes. Tar and nicotine coat walls and ceilings and soak into soft materials, so we scrub those surfaces, lock the residue in with a sealing primer, and repaint, then clean or replace the carpet, curtains, and upholstery.

Will finding asbestos mean abating the whole house?

No. We remove asbestos only from the areas your repair needs to open, like a section of wall, ceiling, or flooring. Material in good condition elsewhere in the house is usually left alone, so the abatement stays as small as the repair.

Where does asbestos usually turn up in older mountain homes?

In more places than people expect, such as joint compound, popcorn ceilings, old vinyl flooring and its glue, vermiculite attic insulation, pipe and boiler wrap, and the materials around older wood stoves and chimneys. We test anything your project will disturb.

Does a remodel require asbestos testing?

Often, yes. Testing is required when a job will disturb drywall or other crumbly material over an area larger than 32 square feet, so we sample anything your remodel will touch before demolition.

Does waiting on asbestos results delay water cleanup?

Not the urgent part. We start removing water and drying immediately, and only the work that would disturb suspect materials waits for clear results. If asbestos turns up, it’s removed first, and that can extend the schedule.

Does anyone in my family have to go back into the room?

No. Our biohazard team walks through the room for you and calls you to go over what needs to be done, so your family can stay out until the cleanup is finished.

Will my loved one’s things be thrown away?

No, not without talking with you first. Anything the scene didn’t reach stays where it is, many affected hard items can be disinfected and returned, and personal items like photos and jewelry are kept safe for your family.

Who cleans up after police finish investigating?

We do. Police and other investigators leave the scene as it is, so after it’s released, our team removes the fingerprint powder and residue along with everything else.

How long does a trauma cleanup usually take?

Often one to three days. A single room may take about a day, while jobs where flooring or drywall must be removed, or where the odor has spread, run longer. We’ll tell you what to expect once we’ve seen the space.

How often do rentals need their carpet cleaned?

More often than the 12 to 18 months we recommend for most homes, because guests track in more dirt. Our carpet cleaning crew can book rental visits around your calendar, so each cleaning lands in a gap between stays.

Is steam cleaning the same as hot water extraction?

Yes, steam cleaning is what most people call it. We inject hot water mixed with a cleaning solution into the carpet, then pull it back out along with the soil it loosened, which cleans well below the surface.

How soon can we walk on the carpet after it’s cleaned?

Usually within several hours. Professional extraction leaves very little water behind, so carpet dries much faster than it would after a rental machine, and fans can speed things up for thick or dense carpet.

Do you clean upholstered furniture too?

Yes. We clean couches, chairs, and other upholstered furniture along with the carpet, and we check what each fabric is made of first, so the cleaning method suits it.