Can you live in a house with water damage?
Often yes, when the water was clean, the damage is contained to part of the house, the electrical is safe, and the kitchen and a bathroom still work. Not when the water came from a sewer or toilet backup, when standing water is near live outlets or a panel, when a ceiling is sagging, or when the dry-out and rebuild leave you without a working kitchen or bathroom.
When it is usually fine to stay
A clean water leak from a supply line, caught early and contained to a room or two, rarely means moving out. The affected rooms are closed off, the drying equipment runs, and the rest of the house is used as normal.
Drying equipment is noisy and runs around the clock for days. That is a nuisance rather than a hazard.
When you should not stay
Water from a sewer line or a toilet backup is contaminated. Keep people and pets out of it, and do not try to clean it up yourself.
Do not stay in rooms where standing water has reached outlets, appliances or an electrical panel and the power cannot be shut off from a dry position. A ceiling that is sagging or bulging with water can come down. Keep everyone out from under it.
If the loss takes out the only kitchen or the only bathroom, or the house cannot be kept dry and secure, staying somewhere else for part of the job is the practical choice.
Mold is the reason not to wait
The EPA advises drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. A wet house that is lived in but not dried is how a water loss turns into a mold problem.
If anyone in the house has asthma, allergies or a weakened immune system, ask their doctor before staying in a house with damp materials.
If you have to move out for a while
Keep receipts for hotels, meals and anything else you pay for while the house is unlivable. Additional living expenses are often part of a homeowner policy. Ask your insurer what yours includes.
We plan the dry-out and the rebuild so the house is usable again as early as the work allows, and we tell you in writing which rooms are out of use and for how long.