South Boston: Water damage rebuild after an HVAC leak, Unit 1
Water damage · Insurance claim · Condo
Project
South Boston: a first-floor condo rebuilt after the HVAC unit upstairs let go
In late August the air handler in the unit above failed and sent water through the ceilings of this first-floor condo. By the time we walked in, the ceilings were soft, the insulation above them was soaked, and water had tracked down the walls into the floors. We handled the whole water damage restoration from the emergency call to the final coat of paint: mitigation and drying, containment and demolition, the insurance scope, and the full rebuild of ceilings, walls, trim, paint, and new hardwood flooring through the living room, bedroom, office, and hall. About 785 square feet of living space, back in use in under six weeks. The unit above, where the air handler failed, is its own project.
After: living room with new ceiling, paint, and hardwoodBefore: ceilings opened to the joists, containment upAfter: new hardwood through the hall and landingAfter: the walkthrough on the last day
Before: the bedroom with the ceiling out and the floor still stainingBefore: ductwork and framing exposed during demoAfter: the same bedroom, finished
The askDry it out, document everything for the insurance claim, and put the unit back exactly as it was or better, with one contractor and no handoff between mitigation and rebuild.
What we didEmergency mitigation and drying within days of the loss. Containment, demolition of the water-damaged ceilings, insulation, and flooring. A line-item scope in Xactimate matched to the carrier's estimate. Then new ceilings, wall repair, prime and paint, trim, and prefinished hardwood flooring throughout. The owner upgraded from the carrier's flooring allowance to premium hardwood, and we handled the difference as one clean change.
Why it mattersWater from an upstairs unit is the most common condo loss in South Boston and Dorchester, and it is the one that stalls when the mitigation company and the rebuild contractor are two different people. Here the same crew that opened the ceilings closed them, so the claim moved and the owner got one schedule and one phone number.
