Water Damage · Sheepshead Bay
Sheepshead Bay mixes almost every kind of Brooklyn housing: apartment buildings and co-ops, two- and three-family homes, and the bungalow courts tucked off the streets near the water. Water damage plays out differently in each one.
In a building, water rarely stays in one unit. A leak upstairs comes through your ceiling, and yours can reach the unit below. Most of these calls start with a burst supply line, an overflowing toilet or tub, or a washing machine hose that let go upstairs. The source is often inside a wall or a shared line, which means the super or management has to be involved. More on water damage in apartment buildings.
We work with the building to find the source, dry every affected unit, and keep one clear record of what happened where. That record is what each unit owner's insurance and the building's insurance will ask for.
Many owners here live in one unit and rent the others, often including a basement or ground-floor apartment. A leak in the owner's unit can put a tenant out of their home. We move fast on the tenant's space first, because that's usually where the damage spreads and where the pressure is.
The small homes in the bungalow courts near Emmons Avenue sit close to the ground, and many courts sit several feet below the streets around them. When storm water comes in, it pools there and goes straight into the living space. Storm flooding is the main risk on these blocks. Sandy filled some courts with several feet of water, and they still take on water in much smaller storms. Since that water is contaminated, the cleanup runs closer to a sewage job than a pipe leak.
Emmons Avenue and Sheepshead Bay Road are lined with restaurants and shops, many at street level close to the bay. A ground-floor business can take water from three directions: storm water pushing in from the street, a backup through the floor drains, or a leak from the apartments above. For a restaurant, the doors stay closed until the space is clean and dry, so time matters more than anything. We can schedule around business hours when the job allows, and we keep the documentation your carrier will ask for. See commercial water damage.
Most people stay home while their apartment dries. The equipment is loud and runs around the clock for a few days, and dehumidifiers draw a lot of power, so in older buildings we spread them across circuits to keep breakers from tripping. We place everything so the kitchen and bathroom stay usable, check readings every day, and take the equipment out as soon as walls and floors test dry.
If water is coming through a light fixture, turn that circuit off at the breaker and don't use the light. Then let the super or your neighbor know right away, because the source has to be shut off before anything can dry. See ceiling water damage.
Yes, we can come assess and document the damage. The owner or building management usually has to authorize the actual work, and our documentation helps both of you.
Call the super or management to shut off the water. Stay away from outlets and light fixtures near the water, and turn off power at the breaker only if you can do it safely. Then call us.
Usually the landlord's policy covers the building itself: walls, floors and built-in fixtures. Your own belongings fall under your renters policy, if you have one. Who caused the leak can change that, so photograph everything and keep a copy of anything you send the landlord.
Owner, tenant or board member, call 646-543-2242 and we'll sort out the rest with you. More on water damage across Brooklyn.
Water, fire, mold, or sewage, one call starts the recovery. We show up fast and we do not leave until it is done right.
Call 646-543-2242 Request ServiceRequest Service
We'll call you right back, and give you a free estimate. For an active emergency, the fastest way to reach us is by phone, day or night.