Water Damage Restoration in Edmonds, WA

Hillside water: where the rain goes

On a hillside, rain does not stay where it falls. It runs across driveways, down the uphill side of a house and into the soil, where it follows the slope. A basement or a lower floor on the downhill side of a lot is the end of that route, and its walls take the load.

Slopes bring landslide risk in wet winters. In Seattle, about 8.4 percent of the city is mapped slide-prone, with most slides shallow and in winter and early spring; Edmonds has its own bluff above the rail line, but we have no Edmonds percentage. Warning signs such as cracks in a patio, leaning trees and new seeps on a slope are for a geotechnical professional. The guide to slope water damage and landslide risk covers the Seattle figures.

A practical step after a long rain: walk the downhill side of the house and the base of any retaining wall. Wet soil, a seep line or a downspout that discharges at the foot of the slope tells a technician where water enters.

Bungalows, old pipes and the leak behind plaster

Older bungalows and 1950s to 1970s homes may have aged galvanized and clay pipes, and root intrusion is a common cause of backups. A galvanized supply line corrodes from the inside until a section fails. The first signs are low pressure, rusty water and a stain that appears with no obvious cause.

In a house with plaster over lath, water travels behind the wall and may show many feet from its source. A moisture meter and a thermal camera find it without cutting. Our guide to old house plumbing explains the materials and their warning signs; it is written for Seattle but the pipes are the same.

If you are buying a bungalow, ask for the plumbing history and have the sewer line scoped. A camera costs little next to a backup into a finished lower floor.

Downtown, the marina and getting to Edmonds

Downtown Edmonds has the ferry terminal on the Sound and the marina with its fishing pier, and the blocks near the water are low relative to the hillside. Storm water that rushes downhill has a place to pool there.

Commercial buildings and shops downtown add a different kind of call: a burst supply line in a tenant space, a roof drain overflow or a stormwater backup. For those see commercial water damage; access and tenant coordination are part of the plan.

Edmonds is reached by SR 104, SR 99 and Edmonds Way, and the ferry terminal brings extra traffic. We give no arrival window. Scheduling is same day when a technician is free, and phones are answered 24/7.

Say whether you are on the hillside or near the water, how many floors are wet, whether stairs lead to the damp room and whether the water is still running. A hillside address can mean steep driveways and narrow parking, which affect where equipment goes in.

After the crew sets up, keep a log: the time you first saw the water, the time you called, and photographs of the wet area before and after extraction.

Condos and townhomes on the slope

Newer condos and townhomes are common among the older blocks. They add shared-wall leaks to the usual hillside seepage. A water heater on an upper floor can send water through the ceilings below, and a retaining wall that sheds water toward the building causes its own problems.

Tell the building manager the same day and photograph the source. See apartment and condo water damage.

Retaining walls and balconies on a slope shed water toward the building. If you see staining on a ground-floor wall below such a feature, mention it.