Water Damage Restoration in River Park, FL

Why do old General Development lots have different water problems?

General Development sold quarter-acre lots by mail starting in the late 1950s, and many were built on years later. The houses that followed are mostly single-story concrete block with stucco, set on a slab. That construction handles wind well, but the slab hides the plumbing. A pinhole leak in a supply line under the floor can run for weeks before a damp spot, a warm patch of tile or an unexplained water bill gives it away.

Older plumbing is a second factor. Lines installed decades ago, including galvanized steel and older copper, can corrode from the inside or the outside. A burst or split line inside a wall is not a freeze event here; it is age and pressure. The burst pipe water damage page covers what the crew does, and the plumber who repairs the line is a separate call.

Because the slab is the floor, water spreads across the whole footprint of the house rather than into a basement. The first materials to wick are baseboards, cabinet bases and the bottom of drywall, so drying often runs along every exterior and interior wall in the affected rooms.

What does septic mean for a water loss in River Park?

The city took over its water and sewer utility in 1994 and requires new buildings to connect, and about 17,380 homes in the city and service area remain on septic. Older lots are where septic is most common. A septic system sits in a drain field in sandy soil, and when a heavy rain saturates the ground, the field cannot absorb more. Wastewater can then slow in the drains and back up into a tub, shower or floor drain.

A septic or sewer backup is Category 3 water. Do not run more water, do not wade in it, and keep children and pets away. Porous materials such as carpet and pad usually come out, and the surfaces are cleaned and dried. The septic backup water damage page explains the cleanup inside the house.

What the crew does not do is pump the tank or repair the drain field. That is a septic contractor's work, and it is the step that stops the next backup.

How do asbestos, lead and mold fit an older house?

Homes built before the 1980s may contain asbestos-containing materials, and homes built before 1978 fall under the EPA lead renovation, repair and painting rule. This is a general caution for older construction, and it does not mean your house has either. If wet flooring, ceiling texture or old paint has to come out, ask the crew how suspect material is handled before demolition begins. Asbestos and lead abatement are outside the crew's scope.

Mold is a different question. Warm humid air means wet materials can start to grow mold quickly, and Florida licenses mold work through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Its rules apply to mold areas above about 10 square feet, and an assessor and a remediator are separate licences. An assessor may not remediate a structure the assessor or the assessor's company assessed within the last 12 months, and a remediator may not assess a structure it remediated within that time. See mold remediation and mold inspection for how that works.

Who issues permits in unincorporated River Park?

Unincorporated areas pull permits from the St. Lucie County permitting office rather than the City of Port St. Lucie. If you are unsure which side of the line your address falls on, ask both offices before any rebuild is planned. Neighboring streets can be in different jurisdictions.

Rebuilding after water damage, such as replacing drywall or flooring, generally needs a Florida-licensed contractor, whom you can look up on the state's licence search. The crew's emergency stage is extraction, drying and documentation. The price of that stage is explained and you approve it before work starts, and rebuilding is quoted separately after drying.

Take photos before anything is moved, call your insurer early, and keep the moisture readings and photos. Coverage is decided by your insurer.