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Guides

What drying out costs

Across three national cost guides, a typical job runs from roughly $1,200 to $5,700.1,2,3 Contaminated water costs the most per square foot: Bob Vila puts black water at $7 to $7.50.3

Last reviewed October 24, 20266 sources, numbered in the textSee sources

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Published ranges

National numbers; no one publishes Gainesville's

The guides include different work, which is why their ranges differ. A written quote is the real number.

Typical total, three published guides

  • Thumbtack1 Oct 2026$1,215–$4,387
  • Fixr2 Jan 2025$1,200–$5,000
  • Bob Vila3 May 2023$1,305–$5,707

Accent mark = the guide's stated average. They include different work, which is why they disagree.

Per square foot, by water category

Bob Vila3Thumbtack1
Category 1, clean$3–$4$3.75
Category 2$4–$6.50$4.50
Category 3$7–$7.50$7
$450–$600Drying and cleanup only, national benchmark, not a quote.

Some prices are drying only; others add ceiling, drywall or flooring repair. Ask what is included and which water category was assumed.3,1

Put the wet area's square footage in the calculator for a drying-only benchmark.

Before you sign

What to ask whoever shows up

  1. Their Georgia contractor licence number. Look it up with the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors before work starts.
  2. Written bids that list materials and prices line by line, which Triple-I recommends getting from licensed contractors.4
  3. What water category they put it in, and what they saw on site that decided it.5
  4. How they will bring the humidity down, and how they will show you the materials are dry.6
  5. That permanent repairs wait for your adjuster, and that you get receipts for any emergency work.4

Look up a license: Georgia State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors

How this works

What happens when you call

It is free to call, and calling commits you to nothing.

  1. A woman on a screened back porch talks on the phone after a summer storm, broken pine branches on the wet lawn.
    1

    You call

    Tell them what happened and where. Have the address ready.

  2. 2

    We connect you

    A call network puts you through to an independent local restoration company that serves Gainesville and is taking calls.

  3. A technician crouches by a washing machine and shows the homeowner its supply hose, a water stain along the wall behind.
    3

    They assess and quote

    If you want a visit, they look at the damage and quote their own price. Ask for it in writing.

We are a free referral service, not a contractor. The company that answers sets its own prices. How this service works

A couple sit on the back steps of their brick house with glasses of iced tea and smile, pines behind them after the rain.

Want a local company to look at it?

Free to call. An independent restoration company that serves Gainesville answers, and you decide what happens next.

Call (770) 536-9258

Gainesville Water Damage Advice is a free referral and information service, not a contractor. Calls go through our call-tracking line to independent local restoration companies, and we may be paid when a call qualifies. We do not do the work and do not set prices or availability. How it works

Sources

Each numbered note on this page points here. We read every page on October 24, 2026. Where sources disagree we say so; where we could not find a source we left the claim out. We are not affiliated with any of these organizations.

  1. Thumbtack, 2026 Water Damage Restoration Cost. Last updated October 23, 2026. www.thumbtack.com/p/water-damage-restoration-cost Thumbtack is a marketplace that sells leads to contractors. Its per-square-foot figures are attributed to National Flood Services.
  2. Fixr.com, Water Damage Restoration Cost. Updated January 31, 2025. www.fixr.com/costs/water-damage-restoration Fixr's range includes drywall and ceiling repair, not only drying.
  3. Bob Vila, Rochel Maday, "How Much Does Water Damage Restoration Cost?". Last updated May 30, 2023. www.bobvila.com/articles/water-damage-restoration-cost/
  4. Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), Settling insurance claims after a disaster. No date shown (page copyright 2026). www.iii.org/article/settling-insurance-claims-after-a-disaster
  5. IICRC, ANSI/IICRC S500 Consensus Body Issues Position Statement on Category of Water Damage and Weather-Related Events (press release). March 16, 2026. iicrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Weather-Related-Water-Damage-Position-PR_March-2026.p…
  6. U.S. EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home. Page updated February 18, 2026. www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home
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