Summoned on a Sunday to provide flood restoration services in February 2019, we arrived to discover significant overhead flood damage originating from a frozen and burst pipe on the third story of this historic building in Olde City Philadelphia. Housing landmark restaurants starting in 1893 as The Oyster Saloon, this historically significant structure required immediate action to mitigate the circumstances at hand and arrest possible ancillary damage as well as the progressive losses that occur over time if not properly handled.
Scope of Water Damage
Water damage expanded in scope and consequence with every floor traversed, resulting in widespread flood damage through much of the first level as well as the basement level. The pervasiveness of heavily built out systems serving the commercial space as well as the apartments above rendered flood restoration a challenge.
This significant overhead spill damaged a considerable portion of first level, which presented several difficulties resulting from not only the presence of heavily built out structural systems but also the ongoing business operations requiring custom drying techniques to be devised and deployed. Flood restoration precedence was afforded the first level due to a large presence of cellulose based building materials requiring significant deconstruction and extensive preparation for specialty drying.
Engineering a Flood Restoration Solution
Flood restoration would prove difficult with regard to the overhead areas of the first level. Beneath the suspended ceilings were a maze of high voltage hard conduit, piping and duct work that blocked the removal of the fire rated double 5/8” drywall above; rendering conventional drying techniques costly and inefficient.
Engineering a solution to this flood restoration conundrum required experience and a deep understanding of our craft not possessed by most of our competitors. The double 5/8” drywall was vented, and HEPA filtered vacuums were deployed to remove the blown in insulation over two Substantial banquet rooms. The ceilings were then tented with 6 mil. Fire retardant poly and heat as well as dehumidification was introduced via temporary duct work to effect structural cavity drying.
In areas of this high-end restaurant under continued operations, steps were taken during the flood restoration process to effect successful structural drying unbeknownst to restaurant patrons paying substantial monies to enjoy a five-star dining experience. This was achieved by delivering air movement, heat and dehumidification via temporary ducting and medical tubing through utility access channels.
Conventional Flood Restoration
Significant overhead flood damage from above settled in the basement of the structure, resulting in the largest footprint of this water event. Much of this area is of masonry construction and most of the rooms lacked sealed wall cavities making conventional drying techniques viable. Lack of heat in the basement however, necessitated the use of portable heaters to bring the ambient temperatures to a level that would facilitate the effectiveness of flood restoration equipment.
The basement was our final flood restoration task as a result of non-cellulose based infrastructure. Building materials; such as metal stud work, concrete flooring, block walls, etc., rendered basement moisture readings unavailable once deconstruction and content manipulation was complete.
Flood Restoration Services
In the aftermath of a water event, seek professional assistance. Highly trained and certified professionals have the qualifications and manpower to safely and rapidly mitigate the circumstances of your flood damage. Consequences of an uneducated approach to a very serious problem can result in injury, illness and ancillary issues that pose additional threats to the property, contents and occupants.
Property Recovery 911 offers residential, commercial, municipal and industrial flood restoration services. In the event of such a crisis, contact us at (267) 808-7200, we have the experience to safely and professionally restore the site to pre-loss condition. Our specialists are on call 24/7/365 and can be on location any time of day to quickly and professionally resolve the issue. Furthermore, we deal with insurance company adjusters on your behalf to help secure coverage for flood restoration services.