From Emergency Call to Fully Restored Home: The Full Process

You call — the owner takes the call

When you dial 321-420-7274, Ryan Solberg, the owner of CFDR, takes the call. Call any hour. Owner Ryan Solberg takes the calls; if he is on another call, he calls you back. He asks where the property is and what happened.

Ryan matches you with a company

Ryan matches you with a restoration company from CFDR's network that covers your address.

On-site assessment

Ask the matched company for its arrival time before you agree to anything. The matched company assesses the extent of the damage, identifies the moisture source and determines the safest path forward, using moisture meters and thermal imaging to see damage that isn't visible to the naked eye.

Secure and document

The company photographs and documents everything before touching it; this creates the evidence trail your insurance claim will depend on. If emergency board-up or a water shutoff is needed, it secures the property to stop further damage; ask whether it also does roof tarping.

Water extraction

The matched company uses truck-mounted and portable extraction equipment to remove standing water quickly. Speed matters here: every hour water sits, it migrates further into walls, subfloors, and building materials.

Emergency boarding and containment

Broken windows, damaged roof sections, and exposed openings are secured. If the loss involves mold or sewage, containment barriers are used to prevent cross-contamination to unaffected areas of your home.

Professional drying equipment installed

The company places dehumidifiers, air movers, and desiccant units in a configuration based on the structure's layout and moisture readings. Equipment placement directly affects drying time and outcomes.

Daily monitoring and documentation

Technicians return to take moisture readings at every monitoring point. Every reading should be logged and equipment adjusted as needed; those records show your adjuster how drying was monitored (IICRC S500 is the industry standard for water damage restoration).

Controlled material removal

When drying data indicates that materials cannot be effectively dried in place (typically wet drywall, saturated insulation, or buckled flooring), the company removes them: only what's necessary, documented with photos before and after.

Xactimate estimate prepared

The matched company prepares the scope of work and repair estimate in Xactimate, the line-item estimating software many insurers use, so your adjuster can compare it line by line with their own numbers.

Adjuster meeting on-site

The company can meet your assigned adjuster at your property, walk the loss together, and explain its own estimate. Decisions about your claim stay between you and your insurer.

Estimate supported

The company backs up its estimate with photos, moisture readings, and line items. If damage turns up that the first estimate missed, it documents that too.

Paperwork provided

Moisture logs, photos, and invoices: ask the matched company for the paperwork for its part of the job, so you have it if your insurer has questions.

Demo of damaged materials

With approvals in place, the matched company removes damaged structural components (drywall, framing, flooring, cabinetry, insulation) that cannot be restored, and inventories what comes out.

Rebuild to current code

Florida building codes change over time, and restoration is a chance to bring your home up to current standards where required. The company is responsible for permits and inspections on its work; check that its license covers the work you are hiring it for (verify at myfloridalicense.com).

Flooring, drywall, paint, and finish work

The company repairs surfaces to match existing textures, paint colors, trim profiles, and flooring where possible. Agree on finishes in the written estimate before work starts.

Contents reinstalled

Furniture, fixtures, and belongings removed during mitigation are returned as reconstruction completes. If contents needed off-site cleaning and storage, ask the company when they will come back.

Walk through together

Before you sign off, walk the restored area with the company's project lead and compare it with the written estimate. Check every surface and test every function.

Put concerns in writing

If something doesn't look right (a paint color that's slightly off, a door that doesn't hang quite right), list it in writing and agree on a date for the fix before you pay the final invoice.

Sign off when you are satisfied

Don't sign a completion certificate or release final payment until the work matches the estimate. If you are unhappy with the company's response, tell Ryan.

Mold clearance

For mold remediation, ask for the licensed Mold Assessor's post-remediation clearance report. The company that assesses a home generally may not remediate it within 12 months, so the assessor and the remediator are different companies (see the statutes under Sources).