Free visual inspection and a written scope of work before any mitigation begins - photos, moisture readings, and drying logs go in your claim file
The scope we write is the scope we bill. Anything new gets shown to you, in writing, before we touch it.
Damage Restoration Before & After in Miami, FL
Photos don’t negotiate. A moisture meter reading of 28% on drywall, a thermal image showing a 12-degree temperature differential behind a baseboard, or a drying log proving vapor pressure dropped from 1.2 to 0.4 inches Hg over 72 hours - these are the facts that decide whether an insurance claim pays out or gets denied. We’ve documented every job since Alicia Brennan founded this company in 2011. What follows are representative transformations from across Miami, each with the photo record, written scope, and drying documentation we deliver as standard under The Haven Standard.
Recent Transformations
Water Damage Restoration: Burst Supply Line in a Coral Gables Mediterranean
The homeowner found water pooling in the foyer at 6:00 AM on a Saturday. By the time we arrived, moisture had wicked 18 inches up the plaster walls through the wire lath and traveled along the subfloor into the formal dining room. We set up a containment barrier, deployed six Dri-Eaz Revolution LGR dehumidifiers and 24 airmovers, and established a drying chamber with negative air pressure. Psychrometric data - temperature, relative humidity, and specific humidity logged every four hours - showed we hit the drying goal on day 12, two days ahead of the projected timeline. The oak flooring, which another contractor had quoted for full replacement at $14,200, was restored through controlled dehumidification and surface refinishing. Total documented savings to the homeowner’s carrier: $11,400. Haven Standard, Clause 1 applied: the written price of $2,860 was delivered before we set the first piece of equipment.
Mold Remediation: Hidden Colony Behind Vinyl Shower Surround in Brickell High-Rise
A plumbing contractor cutting access for a valve replacement found black mold behind a vinyl shower surround that had been “sealed” with silicone for eleven years. The colony had consumed the paper facing on the greenboard and begun fruiting. We established a Class III containment with HEPA-negative air machines running at six air changes per hour, removed the affected greenboard and insulation in sealed bags, and HEPA-vacuumed the cavity to bare framing. Post-remediation clearance sampling showed airborne spore counts below outdoor baseline. The new cement board installation included a liquid-applied waterproofing membrane - the correct assembly for a steam shower environment, which the original builder had skipped to save $80 in materials. Alicia Brennan flagged the code deficiency in our written report so the building engineer could address identical units on the same plumbing stack.
Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration: Kitchen Grease Fire in a Little Havana Duplex
Grease fires produce a nearly invisible, sticky residue that standard cleaning compounds simply smear across surfaces. In this case, the fire was extinguished quickly, but the protein soot had traveled through the return air grille into the 14-year-old flex duct system serving both units. We started with a thorough dry-sponge cleaning of all surfaces to remove non-oily particulate, then applied a buffered alkaline cleaner to break the protein bond. The upper cabinets, which appeared salvageable in initial photos, failed solvent testing - the finish had thermally degraded and would continue off-gassing. We documented the failure with dated photos and replaced with matching stock per the written scope approved before demolition began. The ductwork required mechanical brushing and HEPA vacuuming at every register; we delivered video scope footage from inside the mains as part of the photo record. Total project duration: 11 days. The tenant in the adjoining unit never had to relocate - we worked in sequenced containment zones with portable air scrubbers running continuously.
Storm & Disaster Restoration: Roof Failure During Hurricane Nicole in Miami Shores
The roof was 22 years old, and the underlayment had dried past its elastic limit. When Nicole’s sustained winds lifted a section of barrel tile, the water found every seam. We arrived four hours after the initial call - live dispatch, no voicemail tree - and performed emergency tarping with 6-mil reinforced polyethylene secured to undamaged decking. Interior work started the same day: extraction of standing water, removal of saturated R-30 fiberglass insulation (which loses 80% of its R-value when wet and cannot be restored), and deployment of a Phoenix 200 MAX desiccant dehumidifier to handle the extreme humidity load. The ceiling reconstruction required replacement of 340 sq ft of 5/8″ Type X drywall, taped and finished to Level 5 for the smooth ceiling texture specified in the original build. We coordinated directly with the homeowner’s adjuster, providing the moisture logs, photo record, and line-item scope that moved the claim from initial denial to full approval in eight business days. Haven Standard, Clause 1: the reconstruction scope of $8,740 was written and signed before the first sheet of drywall arrived.
Sewage Cleanup: Backed-Up Main Line in a Wynwood Commercial Kitchen
A main line blockage sent raw sewage through a floor drain at 11:00 PM on a Friday, twelve hours before a scheduled health inspection. Category 3 water carries enteric pathogens, and porous materials in the affected area - the base of a wooden prep table, the particleboard toe-kicks, the vinyl composition tile adhesive - cannot be sanitized in place. We removed all porous elements, pressure-washed stainless steel surfaces with 180°F water, and applied a phenolic disinfectant at the manufacturer’s specified dwell time. The floor received a new epoxy sealant after concrete moisture readings dropped below 4%. Third-party clearance testing by an independent industrial hygienist confirmed total coliform and E. coli levels below detection limits. The kitchen opened for service at 6:00 AM Tuesday. We delivered the clearance report, photo record, and drying log to the owner’s insurance carrier and the Miami-Dade County Health Department simultaneously.
Reconstruction & Cleanup: Complete Rebuild After Long-Term Leak in Coconut Grove
The leak originated at a failed flashing detail where a second-story addition met the original 1926 roofline. Water had traveled down the exterior sheathing, through the sill plate, and into the crawl space for thirty-six months before staining appeared on the interior plaster. By then, three engineered I-joists had delaminated to the point of structural concern. We brought in a structural engineer - our scope, not the homeowner’s unexpected expense - to specify sistered LVL replacements. The reconstruction phase, which is scoped and scheduled like a remodel rather than dispatched for speed, ran six weeks: structural repair, new plumbing rough-in for the relocated kitchen, closed-cell spray foam insulation, drywall, hardwood flooring matched to existing 3¼” select red oak, and custom baseboard profiles run on a shaper to match the original 7¼” Craftsman detail. Every phase had a written price before work began, per Haven Standard, Clause 1. The 365-Day Done Right Promise was signed at final walkthrough. This was job 11,847 in our records since 2011.
Want Results Like These?
Every project you see here came with a written price before work started, a photo record on every visit, and documentation built to survive an adjuster’s review. If you’re dealing with damage now, call (786) 250-0820. A live person answers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you already have a written estimate from another contractor, we’ll review it at no charge - Haven Standard, Free Second Opinion. Alicia Brennan and our team have restored over 12,000 homes since 2011. We’ll document yours the same way.
Written by Alicia Brennan, Owner at DryMark Restoration Miami, serving Miami since 2011.