Much restoration work is billed to insurance carriers, line by line, in the carrier's estimating software. This guide is for the rest: jobs the homeowner pays, small losses under the deductible, and checking whether a claim job really pays you. The method is the same either way: labor hours, equipment days, materials, disposal and trips.
- Price equipment by the day per unit. Drying equipment that sits in a basement is your money working.
- Fixr puts water damage restoration at $1,200 to $5,000, about $3,000 on average.
- Water removal runs $3.75 to $7.50 a square foot in Fixr's guide, depending on the water type.
- Mold remediation runs $10 to $30 a square foot, per Fixr, and $1,500 to $9,000 for most jobs.
- Fire damage restoration runs $3,000 to $40,000, about $11,900 on average, in Fixr's guide.
Setting your labor rate
Start with the wage. The closest group the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes is hazardous materials removal workers, which includes mold remediation work. In its May 2025 wage survey, that group's national mean wage was $27.13 an hour and the median was $23.78 (BLS OEWS 47-4041).
Add your labor burden on top: payroll taxes, workers' comp and any paid time off. If burden in your state comes to 20% of wages, a $27 an hour tech costs you $32.40 an hour. That loaded number is what goes into the job cost.
Published restoration prices
| Job | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water damage | ||
| Water damage restoration, typical | $1,200 to $5,000 | Fixr |
| Water removal, clean water | $3.75 to $4.25 a sq ft | Fixr |
| Water removal, gray water | $4.10 to $6.50 a sq ft | Fixr |
| Water removal, black water | $7 to $7.50 a sq ft | Fixr |
| Laundry room | $1,000 to $5,500 | Fixr |
| Mold and fire | ||
| Mold remediation, typical | $1,500 to $9,000 | Fixr |
| Mold remediation, per sq ft | $10 to $30 | Fixr |
| Fire damage restoration, typical | $3,000 to $40,000 | Fixr |
| Fire restoration, per sq ft | $4 to $6.50 | Fixr |
A worked example: a washing machine overflow
Every input is an assumption for the example.
- Scope: gray water from a washer across about 200 square feet of laundry room and hall. Extract, flood cut the drywall two feet up, dry for three days, check moisture twice.
- Labor at $32.40 an hour loaded.
- Drying equipment: four units for three days at $30 a unit a day, your own cost to own and run them.
- Driving at 76 cents a mile, the IRS business rate for the second half of 2026 (IRS standard mileage rates).
- Overhead 20% of the price and profit 15%.
- Extraction and setup: 2 techs x 4 hours x $32.40 = $259.20
- Drying equipment: 4 units x 3 days x $30 = $360
- Moisture checks: 2 visits x 1.5 hours x $32.40 = $97.20
- Flood cut and tear-out: 4 hours x $32.40 = $129.60
- Antimicrobial, bags and supplies: $120
- Disposal: $75
- Drive: 4 trips x 15 miles x $0.76 = $45.60
- Direct cost: $259.20 + $360 + $97.20 + $129.60 + $120 + $75 + $45.60 = $1,086.60
- Overhead plus profit: 20% + 15% = 35% of the price
- Price: $1,086.60 / (1 - 0.35) = $1,086.60 / 0.65 = $1,672
Check it: 35% of $1,672 is about $585, and $1,672 minus $585 is about $1,087, the direct cost of $1,086.60. The profit and overhead are inside the price, not added on top of a cost you guessed.
Fixr lists water damage in a laundry room at $1,000 to $5,500, so $1,672 for the dry-out and tear-out lands in range. Putting the drywall back is a second job with its own price.
The first answer wins the job
An emergency caller hires whoever answers. Koira's AI receptionist answers on your number at any hour and books the visit, and the customer portal gives the homeowner one link for the visit, the estimate and the invoice. On homeowner-paid jobs, pay at the door collects before you leave.
Common restoration pricing mistakes
- Equipment days not counted. Every unit on site is a day rate, even when nobody is there.
- Monitoring visits free. Daily moisture checks are trips with labor.
- Rebuild inside the dry-out. Price drying and rebuilding as separate jobs.
- Category guessed. Gray and black water take more time, protection and disposal.
Sources
Every published figure on this page was read on the source page itself on the date shown. Worked example inputs are assumptions, labeled as such.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (47-4041), checked October 9, 2026
- Fixr: Water damage restoration cost, checked October 9, 2026
- Fixr: Mold remediation cost, checked October 9, 2026
- Fixr: Fire damage restoration cost, checked October 9, 2026
- IRS: Standard mileage rates, checked October 9, 2026
Questions contractors ask
How much should I charge for water damage restoration?
Build it from labor, equipment days and disposal. Fixr lists $1,200 to $5,000 for most jobs, about $3,000 on average.
What does water extraction cost per square foot?
Fixr lists $3.75 to $7.50 a square foot, depending on whether the water is clean, gray or black.
What does mold remediation cost per square foot?
Fixr lists $10 to $30 a square foot.
What does fire damage restoration cost?
Fixr lists $3,000 to $40,000, about $11,900 on average, and $4 to $6.50 a square foot.
