After the storm dies down, the flood subsides and you have returned home, it is time to deal with removing any water in the house, cleaning up, and drying everything that is wet. That carpet which was submerged in water is no longer safe to use and should be thrown out. Even more important than the furnishings is the actual structure, or building of your house. Your carpet or washing machine can easily be replaced but a home's structure, if water damaged, will require major changes.

Hidden water damage on structures

When you go around the house and start your inspection, here are some things that you should be on the lookout for. Some water damages can easily be seen by the eye, but there are damages that are not easily visible, and can cause water damage not to the structure alone, but also to other related systems in your home.

Look for wooden structural members that are cracked. These may not easily be seen, and structural bracing may not be as tight as it was before the flooding.

Doors and windows that do not open as easily as they did before the storm may be an indication that the structure has shifted. When severe shifting occurs, electrical circuits, gas lines, and water lines may have been damaged as well.

A flood or a leaking roof may cause wetness on the electrical circuit or insulation that is hidden in the interior of the structure. Once wall insulation becomes wet, it will not dry out and must be replaced.

If your home's structure uses a roof truss system, check for cracks or breaks in the truss. Truss systems are usually constructed of 2x4 metal fasteners. Any crack or break in the truss will affect the strength of the truss system and aside from causing water damage through leaks, your roof will no longer be safe.

How to check for structural damage

Check your roof. If there is any presence of structural damage, your roof would be a good indicator. The ridge of the roof should be straight, and you can view this from a distance. If there is any sagging on the ridge, the load-bearing walls may have shifted.

Check your walls. Walls should be vertical and straight. You can do this by looking at it, or by checking with the use of a carpenter's level.

Check in places where the structure meets the foundation. If structural water damage has occurred in your house, the building would shift on its foundation. If your house is on piers, carefully inspect each pier and make sure they are in place and are level. Wooden floors that have suffered water damage may buckle or push walls outward at the base. If you see any change, then you have structural damage.

Check the masonry exteriors of your house. Cracks due to structural water damage may occur near the corners of the structures, around or under doors and windows.

Restore or repair

Structural water damage is very difficult to deal with, and can be very expensive depending on the degree of the damage. Structural damage is not something you can postpone. This is often the first thing you have to deal with because the core of your building has been affected, making your house unsafe to live in.

The issue of whether to repair or restore, rebuild or remove is something that you will have to discuss with your contractor and insurance adjuster. There are ways to repair your home so that it will no longer be susceptible to flood and water damage. This is where the need for a professional comes in. Only a professional restoration service or contractor will be able to tell you the different options available to you, and which one would be the best and least expensive.