NASHVILLE GUIDE

Questions to ask before the drying crew starts

The useful questions are boring, and they fit on a piece of paper. Ask them before air movers come off the truck, not after the baseboards are already in the dumpster. You are buying a scope. The company name is the least interesting line on it.

By Mike M · Sources checked October 6, 2026 · How we write these guides

Before the equipment comes in

Start with the source. Is the water stopped, and who confirmed it? A drying crew that begins while a supply line is still feeding the wall is drying a moving target. If a plumber has to open the line, ask whether that person is on this visit or coming later. If the water came through the roof, ask whether anyone has stopped the rain path or whether the scope assumes the roof is already fixed. Those are different sentences, and only one of them should be in the proposal.

Then the water itself. Ask how they classify what they see: clean supply water, water that has picked up dirt from a washer or a floor, or water that includes sewage. Ask what that classification changes about what they will throw away. If they will not say the classification out loud, you cannot compare them to anyone else. Sewage is the version to slow down for. The backup page explains why a mop is the wrong tool, and why the description you give this crew should match the description you give an insurer.

The scope in plain language

Ask for rooms, not a slogan. Which rooms are in, which are out, and is the crawlspace named? In bungalows around East Nashville, Inglewood, and Sylvan Park, the crawlspace is often wetter than the hall and easier to forget. Ask what will be removed, what will be dried in place, and what happens if they open a wall and find the moisture farther than the stain. A scope that cannot survive that sentence will be rewritten on day two, at your expense or theirs, and you should know which.

Ask about contents. Who moves furniture, who decides a rug is a loss, and what is off limits because it is an heirloom or a box of papers? Pack-out is a real line item. If you did not ask for storage, say so. If you already threw things away, say that too. The hiring guide covers the same ground from the company side: training, insurance, and why a written scope is the filter this site uses instead of rankings. We do not score Nashville firms, and a smooth answer is not a ranking either.

Moisture readings and the day they stop

Ask what instrument they use, how often someone will record readings, and what number, for these materials, means dry. Ask to see the readings, not just a text that says the room is done. Equipment is often billed by the day. "Until we are comfortable" is not a schedule. If monitoring costs extra, the proposal should say so before the machines are plugged in.

Ask who can send the crew away. If you are living in the dry half of the house, say what hours they can run equipment and what has to stay quiet at night. A dehumidifier in a hall is a reasonable tool. It is also a guest you did not plan to host for an unnamed number of days. Tie the stop date to readings.

Hardwood needs its own question. Will they dry the floor in place, pull boards, or both, and are they looking at the subfloor or only the finish? Sanding is not drying. The hardwood page is there so that question is specific. A soft spot by a tub may be the subfloor, which changes both the drying and any later repair.

Payment, insurance, and the work they will not do

Ask whether they bill you, an insurer, or both, and whether you are still the one who owes the invoice if a claim is delayed or denied. This site cannot tell you if your policy applies. The insurance notes are about what to document, including sudden versus slow water and why outside floodwater is often a different policy. Get the company's billing answer in writing anyway. A friendly "we work with all insurance" is not a coverage determination.

Ask what they will not do. Many drying companies do not repair roofs, do not replace supply lines, and do not rebuild kitchens. That is fine if they say so. It is a problem if the quote implies the house will be finished. Plumbing and electrical repair raise license and permit questions. Metro Codes, not this website, says whether your rebuild needs a permit. The permits page points you at the office and at the state licensing board. Ask the crew who pulls a permit if one is required, and ask to see the license they claim.

Ask for proof of liability insurance, and ask who to call if a technician damages something that was dry. Write the name down. You are not being difficult. You are building the same note you would want if you were the one coming back tomorrow.

A short list you can read aloud

If the conversation is moving fast, read this and stop for the answers. Is the source stopped, and who stopped it? What kind of water are you treating this as? What comes out, what stays, and is the crawlspace in? How will you measure moisture, and who decides the equipment leaves? What do you not do, including plumbing, roofing, and rebuild? Whose license is on any repair, and will a permit be pulled if Codes requires one? Who do I pay if the insurer says no? What is the number for the same scope, in writing?

Price without those answers is not a bargain. Factors that move the number, with no invented dollars, are explained in the cost guide on this site. Use it to see what a low bid might have dropped, then make the two companies price the same page. If the job is actually a small clean spill on a hard floor, you may not need them at all. Knowing that is also an answer, and it should be yours before the truck is in the driveway.