Free Water Damage Inspection in Elk River, MN

You cleaned up the leak yourself. Towels, a fan, maybe a shop vac. It looks fine now.

The question you’re actually asking is whether it’s fine behind the wall. That’s what a water damage inspection answers, and at Kiser Construction ours is free.

Kiser Construction has been in business in Elk River since 2003 and restoring water and fire damage since 2008. IICRC certified, BBB A+ rated, licensed in Minnesota under BC416441. Call our office at 763-633-2010 to schedule one.

No pressure, no obligation. If your house is dry, we’ll tell you it’s dry and go home.

What a Water Damage Inspection Includes

Moisture mapping and meter readings

We take readings across the affected area and well beyond it. Moisture meters read what’s inside the material, not what’s on the surface.

That’s how we find out whether water traveled six inches or six feet. Surfaces dry first and lie about what’s underneath.

Finding water behind walls and under floors

Water follows framing, plumbing runs, and gravity. It ends up in places that look nothing like where the leak started.

We check wall cavities, subfloor, sill plates, and insulation. We check the room below and the room next door. A stain in one place regularly means wet material in three others.

The 360-degree DocuSketch scan

Our DocuSketch camera captures 360-degree images of each damaged area, top to bottom. Those images generate measurements of every room and build a floor plan.

That matters more than it sounds. It means your file has measured dimensions instead of numbers written from memory, which speeds up the scope of work for an insurance claim.

The written scope you receive

You get a written scope of work. It lists every room affected. It lists every service, every material coming out, and the equipment going in.

You keep it whether or not you hire us.

Our technicians are certified through the IICRC, the standards body for the restoration trade. That’s who sets the drying standards we work to.

Why You Should Get an Inspection Before You Sign Anything

What a legitimate scope of work looks like

Search for complaints about restoration companies and you’ll find the same two words. Padded scopes. Homeowners describe bills far above what their insurer or an independent estimator says the work is worth.

A legitimate scope is specific enough to check. It lists the rooms. It lists square footage or linear footage. It names the materials coming out and the equipment going in.

If you can’t tell what you’re being charged for, you can’t tell whether it’s fair. That’s the whole point of getting it in writing first.

Questions worth asking any restoration company

Ask for the written scope before demolition, not after. Ask which parts they perform themselves and which get subcontracted. Ask who your point of contact is and whether that person changes between mitigation and rebuild.

Ask how they document moisture, and ask to see the readings. Ask for references.

Any company worth hiring will answer all of that without getting defensive.

How payment should work

Get the payment terms in writing before work starts, in the same document as the scope.

Our terms are simple and we’ll tell you up front. We ask for a 50 percent down payment before a project begins, with the balance due on completion. That’s standard for reconstruction work and it’s stated plainly rather than buried.

What matters is that you know the number before anyone picks up a tool. A company that won’t put terms in writing before demolition is a company to walk away from.

We also back our work with a one-year warranty from the date of completion.

When to Schedule an Inspection

After a leak you already cleaned up

Dishwasher, ice maker, water heater, toilet overflow. If it soaked into flooring, baseboard, or the wall behind a cabinet, surface drying rarely finished the job.

Before you file an insurance claim

An inspection tells you what you’re actually dealing with before you open a claim. Sometimes it’s minor and not worth a claim. Sometimes it’s much larger than the visible damage suggests. Either way, you decide with real information. Our insurance claim assistance team can walk you through your options.

When you can smell it but cannot see it

A musty smell in a basement or a closet is usually moisture with nowhere to go. That’s worth a meter and twenty minutes.

Before you buy or sell a home

Water history is hard to see and easy to miss. A meter reading tells you more than a fresh coat of paint does.

We inspect for buyers, sellers, and property managers across the metro.

Before you buy or sell a home

Water history is hard to see and easy to miss. A meter reading tells you more than a fresh coat of paint does.

We inspect for buyers, sellers, and property managers across the metro.

What Happens After the Inspection

If there is no damage, we tell you that

Sometimes the answer is that your house is dry. We’d rather say so and be the company you call next time.

This isn’t a sales visit. Nobody gets sent out to find a reason to start work.

If there is, you get a scope and a timeline

You get the written scope, the plan, and the expected sequence. If insurance is involved, we help you document it and work with your carrier and mortgage company directly.

One company from mitigation through rebuild

We’re a licensed general contractor, not a mitigation-only franchise. The same company that extracts the water and dries the structure also puts the drywall, flooring, and trim back. See our water damage restoration page for the full process, or flooded basement cleanup if that’s your situation.

Our customer portal shows your job schedule in real time. You can see where things stand without calling to ask.

Why Elk River Property Owners Trust Us

We’ve operated from 12767 Meadowvale Rd NW in Elk River since 2003. This is our twenty-third year.

We don’t chase storms or disasters. We’re a local company that works with homeowners, residential property managers, and commercial property managers across the seven-county Twin Cities metro and the northern suburbs.

Our reviews name individual project managers, which is unusual in this industry and something we’re proud of. Read what our customers say or learn more about our team.

Water Damage Inspection FAQs

Is the water damage inspection really free?

Yes. Free inspections are available across Elk River and the Twin Cities metro. There’s no charge and no obligation to hire us afterward.

How long does a water damage inspection take?

Most take under an hour for a typical residential loss. Larger properties or hidden moisture can take longer. We’d rather be thorough than quick.

Do you charge if I decide not to hire you?

No. You keep the written scope either way. If we find nothing, we’ll say so.

How do you find water behind a wall?

Moisture meters read inside the material rather than on the surface. We map readings across and beyond the affected area to trace how far the water traveled.

Do you inspect in Elk River, Monticello, Zimmerman, and St. Michael?

Yes. We serve the seven-county Twin Cities metro and northern suburbs, within a one to two hour radius of our Elk River office.

Can you inspect before I file an insurance claim?

Yes, and it’s often the smart order. Knowing the real extent first helps you decide whether a claim makes sense.

Kiser Construction. In business in Elk River since 2003, restoring damage since 2008. IICRC certified, BBB A+ rated, license BC416441.