Why Reducing Demolition Matters
Water damage can wreak havoc on homes and businesses, seeping into walls, cabinets, and floors. Traditionally, restoration companies have relied on demolition-heavy methods—tearing out affected areas to dry them out. While this approach is effective, it can also be costly, time-consuming, and disruptive.
At V&S Water Damage Restoration in California, we use advanced drying techniques that minimize demolition whenever possible. This allows for a faster recovery process, lower costs, and less inconvenience for homeowners and businesses.
How Water Damage Spreads
When water enters a structure, it doesn’t just sit on the surface—it seeps into hidden areas:
✅ Under cabinets in kitchens and bathrooms
✅ Inside walls, especially in commercial buildings with insulation
✅ Beneath tile, wood, and carpeted flooring
Instead of immediately tearing out affected materials, a more modern approach involves drying these areas in place using specialized equipment.
The Benefits of Limited Demolition
🔹 Faster Recovery – Reduces the time needed for repairs
🔹 Lower Costs – Saves money on materials and labor
🔹 Less Disruption – Homeowners keep their kitchens, and businesses stay open
🔹 Eco-Friendly – Minimizes construction waste
How We Dry Without Tearing Everything Apart
For Homes
Water often seeps under cabinets and into the walls behind them. Instead of removing the entire cabinet set, we:
✅ Drill small holes under cabinets to inject dry air
✅ Use specialized equipment to circulate warm airflow inside walls
✅ Only remove parts of the cabinets if absolutely necessary
This method is especially useful because many homeowners face long wait times (3-6 months) for cabinet replacements. By keeping existing cabinets in place, we help families get back to normal faster.
For Businesses
In commercial buildings, water damage often affects walls covered in tile, insulation, and drywall. Rather than tearing down entire sections, we:
✅ Use air injection systems to push warm, dry air into the walls
✅ Increase ambient temperatures to speed up evaporation
✅ Minimize repairs, reducing downtime for businesses
By limiting demolition, businesses can stay open while restoration is in progress, avoiding unnecessary financial losses.
In the example given, getting airflow to the bottom of the wall assembly was the challenge to meet. PEX pipe was run from the top of the wall assembly to the bottom to deliver significant amounts of air to the wet insulation and gypsum from an air injection system. Ambient air conditions were increased to 85ºF. This combination provided the warm, dry air that was generated by dehumidification into the wall assembly where the water was located. The result? Complete drying of the wall assembly with minimal repairs needed.
Why consider limiting demolition? In addition to added convenience to customers, and saving money for insurers, drying with limited demolition is more profitable. Additionally, less demolition means fewer people needed to complete the work.
Is it accurate to say that limiting demolition is more profitable? In most cases the answer is yes. The additional profit is generated by reducing costly labor and increasing profitable equipment usage. Resist the temptation to look at the lower construction revenue and confuse it with lower profit.
How do you implement these changes? The first step is to recognize the importance of the change for your organization.
If you don’t feel that the change is necessary, you won’t be motivated to make it. Once you are convinced that reducing demo will increase profitability and reduce the use of your extremely valuable personnel, it’s time to implement practical change.
Clear guidance through written direction will help your production and estimating staff to understand exactly what the goal is. Simply saying ‘do less demo’, will have little or no effect on actual operations. Address specific assemblies that your company faces regularly and create step-by-step directions on how to handle them. Then track the implementation of that direction.
Education is also a critical component. Education should always be an investment. Unfortunately, it often is not. Whether you select online training or in person hands-on courses, select your training organization based on the quality of that academy, not the convenience of dates or locations. I can’t imagine that is the criteria you would use to select higher education for your children. It shouldn’t be the criteria for drying education for your staff.
Ask yourself, ‘has this academy created a system to teach your staff to dry more effectively, or are they simply filling a gap as a gateway to qualify people to take a certification exam?’ One way to know is to look at Google or Facebook reviews. If one training organization has a higher number of better Google reviews then another, that’s a good indication that your staff is going to receive more valuable training. Importantly, it is also a good indication that you will get a solid return on your investment.
Adapting drying methods to a project or customer is something that a professional restorer does every day. We also need to adapt to a changing work environment. Those changes require more tools in our drying toolbox. Doing less demo and using more equipment is a change that
just makes sense.
Why Choose V&S Water Damage Restoration?
At V&S Water Damage Restoration, we specialize in efficient, cost-effective solutions for water damage cleanup. Our team is trained in the latest drying techniques, ensuring that we use the best approach for every job.
We serve residential and commercial properties throughout Artesia, CA, and surrounding areas. If you need emergency water damage restoration, contact us today!
📞 Emergency: (562) 577-8001
📞 Service: (562) 601-8142
📧 Email: restoration@vswaterdamage.com
Related Resources
🔹 Our Water Damage Restoration Services
🔹 How to Prevent Water Damage in Your Home
🔹 Signs You Need Professional Water Damage Repair
Conclusion
Limiting demolition in water damage restoration is not only possible but also more efficient and cost-effective. Whether you’re a homeowner or a business owner, choosing a company that prioritizes drying in place can save you time, money, and stress.
For fast and professional water damage restoration in California, trust V&S Water Damage Restoration—your local experts in non-destructive drying methods.