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Water Damage Restoration Estimate Template

Extraction, air movers and dehumidifier days, priced against a drying goal rather than a fixed date. Free PDF.

A water loss is the one job that is still happening while you price it. Water is still in the joists, the category may reclassify overnight, and the equipment stays until the readings say it can leave — not until a date somebody wrote down. So a restoration estimate is a daily one: equipment by the unit per day, a stated drying goal, and a clear line between drying the structure and rebuilding what had to come out.

Issued by

Tidewater Restoration Group

4102 North 22nd Street

33605 Tampa, FL

United States

dispatch@tidewaterrestore.example

Bill to

Ronald Whitcombe

2554 Palmetto Grove

33511 Brandon, FL

United States

r.whitcombe@example.com

Estimated total

$4,660.00

Valid for 7 more days · Aug 13, 2026

This is an estimate, not a bill. Prices may change.

Drying goal

Unaffected oak in the adjoining room reads 9% and is the goal for this loss. Readings are taken daily and the equipment leaves when the goal is met, not on a date.

Description	Qty	Rate	Tax	Amount
Emergency response, extraction and initial readings Category 2, Class 3; kitchen, hall and two bedrooms	1	$1,180.00	—	$1,180.00
Air movers — per unit per day 11 units, projected 4 days; billed by the day placed	44	$34.00	—	$1,496.00
LGR dehumidifiers — per unit per day 3 units, projected 4 days; monitored daily against the drying goal	12	$112.00	—	$1,344.00
Antimicrobial application and containment Affected areas only; barrier at the hall doorway	1	$640.00	—	$640.00

Subtotal	$4,660.00
Total	$4,660.00

Terms

Billed on completion of drying against the daily monitoring log. Rebuild is estimated separately once the structure reads dry.

Estimate #EST-7702 · Tidewater Restoration Group · Page 1 of 1

What this estimate commits you to

How long it stands: Seven days, and less in practice — this is a loss in progress, and every day the material stays wet moves the job from drying towards demolition.
What it does not cover: The rebuild. This price dries, cleans and disinfects the structure; replacing drywall, cabinetry, flooring, trim and paint is estimated separately once the readings are dry, as is contents cleaning and off-site storage.
What would change the price: The daily monitoring log. Equipment stays until the readings reach the drying goal, so the days here are a projection; water reclassified from Category 2 to Category 3 changes what may be dried rather than removed, and hidden saturation found in a wall cavity adds both.
How the client accepts it: Sign the work authorisation and the crew stays on site today; your carrier's approval of scope follows on the same document, and the deductible is what you owe us directly if the claim is paid.

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What to put on a water damage restoration estimate

The category of water and the class of loss, because both decide what can be dried rather than removed
Affected areas and the moisture readings they were taken from, room by room
Equipment as a count and a day rate — air movers, LGR dehumidifiers, air scrubbers — with an expected number of days
The drying goal: the reading the unaffected material sits at, which is what the equipment is aiming for
Antimicrobial application and containment where the category calls for it
That the rebuild is a separate estimate, written once the structure reads dry

Questions

How can I estimate drying days before the structure is dry?

As a projection with a rate attached. State the equipment count, the day rate and the number of days you expect, then monitor daily and bill the days used. Every insurer in the country reads restoration estimates this way, and a flat drying price is the one thing an adjuster will not approve on sight.

What changes if the water is reclassified as Category 3?

What can be saved. Category 3 water means porous material is removed rather than dried — carpet, pad, drywall to a cut line — so containment, disposal and demolition enter a price that was written for drying. Reclassification is a new estimate, and the original should say so.

Who does this estimate go to, the homeowner or the insurer?

Both, and it is written for the adjuster while being signed by the homeowner. The homeowner signs the work authorisation so the crew can start today; the carrier approves the scope afterwards, and the deductible is the part the homeowner owes you either way.

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