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Guides

What drying out costs

National cost guides put a typical job between about $1,200 and $5,700.1,2,3 The water category matters most: Bob Vila lists $3 to $4 a square foot for clean water and $7 to $7.50 for black water such as sewage.3

Last reviewed October 24, 20266 sources, numbered in the textSee sources

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Published ranges

National figures; there is no Faribault list

Each guide counts different work. Use them for scale, and get a quote in writing.

Typical total, three published guides

  • Thumbtack1 Oct 2026$1,215–$4,387
  • Fixr2 Jan 2025$1,200–$5,000
  • Bob Vila3 May 2023$1,305–$5,707

Accent mark = the guide's stated average. They include different work, which is why they disagree.

Per square foot, by water category

Bob Vila3Thumbtack1
Category 1, clean$3–$4$3.75
Category 2$4–$6.50$4.50
Category 3$7–$7.50$7
$450–$600Drying and cleanup only, national benchmark, not a quote.

A quote may be drying only, or may add drywall, paneling and flooring. Ask which, and what water category it assumes.3,1

For a basement, enter the wet floor area in the calculator for a drying-only benchmark.

Before you hire

Check the company that comes out

  1. Their Minnesota license number. Residential builders, remodelers and roofers must be licensed; license numbers start with BC, CR or RR, and a number starting with IR is a registration, not a license.5
  2. A contract that spells out the work, materials, total price, payment schedule and deadlines.5
  3. If they contacted you first, the contract must state your three-day right to cancel.5
  4. Why a licensed contractor matters: Minnesota's Contractor Recovery Fund is not open to people who hired an unlicensed one.5
  5. Which water category they assigned, based on what they saw.6

Look up a license: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (license lookup)

How this works

What happens when you call

It is free to call, and calling commits you to nothing.

  1. A man in a flannel shirt stands at the top of the basement stairs on the phone, looking down at water on the basement floor.
    1

    You call

    Tell them what happened and where. Have the address ready.

  2. 2

    We connect you

    A call network puts you through to an independent local restoration company that serves Faribault and is taking calls.

  3. A technician crouches by a sump pit and points to the pump while the homeowner listens, stone foundation walls behind them.
    3

    They assess and quote

    If you want a visit, they look at the damage and quote their own price. Ask for it in writing.

We are a free referral service, not a contractor. The company that answers sets its own prices. How this service works

Two adults and a young girl smile on the porch of an old white house, a maple in autumn colour in the yard.

Want a local company to look at it?

Free to call. An independent restoration company that serves Faribault answers, and you decide what happens next.

Call (507) 333-9838

Faribault Water Damage Advice is a free referral and information service, not a contractor. Calls go through our call-tracking line to independent local restoration companies, and we may be paid when a call qualifies. We do not do the work and do not set prices or availability. How it works

Sources

Each numbered note on this page points here. We read every page on October 24, 2026. Where sources disagree we say so; where we could not find a source we left the claim out. We are not affiliated with any of these organizations.

  1. Thumbtack, 2026 Water Damage Restoration Cost. Last updated October 23, 2026. www.thumbtack.com/p/water-damage-restoration-cost Thumbtack is a marketplace that sells leads to contractors. Its per-square-foot figures are attributed to National Flood Services.
  2. Fixr.com, Water Damage Restoration Cost. Updated January 31, 2025. www.fixr.com/costs/water-damage-restoration Fixr's range includes drywall and ceiling repair, not only drying.
  3. Bob Vila, Rochel Maday, "How Much Does Water Damage Restoration Cost?". Last updated May 30, 2023. www.bobvila.com/articles/water-damage-restoration-cost/
  4. Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), Facts + Statistics: Homeowners and renters insurance. Figures for 2019-2023 (citing ISO). www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-homeowners-and-renters-insurance
  5. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Tips for hiring a contractor. No date shown. www.dli.mn.gov/workers/homeowners/tips-hiring-contractor
  6. IICRC, ANSI/IICRC S500 Consensus Body Issues Position Statement on Category of Water Damage and Weather-Related Events (press release). March 16, 2026. iicrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Weather-Related-Water-Damage-Position-PR_March-2026.p…
Call (507) 333-9838Free service. We'll connect you with a local restoration company. How it works