Workers have started restoration of homes after floods, but it’s looking to be a long, slow process.
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Flood-soaked items out on the curb have become a common sight in San Angelo after July 4’s floods and remodeling experts say they’ve been busy.
The owner of Aladdin’s Flooring, Ronnie Walcott, said his business has already received countless calls for floor repair.
“You know, with 12,000 homes damaged in San Angelo … we’re already starting to replace some … but it’s going to be a slow process,” Walcott told FOX West Texas.
That’s because it’s not just buckled and broken floors that need replacing. Water soaked up by insulation means large chunks of walls that need to be filled, plus painting and cabinet replacement, all before flooring can be touched. And Gabriel Adame, owner of Adame A+ Construction said his crews have been at it, as well.
“Oh yeah, lots. Lots of calls,” he said. “We’ve gotten calls from here, from Grape Creek. It’s all drywall work.”
Adame also said his customers call for fans to dry out their floors and the insides of walls, which, as Walcott explained, is to prevent mold and mildew. The flooring store owner also explained that at least 2 feet of drywall up from the floor needs to be cut out, along with the insulation replaced. A long process, both he and Adame agreed.
As he measured the dimensions of rooms in a flood damaged house, Adame explained what the next steps in the repair process would be.
“We’re just going to cut out all the drywall, remove all the cabinetry, put new drywall and tape, float texture,” the owner said.
The contractor also told FOX West Texas the extent of the damage at the home.
“I mean, there’s like this family here … they’ve been out of their home since July 4,” he said. “They can’t come back in until it gets done. Even if we got started today, it’d be two, three weeks before they come home.”
Adame expects this post-disaster busy season to last about six months, but Walcott said his is looking to be even longer.
“I could see it going as much as a couple of years,” he said. “I would say the bulk of stuff, it should probably be … put back in semi-order and by six to nine months.”
This bringing the total cost of repairs for a homeowner into the thousands. And while business may be booming, Adame says no one is happy about it.
“They took forever to build these homes, of course,” the contractor said. “I mean, you could see the devastation on their faces. I’m glad we’re busy. I am. But I hate seeing people go through it. I mean, nobody deserves to go through stuff like this.”