You’ve Been Staring at Your Phone
Maybe it’s been twenty minutes. Maybe it’s been two days. There’s a stain on the baseboard that wasn’t there last week, or a smell in the hallway that you can’t quite place, or a puddle that keeps coming back no matter how many towels you throw at it.
And you’re thinking about calling someone. But you haven’t yet. Because calling feels like committing to something — and you don’t know what that something costs, how long it takes, or whether the person who shows up is going to try to sell you a new kitchen.
I get it. I’m Phil Sheridan. I own 4D Restoration in Edmond, Oklahoma, and I’ve taken this call hundreds of times. Most people who call me sound exactly like you feel right now: uncertain, a little embarrassed that they waited, and worried about what happens next.
So let me walk you through it. Every step. No surprises.
The Call
Here’s what happens when you dial 405-896-9088.
A person picks up. Not a phone tree. Not a recording. Not a dispatcher reading from a script. Most companies put you on hold. I put you on speaker while I start the truck.
I’m going to ask you three things:
- What happened? Pipe burst, appliance leak, storm damage, “I don’t know but there’s water.” All of those are fine answers.
- How long has it been? An hour? A day? A week? Be honest — I’ve heard every answer. There’s no wrong one.
- Is anyone in danger? Standing water near electrical outlets, gas smell, structural concerns. Safety first, always.
That’s it. I’m not quoting you a price over the phone. I’m not diagnosing your house from a phone call. I’m getting enough information to load the right equipment and get to your property.
Most of the time, I’m there within 60 to 90 minutes. Often faster during regular business hours. I’m based in Edmond — I’m not driving from another state.
A Truck. A Person. A Moisture Meter.
A truck pulls up. One truck. My truck.
I don’t have a fleet. I don’t have a crew of guys who’ve been on the job for three weeks and are still learning where the moisture meter is. I’m the owner of this company. I’ve been doing restoration work since January 3rd, 2024, and before that I spent years inspecting damage from the other side — as an insurance inspector.
I walk in, and the first thing I do is listen. Not to the house — to you. What happened. What you’ve tried. What you’re worried about.
Then I walk the property with two things in hand: a FLIR thermal imaging camera and a moisture meter.
The FLIR shows me where the water went that you can’t see. Behind walls. Under flooring. Into places that look dry on the surface but aren’t. I own more moisture meters than a reasonable person should. I have a favorite. It has a name.
This isn’t an estimate. It’s a damage map. I’m not guessing what’s wet — I’m measuring it.
The Part Where I Don’t Sell You Anything
Here’s the part that surprises people.
After the walk-through, I show you what I found. The moisture readings. The thermal images. Where the water started and where it traveled. And then I tell you what I’d recommend — honestly.
If it’s dry, I say so. I don’t need to manufacture work. There are days I walk a property, take readings, and tell the homeowner, “You caught this early. Run a fan for a day. You’re fine.” I don’t charge for that visit.
If it needs professional mitigation, I explain exactly what that looks like: what equipment goes where, roughly how long it runs, and what the insurance process looks like. No pressure. No countdown timer. No “if you don’t sign today” nonsense.
I’ll tell you what’s wet, what’s dry, and what’s going to haunt your insurance adjuster’s dreams.
You can think about it. Call your spouse. Call another company. I’m not going anywhere — and if you call me back tomorrow, the answer will be the same.
Why It Sounds Like a Jet Engine
Let’s say you give the go-ahead. Here’s what your house is about to sound like: a jet engine convention.
Mitigation starts immediately. That means:
Extraction — Submersible pumps, truck-mount extractors, and weighted extraction tools pull the standing water out. This isn’t a mop and bucket situation. We’re talking about removing hundreds of gallons in the first hour.
Drying — Industrial air movers get positioned at calculated angles. These push 3,200 CFM each. That’s enough to make your dog suspicious and your curtains nervous. Industrial dehumidifiers pull moisture out of the air — up to 30 gallons per day, per unit. The air movers push the wet air toward the dehumidifiers. The dehumidifiers turn that air into water and drain it away.
Air Quality — HEPA scrubbers clean the air while everything’s drying. If there’s any microbial concern, botanical antimicrobials go down — they smell like thyme, not bleach.
It’s loud. It’s industrial. And every minute it runs, your house is getting drier.
I Handle the Part You’re Dreading
This is the part most people dread. Let me make it simple.
I scope every job in Xactimate. That’s the same software your insurance adjuster uses. When I send documentation, it’s not a handwritten estimate on a napkin — it’s the exact format your adjuster expects, with line items they can match to their own database.
I take more photos than you think is necessary. Every baseboard. Every moisture reading. Every piece of affected material, documented before and during.
I’ve been on the other side of that clipboard. I used to inspect damage for insurance carriers. I know what adjusters look for, what they document, and what makes them push back. So when your adjuster walks through and opens my file, I’ve watched the face change — from “fight” to “sign.”
Your cost? In most cases, it’s your deductible. That’s it. That’s why you pay premiums. I handle the documentation. I communicate with the adjuster. You don’t have to argue with anyone about drywall.
Not sure if your policy covers it? Standard homeowner’s insurance typically covers sudden, accidental water damage — burst pipes, appliance failures, storm-driven leaks. I can help you figure out what’s covered.
The Monitoring
I don’t set up equipment and disappear for a week.
Every day, I check back. Moisture readings. Air temperature. Humidity levels. I’m tracking the drying curve — the rate at which your structure is releasing moisture — and adjusting equipment placement based on the data.
You’ll get daily updates via text, phone, or email. Whichever you prefer. You’ll know exactly where things stand, what readings look like, and when I expect to wrap up.
The drying process typically takes 3 to 5 days, depending on the severity of the damage, the materials involved, and the weather outside.
When the Fans Stop
This is my favorite part.
The day I pick up the last fan is always a little quiet. Good quiet. The kind where you can hear your house being normal again.
Final moisture readings confirm everything is bone dry. Equipment comes out. The property gets returned broom-clean. And we do a final walk-through together so you can see what I see: dry wood, clean air, documentation that’s already with your insurance company.
That’s it. That’s what happens when you call.
No horror story. No surprise invoice. No disappearing for three weeks while you wash dishes in the bathtub. Just a guy with a truck, a thermal camera, and a deep personal interest in dry baseboards.
When You’re Ready
You don’t have to call right now. You can bookmark this page, sleep on it, talk to your spouse, and call me Thursday. The water isn’t going to care about your timeline — but I understand that you need yours.
When you’re ready: 405-896-9088. That’s my number. I answer it.
And if you’re dealing with an active water situation right now — not researching, but actually standing in water — skip this article and go straight to our emergency response page or read what to do while you’re waiting for us to arrive.