Water damage calls in Buford
Buford sits on the southern shore of Lake Lanier near Buford Dam, which formed the lake when the Corps of Engineers dammed the Chattahoochee River in 1956. The city started in 1872 as a railroad depot between Atlanta and Charlotte. Today it straddles the Gwinnett and Hall county line, with the Mall of Georgia, Lake Lanier Islands and easy access to I-85 and I-985. Buford also runs its own city water, sewer, gas and electric utilities.
Buford's homes cover a wide range. Older houses near the historic downtown often sit over crawl spaces with older plumbing. Newer subdivisions toward the mall and the lake have slab foundations, finished basements and upstairs laundry rooms. Lake homes along the shoreline deal with sloped lots and walkout lower levels that catch runoff in heavy rain.
The calls follow the housing. In older homes, it is often a crawl space full of water after a storm, a galvanized pipe that rusted through, or a sewer line clogged by roots. In newer homes, it is usually a water heater that gave out, a washer hose that split, or a slab leak that showed up as a warm spot on the floor. Summer thunderstorms and the remnants of tropical systems bring roof leaks and fallen trees, and a hard winter freeze can split pipes in garages and exterior walls.
Whatever the cause, the steps are the same. The crew stops the water, gets it out, measures how far it spread, and dries the structure before mold sets in. Buford addresses use the 30518 and 30519 ZIP codes.
What local crews take care of in Buford
- Emergency water removal: Pumps and extractors for standing water, then fans and dehumidifiers to dry what is left.
- Burst and frozen pipe damage: Leaks from split, frozen or corroded pipes, inside walls, ceilings and crawl spaces.
- Crawl space water and mold: Water pumped out from under the house, wet insulation pulled, and the space dried before mold spreads.
- Storm and roof leak damage: Rain through roofs, windows and doors, fallen trees, and flooded lower levels after a storm.
- Sewage backup cleanup: Sewer and septic backups cleaned up, disinfected and dried, with the contaminated material hauled out.
- Water heater and slab leaks: Leaking or failed water heaters, and hidden leaks under slab floors and behind walls.