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Guides

What drying out a house costs

Published national guides put a typical job between about $1,200 and $5,700.1,2,3 The water category moves the price most: roughly $3 to $4 a square foot for clean water and $7 to $7.50 for grossly contaminated.3

Last reviewed October 24, 20267 sources, numbered in the textSee sources

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Published ranges

National numbers, because no one publishes Boise's

Three consumer cost guides. They disagree a little and include different work, so get a written quote.

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.

Some ranges cover only drying and cleanup; others add drywall, ceiling or flooring. Ask what a quote includes and what water category it assumes.3,1

Crawl space or one room? Enter its square footage in the calculator for a drying-only benchmark.

Before you sign anything

Check whoever shows up

  1. Their Idaho contractor registration number. Idaho requires registration for most construction work over $2,000, and registered contractors must show the number on advertising, contracts and permits.4 Look it up with the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses.
  2. Which registration covers the work they propose. The state's FAQ does not say whether water mitigation alone falls under registration, so ask them and confirm with the Division.4
  3. What water category they assigned, and what they found that led to it.5
  4. A written, line-item estimate before work begins.6
  5. That permanent repairs wait until your insurer has inspected.7

Look up a license: Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (contractor registration)

How this works

What happens when you call

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

  1. A man on the phone by a snowy window, towels lined up along a wet wall behind him.
    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 Boise and is taking calls.

  3. A technician wearing a headlamp lies in a crawl space, checking a dripping pipe with torn insulation.
    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

A couple holding their toddler smile in the kitchen as a fan dries the wood floor, snow outside.

Want a local company to look at it?

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

Call (208) 994-8334

Boise Water Damage Advice is a free referral and information service, not a contractor. Calls are answered by independent local restoration companies through a pay-per-call network, 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. Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, Contractor registration FAQ. No date shown. dopl.idaho.gov/con/con-faq/
  5. 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…
  6. Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), Settling insurance claims after a disaster. No date shown (page copyright 2026). www.iii.org/article/settling-insurance-claims-after-a-disaster
  7. Idaho Department of Insurance, Post-Disaster Claims Guide. PDF last modified July 26, 2022. doi.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/publication-post-disaster-claims-guide.pdf
Call (208) 994-8334Free service. We'll connect you with a local restoration company. How it works