City of Alexandria, VA
Flood & water damage cleanup in Alexandria, VA 22314
Alexandria's water problems run from tidal flooding near the foot of King Street to damp cellars under Old Town rowhouses and leaking porch roofs on Del Ray bungalows. We dry, clean and repair all of them.
In Alexandria, JEC Restoration dries flooded cellars, removes mold, and cleans up after fires and sewer backups, from Old Town's historic rowhouses and the waterfront to Del Ray, Rosemont and the West End. The number is (202) 989-3053, staffed day and night. We assess with moisture meters, then dry, clean and rebuild with the old materials and historic district rules in mind.
How do 18th and 19th century Old Town rowhouses take on water?
Old Town holds some of the oldest houses in the region: brick and frame rowhouses from the late 1700s and 1800s on streets like Prince, Duke and Queen, with soft lime mortar, shared party walls and shallow cellars. Many cellars have brick or stone walls laid without any waterproofing, and some still have brick floors. Water does not pour in so much as move through them, rising through masonry after rain and leaving white salt deposits and crumbling joints.
That masonry needs care during drying. Cement patches and plastic sheeting trap moisture in old brick, and fast, hot drying can crack plaster and check old wood. We dry steadily with dehumidifiers and track readings in the mortar joints. Where a cellar has been finished, drywall and carpet often hide mold growing behind the wall. Wide pine floorboards above a wet cellar can cup, so we check the subfloor from below as well.
Most-called services in Alexandria
Storm & Flood Cleanup
Storm and flood cleanup covers water that enters a home from outside during heavy weather: flash flooding at basement doors and window wells, overflowing areaway drains, wind-driven rain through walls and windows, and roof openings from fallen limbs.
How we handle it
Sewage Backup Cleanup
Sewage backup cleanup is the removal of wastewater and the porous materials it soaked, followed by cleaning, disinfection and drying of the affected area.
How we handle it
Structural Drying
Structural drying is the controlled removal of moisture from a building's framing, subfloor, wall cavities, plaster and masonry after a water loss.
How we handle it
Mold Behind Drywall
Mold behind drywall grows on the back of the paper facing, on studs and on insulation inside a wall that has stayed damp from a slow leak, condensation or an old flood.
How we handle it
Ceiling Leak Damage
Ceiling leak damage work deals with water trapped above a ceiling from a roof, a bathroom, a radiator or an air conditioning line.
How we handle itWhy does the Old Town waterfront flood even on a light-rain day?
The blocks nearest the Potomac sit only a few feet above the river. Around the foot of King Street and along Union Street, high tides pushed up by wind and coastal storms back water through the storm drains and over the curb, sometimes when it is barely raining in town. Ground floors and cellars in those blocks take river water, which we treat as Category 3.
Inland, two streams set the risk. Four Mile Run forms the city's northern line with Arlington County, and Cameron Run runs along the south side near Eisenhower Avenue. Both rise fast in summer downpours. Parts of Old Town are also on an older combined sewer system, so a cloudburst can push sewage up through a cellar floor drain. Our guide to telling sewage from groundwater helps you judge what you are looking at, and a backwater valve is worth asking about after any sewage backup cleanup.
Typical calls we get from Alexandria
Tidal flood in a ground floor near the waterfront
River water comes up through a storm drain and over the threshold of a ground-floor room a block from the Potomac. We treat it as Category 3, remove wet drywall and flooring, clean and apply antimicrobial, and dry the brick slowly so the old mortar is not stressed.
Salt-crusted cellar walls in a Queen Street rowhouse
A cellar stays damp for weeks after a wet spell, with white salts on the brick and a musty smell upstairs. We find where water is entering, size a dehumidifier to the space, and clean mold from the wood framing without sealing the masonry in a way that traps moisture.
Porch roof leak in a Del Ray bungalow
Failed flashing where the porch roof meets the house lets rain into the front wall, staining plaster and soaking the top of a window frame. We open only the wet sections, dry the framing, and patch the plaster to match once the roof is fixed.
Cellar floor drain backup after a cloudburst
Heavy rain overloads the old sewer lines and gray water rises through a rowhouse cellar drain. We extract, clean and disinfect, discard porous items the water touched, dry the space, and talk through a backwater valve.
What changes for a Del Ray bungalow or a West End condo?
Del Ray grew up around the turn of the 20th century as a streetcar suburb, and the side streets off Mount Vernon Avenue are lined with bungalows, foursquares and frame houses with deep front porches. These houses fail differently from Old Town. Many sit over crawl spaces or low partial basements, and porch roofs tie into the main wall where flashing eventually gives out. Water shows up as a stain on the living room ceiling near the front wall, or as musty air from a crawl space vent in August.
Farther west, the garden apartments and condo buildings along Duke Street in 22304 bring the unit-above leaks we see in every multi-family building. There we map moisture in each affected unit and keep separate records for each owner and the association.
How do historic district rules and narrow streets affect the work?
Most of Old Town lies within the Old and Historic Alexandria District, where exterior changes visible from a public street generally go through the city's Board of Architectural Review. A tarp over a damaged roof is temporary protection. Replacing original windows, doors, siding or a cellar hatch is a different matter, so we keep exterior work temporary until you have approval. Inside, plaster, wood trim and floors are patched to match rather than swapped for stock material.
Parking is the other puzzle in 22314. Streets are narrow, many blocks are residential permit parking, and some alleys are too tight for a van. We plan where the truck will sit before arriving and carry equipment in by hand when we must, with runners over old floors and stair treads.
Typical homes in this part of the DC area
Nearby areas we also cover
Questions from Alexandria homeowners
Do I need Board of Architectural Review approval before you repair water damage in my Old Town house?
Interior drying, cleaning and repairs generally do not go through the board. Exterior changes visible from a public street usually do, which can include replacing windows, doors, siding or a damaged cellar hatch. We keep exterior work to temporary protection until you have approval. Confirm the details with the city's planning staff, since the rules depend on the property and what is changing.
Is tidal flooding on the Alexandria waterfront covered by homeowners insurance?
Usually not. Standard homeowners policies typically exclude surface and tidal flooding, which is generally covered only by a separate flood policy. Water from a broken pipe indoors falls under a different part of the policy. Check your policy and any flood coverage before work starts. We photograph the waterline, log moisture readings and list removed materials, which helps whichever policy applies.
Why do my Old Town cellar walls stay damp when it hasn't rained?
Old brick and lime mortar pull ground moisture upward, and near the river the water table is shallow. In summer, humid air also condenses on cool cellar walls. Paint, sealers and cement coatings can make it worse by trapping that moisture. We measure humidity and wall moisture, look for active entry points, and usually recommend steady dehumidification over coatings.
Water or mold trouble in Alexandria?
Call JEC Restoration any time. We answer 24/7 and talk through what you are seeing before anyone touches a wall.