Compare restoration estimates by scope, not only the total.

What each line of the worksheet is asking

Two restoration estimates rarely describe the same job, which is why the totals cannot be compared directly. Start with the affected rooms and the water assumption. If one proposal assumes clean water and the other assumes gray water, the scope of removal will differ, and so will the price, for legitimate reasons that have nothing to do with which contractor is cheaper.

Extraction and controlled removal covers pulling standing water and removing materials that cannot be saved. Drying is the line where estimates differ most. The number of air movers and dehumidifiers is normally driven by the class of loss, which the S500 standard defines by how much of the room's materials are wet, and by the cubic footage of the affected space. Ask what the drying goal is, how often moisture readings are taken, and how the crew will decide when the structure is dry. A day-by-day drying log is the normal record.

Cleaning and odor work, and contents movement or storage, are the lines most often left out of a low total. Contents that must be packed out and stored have a monthly cost, and the estimate should say who is responsible if items are damaged in transit. Environmental or specialty work, such as testing for asbestos in an older house or treating mold, is often excluded and priced separately when discovered.

Source repair and reconstruction separate a drying-only proposal from a full restoration. Some contractors only dry and leave the rebuild to someone else; others do both, and the price for each should be visible. Then read the exclusions and allowances: an allowance is a placeholder for a cost not yet known, and the change-order process says how an added cost is approved. Completion documents, meaning the final moisture readings, the drying log and a summary of work, are what an insurer will ask for and what a buyer of the house may ask for later.