Building drying Vienna measure first, then dry.

What happens when water gets into the floor build-up

A floor consists of several layers. Water does not spread evenly; it takes the path of least resistance – and stays wherever it cannot evaporate.

Building drying in Vienna: costs 2026

Typical total costs

The last line is the decision at the heart of every larger damage case: technical drying or removal. Both are right, but in different cases – and the difference amounts to several thousand euros.

Dry it or open it up: the decisive trade-off

The rule of thumb from practice: clean mains water that has not been standing for long can usually be dried technically. Waste water, flood water, a long standing time or mould that is already visible all point towards removal, because germs and spores in the insulation cannot simply be dried away. This decision should follow from the measurement report and an assessment, not from the question of what happens to be quicker.

The methods

Which method is right depends on the floor build-up – and that is precisely why every measurement must include an opening or drill hole showing whether there is a continuous insulation layer at all. In old Viennese apartments with timber joist ceilings there often is none; there the water sits in the fill, and that is a different case with a considerably higher risk to the structure.

Water damage above a timber joist ceiling

This takes more effort than setting up equipment, and in this type of construction it is the only approach that lasts. What the new ceiling build-up looks like is explained on the page timber joist ceiling renovation.

The process

Step six is the one most often skipped. Without a clearance measurement nobody knows whether the substrate is dry – and anyone who glues a floor covering onto it seals the residual moisture under an impermeable layer.

What the insurer needs

For damage caused by escaping mains water, an insurer usually pays – the household contents insurance of the person affected, the homeowner's or buildings insurance, or, for damage coming from the neighbouring flat, the neighbour's liability insurance. For this to go smoothly, documents count for more than arguments.

On the question of electricity: drying equipment runs around the clock and uses roughly €3 to €9 worth of electricity per unit per day. With six units over three weeks, that comes to several hundred euros running through the occupant's meter. Insurers usually reimburse this, but they need the sub-meter reading. We therefore fit a meter and record the opening and closing readings in the report.

How long it takes

These times are based on experience, not promises. How quickly a building element dries depends on temperature, air exchange, the thickness of the element and on how long the water had been standing before drying began. That is exactly why the most important factor is when you start: every day the water stays in the build-up prolongs the drying disproportionately and increases the risk of mould.

Mould: when it becomes a different matter

Mould needs moisture, warmth and a nutrient base. In a heated flat, two of these are always present, so it is the moisture that decides – and time.

The practical conclusion: with water damage, speed is the most effective and the cheapest measure. Starting two days earlier regularly saves a week of drying time – and sometimes the entire removal.

Building drying in new construction

Not every drying job follows damage. In new buildings and after major alterations, too, there is moisture in the building – from concrete, screed, plaster and mortar. A freshly laid cement screed contains water that has to be released before a floor covering may be laid.

The difference from drying after damage: here the moisture is evenly distributed and known; the aim is to speed things up, not to limit damage. Measuring before the floor covering is laid remains essential – for screed with the CM (calcium carbide) device, because electrical measurements only provide approximate values. Anyone who lays parquet on screed that is too damp will get cupping and gaps, and the floor layer is rightly not liable for it.

The most common mistakes

The fifth point surprises many people: a condensation dryer works best in a closed room. Anyone who airs the room constantly keeps drawing in damp outside air, which the unit then has to dehumidify as well – that costs electricity and achieves little. With desiccant dryers, on the other hand, controlled exhaust air can be part of the plan. We explain what applies when we instruct you on site.

What makes drying take longer – and what shortens it

In practice, two flats with the same pattern of damage often differ by ten days. That is rarely down to the equipment and almost always down to the surrounding conditions.

Conversely: once the first readings are available and the equipment is correctly placed, the rest is routine. The flat usually remains habitable, progress is documented, and after the clearance measurement it is clear what has to be reinstated. The largest share of the costs is the unit-days – and that is precisely the share an early start reduces.

Burst pipes in a Viennese tenement building (Zinshaus): why several flats are affected

In a Viennese tenement building, water damage rarely stays within one flat. If a pipe bursts in the riser or at a branch, the water spreads through service shafts, ceiling penetrations and the fill – and often reappears two storeys lower, without the flat in between looking wet.

For the property management, responsibility must also be clarified: pipes in common areas are a matter for the owners' association, while pipes from the branch into the flat onwards are usually the responsibility of the flat owner. We document the point of damage in a way that makes this demarcation clear from the records and, if requested, work for both sides in parallel, provided this is communicated openly.

Who pays for what

In practice, the allocation is often disputed, particularly between flat owners and the property management. For us, this does not change the work – we measure, dry and document. But it is precisely in these cases that the value of the documents becomes clear: anyone who can present a measurement report, progress records and a clearance measurement is arguing about responsibility, not about the damage itself.

A piece of advice that regularly comes too late: the claim should be reported to the insurer immediately, even if the extent is still unclear. Many policies require prompt notification, and a notification can be supplemented later – a late one cannot be put right.

Equipment at a glance

Noise is what bothers occupants most, especially with side-channel blowers. Wherever possible, we place them outside the living area or use silencers. Switching them off at night sounds like the obvious answer, but it prolongs the drying and insurers are reluctant to pay for it – an honest discussion with the occupants is better here than a quiet switch-off that distorts the progress record.

Measuring: what really tells you something

The third line is the most important one for reinstatement: before a floor covering is laid, the CM measurement counts as proof, not the electrical hand-held meter. Anyone who hires a floor layer will be asked for it – and without a report, no reputable floor layer will accept the warranty.

Why drying and restoration belong together

Every drying job is followed by reinstatement: closing the drill holes, perimeter joints, floor coverings, painting, often plumbing. If a second company has to be found for this, two problems arise. First, time passes during which the flat cannot be used. Second, responsibility shifts: whoever lays the floor covering wants proof that the substrate is dry – and once the drying company is no longer involved, that proof becomes a point of dispute.

When measurement, drying, clearance measurement and reinstatement are all in one pair of hands, this interface does not exist. The clearance measurement is then not a formality between two firms but our own precondition for the next step of the work – and responsibility stays in one place.

What you get at the end

• Measurement report from the start stating the affected areas and readings.
• Drying plan with method, number of units and expected duration.
• Progress documentation of every check measurement with its date.
• Clearance measurement report as proof for the insurer and the floor layer.
• Electricity meter readings for billing the consumption.
• Itemised invoice: unit-days, measurements and ancillary services shown separately.
• Reinstatement on request under the same contract, with our own proof of dryness as the basis.

These documents are not paperwork; they are the part of the service that pays off later – with the insurer, with the property management and, in the most unpleasant case, with an expert witness.

Drying in an occupied flat

Most drying jobs in Vienna do not take place in empty properties but in flats where people carry on living. That is possible, but it has consequences that need to be discussed beforehand – otherwise the equipment gets switched off after three nights and the drying starts all over again.

If the flat becomes uninhabitable during drying – for example because screed is being removed or the only bathroom is affected – this should be clarified early on. Many household contents policies cover hotel or alternative accommodation costs for a limited period, provided the uninhabitability is confirmed by the contractor carrying out the work or by an expert. We issue this confirmation where it is factually correct.

How to recognise a proper drying company

With water damage, those affected make decisions under time pressure, often after a call from the insurer or the plumber. These six points separate a clean process from an expensive one:

• Measurements are taken before setting up, not afterwards. Anyone who brings equipment without measuring knows neither the method nor the duration.
• The floor build-up is opened up or drilled into. Without knowing whether there is an insulation layer, no method can be chosen.
• There is a written plan with the number of units and the expected duration, not just a daily rate.
• Check measurements are scheduled, not optional. Without a progress record there is no justification towards the insurer.
• The clearance measurement is promised, with a report.
• An electricity meter is fitted, otherwise the consumption remains with the occupant.

If one of these points is missing, things usually do not get cheaper – they just get more expensive later, either because the insurer makes cuts or because the build-up was placed on a damp substrate.

Special cases

Another point concerns the sequence: electrical installations in the wet area must be checked before any equipment is connected. Damp distribution boards and soaked sockets are not unusual in water damage cases, and the additional continuous load from drying equipment then hits an installation that is already under strain. We clarify this with the electrician before setting up, because a failure in the middle of drying not only costs time but also interrupts the documentation.

The last case is the norm in Viennese tenement buildings: a burst pipe on the third floor affects three flats and the staircase. Each unit then needs its own documentation, because each insurer only examines its own part – but the drying itself is planned as a single operation, otherwise the units work against each other.

What you can do yourself before we arrive

• Turn off the water – at the main stopcock or the angle valve, if the source is clear.
• Check the electricity: if there is water near sockets or in the distribution board, switch off the affected circuit.
• Take photos before anything is cleared away – extent, water level, affected items.
• Take up standing water, as far as this can be done safely.
• Raise furniture or take it out of the room, especially wood and upholstery.
• Remove carpets and loose floor coverings, as they hold the moisture in the screed.
• Report the damage – to the insurer and, for rented flats, also to the property management.
• Do not rip things out straight away: the measurement decides what needs to be opened up.

The last point saves money. Anyone who tears out the floor covering in the first moment of panic sometimes damages material that could have been kept and makes the assessment harder. On the other hand, airing and heating never do any harm in the first few hours.

For property managers and specialist firms

Water damage comes without warning, usually at the weekend and rarely on its own. What we offer for this:

For plumbers, the last point is particularly relevant: once the pipe has been repaired, the wet build-up remains, and the customer expects a solution. If you then have a partner who measures, dries and reinstates, you pass the damage on instead of having to explain it.

How this differs from our other services

When you do not need us

A knocked-over vase, an overflowing washbasin, damp tiles – these dry out by themselves with airing and heating. We come in when water has got into the floor build-up or into walls, when an insurer is involved, when a wet insulation layer is suspected or when building work is needed after the drying.

Frequently asked questions about building drying in Vienna

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