What property emergencies look like in Chicago
Chicago’s flood story happens underground. The city runs on combined sewers — stormwater and sewage share pipes — so intense rain surcharges the system and pushes water up through basement floor drains across the bungalow belt. The July 2, 2023 storms dumped up to 9 inches on the West Side, flooding tens of thousands of basements in Cicero, Berwyn, Austin and Garfield Park and triggering a federal disaster declaration. Even the Deep Tunnel reservoir system can’t absorb the biggest cloudbursts.
Winter brings the other half of Chicago’s emergency workload: freeze-thaw cycles build ice dams on brick two-flats and bungalows, backing meltwater under shingles into ceilings, while hard freezes burst pipes in marginally heated buildings. And like St. Louis, Chicago sustains a steady professional board-up trade securing vacant two-flats and storefronts on the South and West sides to city code.
Board-up in Chicago
Chicago board-up calls split three ways: storm-broken glass, fire-damaged multi-flats, and code-driven vacant building securing (the city requires vacant buildings to be registered and secured, and can board and bill owners who don’t). Winter work adds a wrinkle — crews seal openings while leaving ventilation to prevent freeze damage and moisture buildup inside.
Service details & pricing →Roof tarping in Chicago
Emergency roof covering in Chicago is as often about ice as wind: tarping over ice-dam leak zones is a stopgap until heat cable or snow removal fixes the cause. Flat-roof three-flats need the same ballasted full-perimeter approach as Philly rowhomes. Summer brings conventional wind and hail tarping, especially in the southern suburbs.
Service details & pricing →Water removal in Chicago
Basement backup extraction is the signature job: pump-out, Category 3 sanitizing (it’s sewage-contaminated water), and fast removal of soaked carpet and drywall. After the 2023 floods, FEMA paid out hundreds of millions in the county — but homeowners with a $200 backup endorsement were made whole far faster than those relying on disaster aid.
Service details & pricing →Areas crews cover around Chicago
Partner contractors respond across the metro, including Austin, Garfield Park, Berwyn, Cicero, Albany Park, Chatham, Portage Park and South Shore. Response times are shortest inside the core metro; outlying areas may add drive time — mention your exact location when you call and you’ll get an honest ETA before committing.
Chicago questions
Sewage backed up into my Chicago basement — is this an emergency or can it wait?
It’s an emergency. Backup water is Category 3 (contaminated), and every hour it sits, more material becomes unsalvageable and the sanitizing scope grows. Pump-out and extraction should start same-day; keep children and pets out of the space entirely until it’s sanitized and dried.
Does the City of Chicago require vacant buildings to be boarded?
Yes — vacant buildings must be registered and secured under the municipal code, and the city can perform board-up itself and bill the owner (with liens) if it’s not done. Professional code-spec board-up is cheaper than the city doing it for you.