Straight answers.

No. Estimates are free and carry no obligation. For many jobs we can give you a useful range over the phone or from photographs before anyone drives out.

Water and mold emergencies are same-day wherever we can manage it, and the phone is answered around the clock. Scheduled work such as painting, sod, pressure washing or a clear-out is normally booked within the week.

Yes. Elite holds IICRC WRT, the Water Damage Restoration Technician certification from the industry standard body for this trade, and the owner is an AHERA-accredited asbestos building inspector. We carry general liability cover and are registered to contract in Idaho. The registration number appears in the footer of every page, which is where it belongs on advertising.

It lets us survey a building for asbestos, take samples and issue a written report. That matters because federal rules require a proper asbestos inspection before most demolition and renovation work, a visual check does not satisfy them, and taking even one sample legally requires AHERA accreditation. Most contractors have to stop and bring in an outside inspector. We do not. What it does not let us do is remove asbestos. Abatement is a separate licensed trade, and if a survey finds it we refer that work rather than touch it.

Not yet, and we would rather tell you that than let a certification for one discipline imply another. The IICRC certification we hold is WRT, which covers water damage restoration. The mold equivalent is AMRT, and it is on the list. That said, the methods on our mold jobs are the standard ones regardless: containment, negative air, HEPA filtration, removal of affected porous material, and correcting the moisture source that caused it.

Not currently, and we would rather say so than let you assume otherwise. Elite is a sole proprietorship with no employees, and a sole proprietor working alone is exempt from workers' compensation in Idaho. We do carry general liability cover, which is the policy that matters to you as a property owner: it covers damage to your property. If and when we take on staff, workers' compensation becomes mandatory and we will carry it.

On water and mold losses we document the job the way an adjuster needs it: moisture readings, photographs and a written scope of work. That record is what gets a claim approved without an argument. The coverage decision itself always rests with your insurer, and we will never tell you something is covered when that is not ours to promise.

Restoration is priced on the scope once we can see what is actually affected. Junk removal is priced by the volume it takes up in the truck. Painting, sod and pressure washing are quoted by area. In every case you get the number before work starts, and that is the number on the invoice unless something genuinely unforeseen shows up, in which case we stop and talk to you first.

Idaho. We are not a national franchise with a map full of pins, and we would rather tell you plainly that you are outside our area than take a job we cannot service properly. If you are unsure whether your address is in range, call and ask. It is a quick answer.

Yes. Suspected asbestos or lead paint needs testing and licensed abatement before anyone disturbs it. Removing a load-bearing wall needs a structural assessment first. A lawn with standing water needs drainage before it needs turf. We would rather tell you that and lose the job than take it on and hand you a bigger problem.

As fast as possible. Mold can begin growing on damp organic material within 24 to 48 hours, and the difference between a same-day response and a three-day wait is often the difference between drying a room and gutting it.

Sudden and accidental water damage is commonly covered. A burst pipe or a failed appliance hose usually qualifies. Gradual leaks and flooding from outside usually are not, and flooding typically needs separate flood insurance. We document the loss thoroughly either way so your adjuster has what they need, but the coverage decision is your insurer's to make, not ours.

Household fans move air but remove no moisture from it. Without dehumidification you are often just relocating the damp into other materials. For a small spill on a hard floor, fans are fine. For anything that has soaked into drywall, insulation or subfloor, they are not.

Typically three to five days for a contained loss, longer where water has reached insulation or hardwood. We monitor daily and remove equipment when the readings say the structure is dry.

On a hard, non-porous surface like tile, bleach will kill surface mold. On porous material like drywall or framing it mostly adds water, because the mold has rooted below the surface where the bleach does not reach. That is why remediation removes material rather than just wiping it.

Testing and remediation are deliberately kept separate in this industry, because a company that both tests and remediates has an obvious incentive to find a problem. Where testing is needed we will point you to an independent assessor rather than test our own work.

Size is the usual threshold. Anything under about ten square feet is often a homeowner job, given the right precautions. Larger areas, anything in HVAC, and anything following sewage or flooding should be handled professionally with containment.

Not if the moisture source is fixed. If the leak, the humidity or the drainage problem is still there, any remediation is on borrowed time. That is why finding the source is the first step here rather than the last.

For most renovation and demolition work it is a federal requirement under the asbestos NESHAP, and the responsibility sits with the property owner as well as the contractor. Age is the usual trigger: anything built before the 1980s should be treated as suspect until it has been checked, and popcorn ceilings, old vinyl floor tile, pipe lagging and some textured coatings are the materials that most often come back positive. If you are unsure whether your particular job needs one, ask us and we will give you a straight answer rather than sell you an inspection you do not need.

No. With only narrow exceptions it is illegal to take even one asbestos sample without AHERA accreditation, and a visual inspection alone does not satisfy the regulation. That is exactly why this is a service worth buying rather than a box to tick.

Most residential surveys are a half-day on site, with laboratory turnaround on top. Pricing depends on the size of the building and how many distinct materials need sampling, so we quote on the specifics rather than publishing a flat rate. Ask and you will get a number before we book anything.

No, and that is deliberate. Surveying and abatement are separate accreditations, and we hold the survey one. An inspector who also profits from removal has an obvious incentive to find something, so keeping the two apart is better for you. If the survey is positive we will point you to a licensed abatement contractor.

Yes, and a good share of this work is exactly that. If you are a remodeller, demolition contractor, property manager or agent who needs a pre-demolition or pre-renovation survey, this is available as a standalone job with no obligation to use us for anything else.

The report is produced to AHERA standards and sets out sample locations, material types, laboratory results and condition, which is what permit offices and NESHAP notifications ask for. If your jurisdiction wants something in a particular format, tell us before we start and we will match it.

Non-load-bearing walls, yes. If a wall carries load it needs a structural assessment and usually a permit and a beam before anything comes out. We will tell you which one you have. Guessing is how ceilings sag.

Asbestos we handle ourselves up to the point of removal. Federal rules require a thorough inspection before most demolition, a visual check does not satisfy them, and taking even one sample legally requires AHERA accreditation, which we hold. So the survey is part of the job rather than a delay while an outside inspector is booked. If the survey finds asbestos, removal is a separate licensed trade and we will refer it rather than disturb it. For lead, assume any building predating 1978 has lead paint until it has been tested.

For most renovation and demolition work, yes. It is a federal requirement under the asbestos NESHAP, and the responsibility sits with the property owner as well as the contractor. Popcorn ceilings, old vinyl floor tile, pipe lagging and some textured coatings are the usual suspects in older buildings. Disturbing them without knowing is how a straightforward tear-out becomes a contaminated site.

Yes, removal and disposal are included unless you would rather keep material for reuse. Tell us before we start and we will set it aside.

Only when repainting the identical color onto a sound, clean surface. Any color change, any patching, any bare substrate needs two. One coat over those dries to an uneven sheen even where the color looks right.

Most exterior coatings need surface and air temperatures to stay above roughly 50°F, including overnight, and the surface must be dry. In Idaho that realistically means late spring through early autumn. We will tell you if it is too late in the season rather than paint something that peels by spring.

We can supply it or apply paint you have bought. If you are choosing, tell us the room and the surface and we will tell you what sheen actually survives there.

Cleaning with detergent at very low pressure, typically under 500 PSI, instead of blasting. It is the correct method for roofing, vinyl siding and painted wood, where high pressure drives water behind the surface or strips the finish outright.

Not if it is soft washed. High pressure aimed at vinyl siding forces water up behind the panels, and on older vinyl it can strip the oxidised layer unevenly and leave permanent streaking. Siding should be soft washed, not pressure washed.

Most properties benefit from an annual clean. North-facing surfaces and anything under trees grow back faster and may want twice a year.

Hazardous material is the main exclusion. Paint, solvents, oil, asbestos, chemicals and most batteries need specialist disposal and cannot legally go in a general load. Tell us what you have and we will point you to the right route for it.

By how much space it takes in the truck, quoted up front. A few items is a small charge; a full garage is a truck load.

Not if the items are accessible and you have confirmed the scope in writing. Plenty of landlords and agents have us clear a property while they are elsewhere.

Idaho is cool-season turf country: Kentucky bluegrass, fescue and ryegrass blends, usually as a mix rather than a single variety. Warm-season grass marketed for southern states will not survive a Treasure Valley winter, and it is a mistake that costs a whole lawn. Shade, traffic and how much watering you are willing to do decide the blend from there.

Keep off it as much as possible for the first two weeks while it roots. Light foot traffic after that, normal use at around a month.

A great deal at first. Generally daily, and more than once a day through an Idaho summer, easing off as the roots establish. The schedule tapers over about three weeks to a normal lawn routine.

Grading is part of the job, so minor drainage issues get corrected as a matter of course. Significant standing water may need drainage work underneath before sod makes sense, and we will say so rather than lay turf over a problem.