Abby and Brent Thompson own and operate Paul Davis Emergency Services of the Golden Triangle, located in Starkville, Miss. They recently sat down with R&R to share tips on removal of the most common sources of odor they treat.

We asked restoration industry professionals to answer one question: What was your toughest job and why? 

A sewage back-up can wreak havoc on a property. Even small back-ups like in the bathroom of a single-family home can create lasting issues for the property owner or manager. 

Nuisance odors are a problem. After all, even the most attractive property can be marred by a foul smell that everyone notices. Bad odors can cause frustrations for employees, clients, tenants, and customers. In many situations, they can also be a sign of something that is unsafe. 

This Q&A between R&R Editor-in-Chief Michelle Blevins and ARS Restoration Specialists Branch Manager Kori Medeiros details the importance of establishing key relationships and emergency response plans with local businesses, and being ready to get to work at any hour.

This is the third in a series of articles on how to get paid for insured restoration work. The first two articles focused on accelerating payments from insurance companies and from banks holding two party checks in escrow, mostly in homeowners insurance claims.

I am thrilled to report this month that the basement sewage saga is over, and life has moved on with a little help from some friends.

At the beginning of any restoration job, there is generally a feeling of hope, trust and good will that the job will be done correctly and the disaster will be erased.

Just blocks away from City Hall in downtown Philadelphia is a high-end condominium complex. It’s an old building, having been built in 1872, and one of its features is a cavernous brick basement.