Water Damage from Water Heater Need some advice please....?

Question

I live in a 2 story,1 bdr,townhouse I own.
The water heater burst (from the attic) and ruined the drywall from the walk in closet ceiling ,right below the heater.. down to the 1st floor, living/dining and the ceiling caved in. My homeowners has a $10,000 ded., which doesn't help. The carpet (all) has been removed and thrown out. Commercial de humidifiers and fans ran 5 days and nights to 'dry out' the house. I am on a fixed income and cannot do any semi HD work. I want to tile the 1st floor, and (steps?), and have a good friend that will furnish the labor.( I have spent $1500 on WH and clean-up.Never saw a tiled upstairs master bed and hallway and bath before. What should I put for flooring that's cost saving, yet durable..., plus upstairs is a plywood floor, not cement like downstairs. I like Perco type flooring, but by the time you include all the 'xtras' like molding, steps, molding for steps, and a required pad, it is pretty costly, and... a bigger mess than carpet should

Answer 1

danny thinks a floor pan that could hold maybe three gallons of water was going to save your house. i would cut and test studs to make sure they are dry and if all goes ok buy kills paint and cover the stains. floor. these days laminate flooring is cheap. depending on square feet you may be able to get something on clearance at lowes or some place like that. but in the bath room a cheap alternitive is vynal it is easy to put down and when you come in to money you can replace it. i would carpet the hallway and stairs. my water heater has done this before i was lucky mine is in the basement i am guessing you dont have a basement but is it possible to move it to the main floor. and swich insurance companies. 10000 deductable is insane. most are 500 to 1000. good luck man

Answer 2

First I gotta ask, was a pan or something put under the water heater to catch and drain out the water if this happens again?
The carpet should be able to be shampooed. If you haven't scrapped it yet.
The drywall that got wet should be cut out and replaced.Making sure the framing is dried out before replacing.
As for flooring, to many options to mention.Hit the local home improvement stores,flooring supply stores, and surplus stores. See whats available and fits into your budget.