Water Damage Restoration in Loudoun County, VA

Eastern and western Loudoun

Most of Loudoun's homes sit in the eastern third of the county, along and between Routes 7 and 28 and the Dulles Greenway. Sterling grew first, from the 1960s onward, so it holds a mix of older split-levels and ramblers alongside later townhouse sections. Ashburn is younger: most of its neighborhoods went up from the 1990s through the 2010s as large master-planned communities with townhouses, single-family homes and some condominium buildings. Leesburg, the county seat, has a historic town center surrounded by suburban growth of every decade since the 1970s.

West of Leesburg the picture changes. Purcellville, Round Hill, Hamilton, Lovettsville and Middleburg are small incorporated towns, and Waterford, Aldie and Paeonian Springs are unincorporated villages. Between them are farms, estates and houses on large lots, some of them old stone or frame buildings with additions from several eras. The water damage that comes up in the west has more to do with wells, crawl spaces and long driveways than with shared walls.

Newer homes and builder-grade parts

A large share of eastern Loudoun's housing is now fifteen to thirty years old. That's the age at which original water heaters, washing machine hoses, plastic supply lines, toilet fill valves and ice maker lines tend to give out. Upstairs laundry rooms are common in this housing, so a failed hose or a blocked standpipe drains straight through a floor into the ceiling below. Townhouse rows add the party wall: water that starts in one home can show up along the shared wall of the next.

These homes almost all have basements, many finished and many with a sump pit. Sump pumps installed by the builder are often reaching the end of their working life, and a pump that stops during a summer storm is one of the most frequent calls in this part of the county.

Basements, clay soil and drainage

Much of eastern Loudoun sits on clay-heavy soil that holds water against foundation walls after heavy rain. Newer subdivisions were graded to move water away, but downspouts that discharge too close to the house, window wells without covers, and settled backfill around foundations all send water toward the lowest level. Walkout basements on sloped lots are common, and water at a walkout door or through a window well is often the first sign.

Summer humidity then lengthens drying. A finished basement with carpet over a slab and drywall against a foundation wall can take several days to dry even after the source is fixed, and dehumidifiers do most of that work.

Wells, septic and town water in the west

Eastern Loudoun is on public water and sewer. The western towns run their own water systems, and outside them private wells and septic systems are common. That changes a water loss in practical ways. A well pump, pressure tank or treatment equipment in a basement or crawl space can be the source of the water. Shutting off the supply may mean switching off the well pump rather than closing a street valve. And after a backup or overflow, the septic system's condition matters to how cleanup is planned.

Older farmhouses and village homes also bring stone foundations, partial basements and crawl spaces, where a winter freeze in an exposed line is a more common cause than a failed appliance.

Getting to you

Route 7, Route 28 and the Greenway carry heavy traffic at rush hour, and western Loudoun involves longer drives on two-lane roads and private lanes. We'll be straight with you about when a crew can arrive rather than promise a time.

Services Loudoun owners call about most

• Sump pump failure
• Finished basement cleanup
• Townhouse water damage
• Washer and dishwasher overflow
• Water heater leaks
• Frozen pipe bursts

Loudoun County: common questions