Provider profile
DryHero Water & Mold
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Lincoln homeowners dealing with basement water damage or attic mold who want the owner, Ritch Paprocki, personally handling their inspection and walking them through the fix.
Best for
- Lincoln homeowners with basement flooding or water intrusion who need same-day response and straightforward pricing.
- Anyone dealing with attic mold who wants source removal rather than paint-over encapsulation, backed by a written guarantee.
- Buyers or sellers needing a mold inspection during a real estate transaction, where Ritch's willingness to explain findings in plain language matters.
- Homeowners with water-damaged hardwood floors who want to try drying and restoration before committing to full replacement.
About this company
DryHero is a family-owned water and mold damage firm in Lincoln, Nebraska, run by Ritch Paprocki, who started in the restoration industry in 1985 and holds a degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Engineering. When you call, you're likely talking directly to Ritch. The company handles both water damage restoration and mold work, including testing, inspection, remediation, and post-remediation verification.
What stands out is DryHero's approach to attic mold. They physically remove mold from framing rather than painting over it with encapsulant coatings, which they openly criticize as ineffective. They reference IICRC S520 standards for remediation and offer a written guarantee on attic mold work. For hardwood floors, they use specialty vacuum panel drying systems designed to pull moisture through the wood from below, avoiding the common mistake of sanding cupped floors before they're dry.
Ritch has been in the Lincoln area for decades. The company positions itself as a client advocate rather than an insurance-carrier partner, meaning they frame recommendations around what the homeowner needs rather than what an insurance claim will cover. The website names technicians Vincent and Josh alongside Ritch.
A 5.0-star rating across 267 Google reviews is essentially unheard of at that volume. Review after review describes Ritch providing free consultations, telling people what they can fix themselves, and declining to upsell work that isn't needed. That pattern is consistent enough across years of reviews to be a genuine operational trait, not a fluke.
Services
Service area
DryHero is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. The website references Lincoln and the broader Nebraska area repeatedly but does not name specific surrounding cities or counties. Customers from the Lincoln metro area appear throughout the reviews. If you're outside Lincoln city limits, confirm service availability and any travel surcharge before booking.
Review consensus
Ritch dominates the reviews. Customers praise his same-day or next-day responsiveness, his willingness to give free phone and in-person consultations, and a pattern of telling people what they can handle themselves rather than pushing paid services. Multiple reviewers specifically note that Ritch saved them money by advising against unnecessary work. Josh and Vincent are named by customers as skilled and pleasant during hands-on remediation and drywall removal. Repeat customers and real estate professionals appear in the review history, suggesting sustained trust over time.
1 found across 267 total reviews at 5.0★. The single complaint describes a water damage job where cabinet replacement was left unfinished for over a year. The reviewer says Ritch sent a letter offering a discount for the delay, then later reframed the discount as covering the incomplete scope rather than the wait. The reviewer had already submitted the original scope to insurance. The owner's response states they cannot find the reviewer's name in their system and asks them to call. The factual dispute between the two accounts is unresolved.
DryHero's review pattern reflects an owner-operator model where Ritch personally handles most customer interactions. The overwhelming consistency of praise, even from Local Guides and high-volume reviewers, suggests the in-person experience genuinely matches the ratings. The lone negative involves reconstruction work rather than the core inspection-and-drying service, which may indicate that repair-phase follow-through is a weaker link in the operation.
Ritch Paprocki (owner, inspections, consultations -- overwhelmingly positive across dozens of reviews). Josh (technician, remediation and drywall work -- positive). Vincent/Vince (technician, remediation and drywall work -- positive).
Ask for Ritch directly when you call. He's the person most reviewers describe, and the free consultation pattern is real. If your job involves reconstruction or finish work beyond water extraction and drying, get the full scope and timeline in writing before the crew starts. The one complaint in 267 reviews centers on that exact scenario.
Keep in mind
- DryHero does both mold testing and mold remediation. That means the company identifying your problem is also the one billing to fix it. Ask whether they'll accept a third-party test or recommend an independent environmental professional for testing.
- This is a small operation. Ritch handles most inspections personally, but that also means capacity is limited. During busy periods, scheduling may take longer than a large franchise.
- The website focuses heavily on Lincoln and mentions 'Nebraska' broadly but doesn't name specific outlying cities they serve. Confirm they'll travel to your location before booking.
- One reviewer described an unfinished cabinet repair that stretched past a year, with a pricing dispute over a discount letter. The owner responded that they couldn't locate the customer in their system. Reconstruction-phase work may not receive the same attention as initial water extraction and drying.