Provider profile
American Restoration Water & Fire LLC of Albuquerque
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Albuquerque homeowners dealing with insurance-routed water or fire damage who want a single company to handle mitigation through full reconstruction across New Mexico.
Best for
- Albuquerque and Bernalillo County homeowners who need emergency water extraction with same-day or next-day response.
- Insurance-claim jobs where you want one company to handle mitigation, testing, and reconstruction instead of coordinating multiple contractors.
- Property owners in rural New Mexico or West Texas who need a company willing to drive several hours for emergency work.
- Commercial properties like schools, offices, or multi-unit buildings needing large-scale water or fire restoration.
- Homeowners dealing with combined damage, such as a water loss that also involves asbestos or mold, where a single point of contact simplifies the process.
About this company
American Restoration Water & Fire is a full-service restoration company headquartered on Princeton Drive NE in Albuquerque. They handle everything from emergency water extraction to full structural rebuilds, plus mold remediation, fire and smoke cleanup, asbestos abatement, biohazard work, and air duct cleaning. They bill insurance directly and assign a dedicated project manager to each job.
What sets them apart from mold-only companies is scale. They staff project managers, field techs, and reconstruction crews under one roof, so a burst pipe that reveals mold and asbestos can stay with one company from day one through final walkthrough. Their IICRC-certified technicians handle the initial mitigation, and their in-house contractors do the rebuild. They also do their own mold testing, which is convenient but creates a conflict of interest worth understanding before you sign.
They claim over 20 years in the restoration industry and are part of a national network called American Restoration. They are locally operated in Albuquerque with additional offices in Artesia, Ruidoso, and El Paso. They serve both residential and commercial properties, including schools and multi-unit buildings.
At 4.6 stars across 487 Google reviews, they carry a strong overall rating with high volume. The positive reviews are remarkably consistent in praising individual project managers by name. The negative reviews cluster around billing disputes and jobs that stalled or were left incomplete, a pattern worth weighing against the volume of satisfied customers.
Services
Service area
Headquartered in Albuquerque, NM at 3535 Princeton Dr NE. Additional offices in Artesia, Ruidoso, and El Paso, TX. They serve Bernalillo County and surrounding communities including Rio Rancho, Corrales, Bernalillo, Tijeras, Los Lunas, Belen, Placitas, Sandia Park, and Edgewood. They claim coverage across all of New Mexico and West Texas, which is a very large area for four offices.
Review consensus
Robert Gant is the most-mentioned name across positive reviews. Reviewers describe him managing complex projects from start to finish, custom-building fixtures, and keeping homeowners updated at every step. Andy Gonzales gets similar praise as a project manager who stays on-site, follows up, and closes projects with a walkthrough. Angel is named in multiple reviews for urgent-response work and transparency about timelines. Ryan drew praise for driving over three hours for a rural emergency and helping locate a hard-to-find leak. Amanda earned specific credit for pushing a long process through to completion. The field crews, including Francisco, Manny, Uriel, Antonio, and Louis, are consistently described as respectful and polite. Reviewers frequently highlight fast initial response, often same-day or next-day even on weekends, and the convenience of having one company handle everything from water extraction through reconstruction.
15 found across 487 total reviews at 4.6★. Billing is the most common complaint. Michael Chang was charged $1,206 for equipment placed on damage that was four months old and already dry. Kjirsten Swenson says she was billed for demolition and cleaning work already done by her plumber, at more than double the cost, and had to push through multiple emails to get false charges removed. Pettes N Sons P.H.C. was charged over $600 for a dehumidifier and fan set up on an area that was already mostly dry. K Han paid upfront and says the company insisted on asbestos testing that consumed a large portion of the payment, then packed up fans and left with no communication while the house was still humid. Abandoned or stalled work is the second pattern. Amy B describes a project dragging on for a year with less than 40 hours of work in two months, the company requesting more money than insurance allowed, and belongings going missing during a pack-out. Ana Ortiz says the company never finished the garage ceiling or started the master bedroom, left heating fans running for 13 days, and never followed up. Jelene Hart, a Local Guide with 59 reviews, reports watching her neighbor wait a year for completion with debris left in the yard. Kathia Hernandez describes asbestos abatement left half-finished, a no-show on a rescheduled date, and resolution only after her insurance adjuster filed a complaint. Mercedes Chavez describes a disorganized mitigation where the company lost her paperwork, forgot to take samples on the first visit, and failed to send reports to insurance for weeks. The owner responded attributing the issues to a separate contractor, but Chavez countered that no separate contractor was involved and the repairs were done by the homeowner.
The negative reviews split cleanly between two failure modes: billing disputes on smaller mitigation-only jobs and project management breakdowns on larger reconstruction projects. The billing complaints describe equipment left running beyond necessity and charges for work not performed. The reconstruction complaints describe jobs that stall for months with poor communication. This suggests the company handles high-volume emergency calls well but struggles when projects extend into long-term rebuilds. The owner response rate on negatives is low at 33%, and two of those responses question whether the reviewer was actually a customer, which limits their value as accountability signals.
Robert Gant (project manager — praised repeatedly for responsiveness, follow-through, and custom work). Andy Gonzales (project manager — praised for on-site presence and walkthrough at project close). Angel (field lead — praised for urgency, transparency, and guidance). Amanda (coordinator — praised for persistence on a long process). Ryan (technician — praised for long-distance emergency response and leak detection). Jeremy (technician — praised for communication and quality drying work in a 3-star review). Lucas (project manager — praised for communication and follow-up). Francisco (field crew — praised for quality work). Manny (field crew — praised for restoration work). Uriel, Antonio, Louis (field crew — praised for being respectful and polite). Raymond (technician — praised for quality work). Derek (field lead — praised for transparency). Sparks (technician — praised for friendliness and helpfulness on emergency call). Jamar (worker — praised for quality and respect). Willie (field crew — praised for window and wall replacement). Andrew/Andres (field crew — praised for stucco, painting, and communication). Daniel (project manager — criticized for poor communication and delayed estimates in a 3-star review).
Ask for Robert Gant or Andy Gonzales if you can. Both have track records of seeing projects through from start to finish. Get an itemized scope of work and written timeline before any equipment gets placed, especially on smaller mitigation jobs where billing disputes are most common. If your project involves reconstruction, confirm who your single point of contact will be and how often they will provide updates.
Keep in mind
- They do both mold testing and mold remediation, which is a conflict of interest. The same company that finds mold profits from removing it. Consider getting an independent mold test before agreeing to remediation work.
- Multiple recent reviewers report being charged for drying equipment left running longer than necessary, or billed for work they say was never performed. Ask for an itemized scope of work before equipment gets placed.
- Several one-star reviews describe jobs that stalled mid-project with little communication. One reviewer waited a year for completion. Ask for a written timeline with milestones before the project starts.
- They cover all of New Mexico and West Texas from just four offices. If your property is in a rural area, confirm response times and whether the same crew will handle follow-up visits.
- Owner responses to negative reviews are infrequent (33% response rate) and sometimes dispute that the reviewer was a customer at all, which makes it hard to gauge how they resolve complaints behind the scenes.