Provider profile
First Restoration America
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Charlotte metro homeowners dealing with water damage or mold who want one company to handle extraction, remediation, rebuild, and insurance paperwork under a single contract.
Best for
- Charlotte metro homeowners who need water damage extraction, drying, and rebuild handled by a single company.
- Homeowners dealing with mold after a water event who want the moisture source addressed at the same time as remediation.
- Property owners who want a restoration company to manage insurance documentation and adjuster communication directly.
- Owners of older Charlotte homes in neighborhoods like Dilworth, NoDa, or Plaza Midwood with crawl space moisture or aging plumbing.
About this company
First Restoration America is a full-service restoration company based in Matthews, North Carolina, serving the Charlotte metro area since 1997. They handle water damage, mold remediation, fire and smoke restoration, sewage cleanup, and full reconstruction. The company holds IICRC certification and a BBB A+ rating, and carries licenses in both North and South Carolina.
Their main differentiator is scope. They run every phase of a restoration project in-house, from emergency water extraction through structural drying, mold work, and final rebuild. That means one crew, one point of contact, and one insurance file. They use truck-mounted extraction units, industrial air movers, refrigerant dehumidifiers, thermal imaging cameras, and moisture meters. Their mold remediation process follows IICRC S520 standards and includes containment, HEPA air filtration, material removal, antimicrobial treatment, and post-remediation air quality testing.
The company claims 27 years in the Charlotte market with over 30 years of combined industry experience on staff. Keith, the owner, is named in multiple reviews as personally responsive to calls. They manage insurance documentation and adjuster communication directly, which multiple reviewers cite as a significant stress reducer.
At 4.7 stars on Google with 41 reviews, the rating is solid but based on a smaller review volume. The positive reviews are consistent in praising communication and insurance handling, though the negatives raise concerns about pricing transparency and unresolved financial disputes.
Services
Service area
Headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina. Serves the Charlotte metro area including Concord, Gastonia, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Belmont, Mint Hill, Pineville, Waxhaw, and Indian Trail. Also claims service areas in Fort Mill and Tega Cay in South Carolina. Lists locations as far as Asheville, Boone, Greensboro, and western NC mountain towns like Cashiers, Sylva, Highlands, and Brevard, which is a stretch of over 200 miles from headquarters.
Review consensus
Reviewers consistently praise the company for handling insurance paperwork and adjuster communication, reducing homeowner stress during claims. Keith, the owner, is named by Kevin Norton and Tegan Bucholt as personally responsive and easy to work with. Brandon is praised by Crystal Crowley for being respectful and handling her water damage with care. Roy Morejon, a Local Guide with 36 reviews, describes using the company on multiple occasions and trusts them with every restoration project. Several reviewers highlight fast response times, clean job sites, and projects finishing on schedule. Dan Davoli specifically notes competitive pricing and no surprises. Hurricane-related work comes up repeatedly, with reviewers from Hurricanes Harvey, Matthew, and Ian praising the company's mitigation and restoration quality.
4 found across 41 total reviews at 4.7★. Marsha Deloach (May 2026) describes being excluded from pricing discussions that went directly through her insurance company, then receiving a final bill thousands of dollars higher than expected. She paid but felt misled. Xtinja, a Local Guide with 26 reviews, posted a brief warning in April 2026 to be cautious with no further detail. Michael Smith (February 2025) describes the owner taking payment and not completing work, resulting in a legal judgment that remained unpaid. Smith updated his review to note that Keith contacted him after seeing the review and promised repayment but never followed through with Smith's attorney. That review has 5 likes, the most community engagement of any review on this listing. A fourth 1-star review from LIFEISUP has no text, and the owner responded with just 'Thank you!' which is an odd reply to a 1-star rating.
The negative reviews cluster around money. Two of the four substantive complaints involve financial disputes: one about surprise billing after insurance-only pricing discussions, another about unpaid obligations after a court judgment. For a company that emphasizes handling insurance claims on your behalf, this is a structural risk. The convenience of letting them manage your insurance claim also means you can lose visibility into what is being billed and agreed to. The low owner response rate on negatives (25%) and the quality of the one response ('Thank you!' on a 1-star review) suggest the company is not actively managing its reputation or engaging with dissatisfied customers.
Keith (owner -- praised by Kevin Norton and Tegan Bucholt for personal responsiveness; named negatively by Michael Smith for taking payment without completing work and failing to honor repayment promises). Brandon (crew member -- praised by Crystal Crowley for respectful handling of water damage restoration).
Ask for a written estimate addressed directly to you, not just your insurance adjuster. Keep yourself in every pricing conversation between this company and your insurer. If Keith is responsive and the scope is clear up front, the positive reviews suggest solid execution on water and mold work. But the financial dispute pattern means you need to protect yourself on the billing side.
Keep in mind
- They do both mold testing and mold remediation. That creates a financial incentive to find problems they then get paid to fix. Consider getting an independent mold test before committing to their remediation scope.
- One reviewer reported being charged thousands more than expected because pricing was negotiated directly with the insurance company without keeping the homeowner informed. Get a written estimate addressed to you, not just your insurer.
- A 1-star review from 2025 describes the owner taking payment and not completing work, with a court judgment remaining unpaid months later. That review received 5 likes from other Google users, the highest engagement on any review for this business.
- Their service area claims stretch from Charlotte to Asheville, Boone, Greensboro, and western NC mountain towns like Cashiers, Sylva, and Highlands. That covers a geographic range of over 200 miles. Confirm crew availability and response times for locations far from their Matthews headquarters.
- Owner response rate on recent negative reviews is low at 25%, and the one response they did leave was a generic 'Thank you!' on a textless 1-star review.