Provider profile
Expert Restoration LLC
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
South Puget Sound homeowners dealing with water damage who want an owner-operated restoration company that handles mold remediation under IICRC S520 standards and coordinates insurance documentation directly.
Best for
- Homeowners in Thurston, Mason, Lewis, or Grays Harbor Counties who need water or mold mitigation and want a company that works directly with their insurance carrier.
- Buyers who want owner involvement — Chris and Joyce regularly show up on job sites and handle communication personally.
- People dealing with insurance-routed water losses who want detailed documentation (3D walkthroughs, moisture maps, photo records) that satisfies adjusters.
- Properties with mold tied to a moisture problem, where you want containment and HEPA filtration done to IICRC S520 standards rather than a spray-and-wipe approach.
About this company
Expert Restoration is a mitigation-only company based in Centralia, Washington, co-founded by Chris and Joyce Gabriel. They cover Thurston, Mason, Lewis, and Grays Harbor Counties for water, fire, mold, and storm damage. They don't do rebuilds — once mitigation is done, they hand off to a local contractor for drywall, flooring, and finishes. That narrow focus is deliberate: Chris and Joyce left a previous restoration employer because residential jobs kept getting deprioritized when commercial work came in.
On mold work, they follow IICRC S520 standards: negative-pressure containment, HEPA-filtered air scrubbers, antimicrobial treatment, and third-party air clearance testing available after remediation. They also do moisture source diagnosis using thermal imaging and moisture meters before starting any removal. For water losses, they document everything — 3D walkthroughs, photos, moisture maps — to a level they say insurance adjusters respect. They bill carriers directly in most cases.
Chris and Joyce run the company hands-on. Multiple reviewers mention both owners showing up on jobs, answering questions personally, and staying involved from first call through completion. The crew is small — Bobby, Gideon, and Aiden are the names that show up most in reviews. The company assigns a single project lead to each job start to finish rather than rotating crews.
With 58 Google reviews and a 4.9-star rating, this is an unusually well-reviewed restoration company for a rural service area. The volume is modest but nearly unanimous — only one review sits below five stars.
Services
Service area
Based in Centralia, Washington. Serves Thurston, Mason, Lewis, and Grays Harbor Counties, including Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Tenino, Yelm, Chehalis, Shelton, Aberdeen, Kelso, and Longview. The four-county footprint covers a wide stretch of rural southwest Washington, so response times will depend on distance from Centralia.
Review consensus
Communication is the dominant theme — reviewers consistently mention daily updates, video walkthroughs, and calls explaining every step before work begins. Bobby and Gideon are named repeatedly for being patient, thorough, and keeping homeowners informed during multi-day drying jobs. Joyce handles scheduling and follow-up and draws praise for quick callbacks and managing expectations. Chris is cited for hands-on involvement, showing up early, and explaining findings with photos. Several reviewers note the crew treated belongings carefully during demolition and cleaned up thoroughly. Multiple insurance-routed customers say the company handled carrier documentation and billing without friction.
1 found across 58 total reviews at 4.9★. One reviewer reported a flood from a broken water line where the crew vacuumed carpet, set up a dehumidifier, and left without lifting carpet or removing pad. She said the furnace sat in standing water and the broken hose was not repaired. The insurance bill was $1,266.27 for what she described as less than 24 hours of work. The owner's response explained that Day 1 on an insurance loss involves documentation, extraction, and stabilization — not demolition — and that asbestos testing was legally required before materials could be removed. The owner also noted the crew was asked to leave before planned work was complete, and that plumbing repair falls outside a mitigation company's scope. The reviewer was a Local Guide with 21 reviews.
The single negative review reveals a gap that matters for insurance-routed customers: when a carrier sends this company to your home, the Day 1 scope may look minimal — extraction and equipment setup — because demolition can't legally begin until asbestos testing clears and the carrier approves the full scope. That process is standard, but the company didn't communicate it well enough for this homeowner to understand why they were leaving without pulling carpet. Every other review praises communication as the company's strongest trait, so this may be a one-off failure rather than a pattern. The owner's response was detailed and specific, not a template — they addressed each complaint point individually.
Bobby (technician — praised in multiple reviews for patience, daily updates, and careful work). Gideon (technician — praised alongside Bobby for thoroughness and communication). Joyce Gabriel (co-founder — praised repeatedly for scheduling, quick callbacks, answering questions, and personal involvement). Chris (co-founder — praised for hands-on site visits, explaining findings with photos, and arriving early). Aiden (technician — praised for fast, efficient work and politeness). Decembre (office staff — mentioned positively for scheduling).
Ask for Bobby or Gideon if your job involves multi-day water drying — they're the crew members reviewers name most for keeping homeowners informed. If your insurance company is routing you here, ask upfront what happens on Day 1 versus Day 2 so you understand why the crew may leave before pulling damaged materials. For mold work, request a third-party tester before remediation begins, not just after.
Keep in mind
- They do both mold testing (moisture diagnosis) and mold remediation, which creates a conflict of interest — the company assessing your mold problem is the same one billing to fix it. Their FAQ mentions they can coordinate a third-party hygienist for post-remediation clearance, but ask whether they'll bring in an independent tester before work starts, not just after.
- They are a mitigation company, not a general contractor. Once drying and removal are done, you'll need a separate rebuild contractor for drywall, flooring, and finishes. They say they hand off to a vetted partner, but you're managing two companies.
- Their service area spans four counties across rural southwest Washington. Response times will vary depending on how far your property is from their Centralia base.
- One negative reviewer reported that on Day 1 of an insurance-directed water loss, the crew extracted water and set up a dehumidifier but did not pull carpet or pad. The owner's response explained that asbestos testing was required before demolition could proceed under Washington law, and that the homeowner asked the crew to leave before planned work was finished. Ask upfront what the Day 1 scope includes and when demolition begins.