Provider profile
Restoration 1 of South Sound
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
South Sound homeowners dealing with water damage that led to mold, who want a single Restoration 1 franchise team to handle extraction, remediation, and rebuild under one insurance claim.
Best for
- Puyallup, Tacoma, and South Sound homeowners who need water damage and mold handled by one company through a single insurance claim.
- Property owners who want a team that responds same-day and coordinates directly with insurance adjusters from the start.
- Homeowners whose water leak or flooding has created a mold problem and who need extraction, remediation, and reconstruction without switching contractors.
- Commercial property managers needing 24/7 emergency restoration with sewage, fire, and mold capabilities under one roof.
About this company
Restoration 1 of South Sound is a franchise operation based in Puyallup, WA, serving the Tacoma metro and surrounding South Sound communities. Mold remediation is one piece of a broader restoration menu — water damage is the core business, with fire damage, sewage cleanup, reconstruction, and emergency board-up rounding out the list. They handle both residential and commercial work and run 24/7.
On the mold side, their website describes a process that includes containment with negative air pressure, removal, and moisture control with dehumidification. They do both mold testing and remediation in-house, which means the same company diagnosing the problem also sells the fix. Their IICRC credential number is listed on every page of the site (70043523), and they hold RIA membership. The company also carries a Minority and Women's Business designation.
Brandee Chatman owns and manages the operation. The listed team includes Ben Hoskins as Operations Manager, Jason Young and Rob Chacon as Project Managers, and Stephanie Rudnick handling business development. Multiple reviewers mention Brandee responding personally to initial calls, and field technician Travis Ohlde shows up repeatedly in positive reviews for hands-on work.
The 4.1-star rating on 67 Google reviews sits below the typical range for restoration companies in the area. The positive reviews are genuinely strong — fast response times, insurance navigation help, and named technicians who communicate well. The two recent negatives both focus on the owner's communication during disputes, not on the quality of the physical work itself.
Services
Service area
Headquartered in Puyallup, WA. The website lists service locations in Tacoma, Renton, Enumclaw, North Bend, Kent, Federal Way, University Place, Auburn, Bonney Lake, Spanaway, and Issaquah. That covers a wide swath from South Sound up through the I-5 and I-90 corridors east of Seattle — confirm response times for locations at the edges of this range.
Review consensus
Fast initial response is the most consistent theme — multiple reviewers say crews arrived the same day or within hours. Travis Ohlde is named in at least six positive reviews for being helpful, informative, and hands-on during water damage and mold jobs. Ben Hoskins draws praise for leading crews that are prompt and knowledgeable. Karissa Guess earned a specific callout for making the insurance process simple. Jon Owens transformed one reviewer's stalled reconstruction project after taking over as supervisor. Brandee Chatman is praised by several reviewers for personally assessing damage within an hour and providing quotes significantly lower than competitors. Insurance coordination is a recurring strength — reviewers consistently say the company handled the stress of dealing with adjusters.
2 found across 67 total reviews at 4.1★. The 1-star review from Jeanne Hopkins (June 2025) describes hidden costs on a rental property pump-out, with the final bill exceeding verbal estimates. She says the owner became verbally abusive on the phone when she called to dispute the charges, refused to speak with her property manager, and shifted blame. The owner's response states the customer told them to proceed immediately without requesting a formal estimate, and disputes the characterization of the phone call. The 2-star review from James Endicott (December 2025, Local Guide with 82 reviews) praises the direct employees but describes the owner's project management as dismissive, uncommunicative, and full of excuses. This reviewer stopped using the company mid-renovation and finished the work independently. The owner's response says they tried daily communication but waited on the homeowner for needed information.
The two recent negatives both target the owner specifically — not the field crews, not the office staff, and not the quality of physical work. Both describe blame-shifting and poor communication when problems arose. This creates a split personality in the reviews: the people who do the hands-on work are consistently praised, but escalations that reach the owner can go badly. The owner responds to 100% of negative reviews, but the responses tend to dispute the customer's version of events rather than acknowledge the communication failure. This is a reputation management pattern worth noting — the responses read as corrections rather than resolutions.
Travis Ohlde (field technician — praised in multiple reviews for responsiveness, helpfulness, and hands-on work). Ben Hoskins (Operations Manager — praised for leading prompt, knowledgeable crews). Brandee Chatman (owner — praised by several for fast personal assessments and fair quotes, but cited in both recent negatives for combative and dismissive communication during disputes). Karissa Guess (employee — praised for simplifying the insurance process). Jon Owens (supervisor/reconstruction — praised by multiple reviewers for clear communication and turning around stalled projects). Rob Chacon (Project Manager — praised for empathetic, efficient service). Jason Young (Project Manager — listed on team page, no review mentions).
Ask for Travis Ohlde or Ben Hoskins if your job involves water damage or mold fieldwork — the reviews are uniformly positive about the crew. Get a written, line-item estimate before any work starts, and clarify who your project manager will be. If a dispute arises, know that escalation to the owner has not gone well for the two most recent unhappy customers.
Keep in mind
- They do both mold testing and remediation. The company that finds the mold also profits from removing it. Consider getting an independent mold test before signing a remediation contract.
- Both recent negative reviews describe the owner becoming defensive and blame-shifting when disputes arose. One reviewer reported verbal aggression on the phone. The owner responded to both reviews but disputed the customers' accounts rather than acknowledging the communication breakdown.
- The 4.1-star Google rating is below average for the category. The negatives center on owner communication during billing disputes and project management, not on crew workmanship.
- Their service area page lists 11 cities from Tacoma to Issaquah to North Bend — a geographic spread of roughly 60 miles. Confirm they can respond promptly to your specific location.
- Get a written estimate with line-item pricing before work begins. One reviewer reported unexpected costs on the final bill after being told to proceed without a formal estimate.