Provider profile
PureDry Restoration
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Snohomish County and greater Seattle homeowners dealing with water damage that has led to mold, who want a single company to handle drying, remediation, and reconstruction under one insurance claim.
Best for
- Snohomish County and King County homeowners who need emergency water extraction with same-day mold assessment.
- Homeowners whose water damage has turned into a mold problem and want one company to handle both remediation and rebuild.
- Commercial property owners in the greater Seattle area who need fast water removal with minimal business downtime.
- Anyone facing an insurance company that is pushing back on a water damage claim and wants a restoration company that will advocate on their behalf.
- Homeowners who want a crawl space mold inspection and are willing to pay for an in-person assessment before committing to work.
About this company
PureDry Restoration is a Snohomish-based restoration company that handles the full arc from emergency water extraction through mold remediation to final reconstruction. They do testing and remediation under the same roof, which is convenient but creates a conflict of interest worth understanding before you hire them.
What stands out is their insurance claim advocacy. Multiple reviewers describe PureDry staff fighting denied claims for weeks after the restoration work was already finished. Chelsi May in accounts receivable and project manager Shaun Smith both get named for pushing insurance companies to pay. The company bills insurance directly and claims IICRC certification for water damage restoration, structural drying, and applied microbial remediation. Their website mentions containment, dehumidification, and antimicrobial treatments for mold work.
Benjamin Surdi owns the company, with Javier Sampedro as vice president. They have been operating since 2010 and made the Inc. 5000 list. They run 24/7 dispatch with a 60-minute response target and cover six counties across western Washington from Thurston to Whatcom.
A 4.9-star rating across 639 Google reviews is unusually high for a restoration company at this volume. Most of the praise goes to individual project managers, especially Shaun Smith, who appears in dozens of positive reviews. The negative reviews that do exist cluster around a specific failure mode: communication breakdown during multi-week reconstruction projects, not during the initial emergency response.
Services
Service area
Headquartered in Snohomish, Washington. Serves King County (Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Renton, Kent, Auburn, Issaquah, Sammamish, Shoreline, Kirkland, Bothell, Federal Way), Snohomish County (Everett, Lynnwood, Marysville, Lake Stevens, Monroe, Arlington, Edmonds, Mill Creek, Mukilteo), Skagit County (Mount Vernon, Burlington, Anacortes), Whatcom County (Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine), Pierce County (Tacoma, Puyallup, Lakewood), and Thurston County (Olympia, Lacey). Six-county coverage from a single office is broad for a locally owned operation.
Review consensus
Shaun Smith is the most frequently named employee across the entire review set, praised for honest assessments, same-day visits, and willingness to tell homeowners they do not need work. Michael Medeiros gets similar praise for crawl space and moisture inspections, with multiple reviewers noting he recommended the least costly option. Nathan Carlsen and Nathan Kelly draw praise for managing multi-room restoration projects and coordinating with insurance adjusters. Chelsi May in accounts receivable is singled out for fighting a denied Liberty Mutual claim for weeks after the restoration was complete. Reviewers consistently mention fast initial response, usually same-day or within hours. Several plumbers and property managers who refer PureDry left reviews confirming good coordination on shared job sites.
4 found across 639 total reviews at 4.9★. Four 1-star complaints describe distinct failures. Nidhi uthra (May 2026) reports being ignored after signing the agreement, with random team members showing up who did not know the project history. Joe Virden (February 2025), a Local Guide with 20 reviews, describes a flood restoration managed by Gonzalo that was quoted at 2-3 months but dragged to 6 months before the contract was terminated due to poor work quality. The initial invoice included 20-plus line items for work never performed. Mary Remya (August 2025, single-review account) reports unacceptable flooring quality and an unresponsive project manager. Debbie Batteiger (August 2025) describes misleading information and promises not honored. The owner responded to three of the four with similar language acknowledging concerns but not addressing specific claims.
The negative reviews split cleanly between two phases of work. Emergency response and initial mitigation get almost no complaints. The problems start when projects move into multi-week reconstruction: communication gaps between team members, schedule drift, invoices that grow beyond estimates, and project managers who stop responding. This suggests PureDry's mitigation teams and reconstruction teams operate with different levels of coordination. The owner response pattern reinforces this: responses are prompt (77% response rate) but templated, using similar language across complaints without engaging with the specific facts raised. None of the responses reference internal investigation outcomes or concrete remedies offered.
Shaun Smith (project manager — positive, named in 15+ reviews). Michael Medeiros (project manager — positive, named in 6+ reviews). Nathan Carlsen / Nathan Kelly (project manager — positive). Chelsi May (accounts receivable — positive, fought denied insurance claim). Roman (technician — positive). Daryl (mitigation project manager — positive). Levi (technician — positive). Kevin (technician — positive). Basi (project manager — positive). Ashlynn / Ashlyn (restoration coordinator — positive). Kirstie / Kristy (reconstruction coordinator — positive). Mikayla / Michaela (drying technician — positive). Gerardo (crew lead — positive). Brandon (technician — positive). Jonah (technician — positive). Chris (technician — positive). Rhiannon (reconstruction coordinator — positive). Verdim (technician — positive). Amari (technician — positive). Luis / Louis (technician — positive). Gonzalo (project manager — negative, named in 1-star review for 6-month project delay and terminated contract).
Ask for Shaun Smith or Michael Medeiros as your project manager if your job is primarily mitigation or mold inspection. Their track record in reviews is strong. If your project involves reconstruction, get the full timeline and cost breakdown in writing, and confirm who your point of contact will be throughout. The gap between PureDry's emergency response reputation and its reconstruction execution is where most complaints originate.
Keep in mind
- PureDry does both mold testing and mold remediation. This is a conflict of interest: the company identifying the problem also profits from fixing it. Consider getting an independent mold test before signing a remediation contract.
- Multiple recent reviewers report poor communication during reconstruction projects, including missed appointments, schedule changes without notice, and needing to call repeatedly to get updates. The initial emergency response gets strong marks, but longer rebuilds are where coordination breaks down.
- Several reviewers report final invoices that exceeded initial estimates by significant amounts, with explanations that shifted when questioned. Get the full scope, tax, and potential add-ons in writing before signing.
- Their service area spans six counties from Olympia to Bellingham. That is a large territory for a locally owned company. Confirm response times and crew availability for your specific location.
- Owner responses to negative reviews follow a template pattern, acknowledging concerns but rarely engaging with specific facts or offering concrete resolution.