Provider profile
Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration of Morgantown
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Morgantown-area homeowners dealing with water damage and mold who want a single contractor to handle mitigation through reconstruction, backed by a 1977-founded company with DKI network resources.
Best for
- Homeowners in the Morgantown, Wheeling, or northern West Virginia area who need water damage mitigation and mold remediation handled by one contractor from start to finish.
- Property owners who want a restoration company with DKI network backing for large-loss or insurance-heavy jobs that require detailed documentation.
- Commercial facility operators needing containment systems for renovation, healthcare, or manufacturing environments.
- Buyers who value a company that outsources mold testing to independent hygienists rather than testing and remediating through the same team.
- Homeowners dealing with flooding who need 24/7 emergency response and same-day water extraction.
About this company
Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration operates out of Westover, West Virginia, serving the Morgantown and Wheeling areas as a full-service restoration contractor. Founded in 1977 by Robert C. Contraguerro, Sr., the company handles the full arc from emergency water extraction through mold remediation to final reconstruction. They are a DKI member company, which connects them to North America's largest disaster restoration network for large-loss jobs.
On the mold side, Panhandle does remediation but does not do testing in-house. Their website states they partner with independent industrial hygienists for mold testing, then use those results to build a remediation plan. Their technicians hold IICRC credentials, a CMP (mold-specific) designation, and ACAC's CSDS credential. The company also runs containment services for commercial clients in healthcare, manufacturing, and data center environments. Their equipment inventory includes over 3,000 pieces, including infrared moisture detection cameras and large-loss dehumidifiers.
The Contraguerro family has run the business for close to 50 years. Panhandle holds memberships in CORE Elite and Restoration Affiliates alongside DKI. They are BBB-accredited, NADCA members for duct cleaning, and RIA members. The company offers financing and free inspections.
At 4.2 stars across 78 Google reviews, Panhandle sits below the 4.5 threshold where most buyers feel comfortable. The rating reflects a handful of sharp complaints about crew quality and billing mixed into a larger base of strong 5-star praise for fast response and quality reconstruction.
Services
Service area
Panhandle operates from offices in the Wheeling and Morgantown areas of West Virginia. The company claims a six- to seven-state service area covering West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, and Florida. Their service area page lists hundreds of towns across these states, though the core coverage appears concentrated in northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania.
Review consensus
Todd draws repeat business. Jason Lane returned multiple times specifically because of Todd and his crew members Ethan and Dakota, citing consistent attention to detail and positive attitude. Billy gets named by three different reviewers (Peter VanOoyen, Sabrina George, Lisa Bonfili) for knowledge and friendliness. DJ, a job foreman, earned praise from Co Bu for staying until the customer was satisfied. Jerry and Chad impressed Monica Haddad by giving generous time to a fire assessment even when the customer could not afford to retain them. Kris in the office calmed a panicky caller during an emergency leak. Response speed is a consistent theme: David Yeager had water mitigation set up within 6 hours, Chuck Donnelly had standing water removed within 1 hour of arrival, and Tiffany Kayla got same-day response after a water line break.
3 found across 78 total reviews at 4.2★. Sam Loria praised the cleanup crew but said everything else, from management down, fell short. Austin Rinehart reported broken belongings during removal and undisclosed costs he paid out of pocket. Kellyn Antonacci's complaint is the most detailed: workers performed so poorly the customer stopped the job halfway, a truck got stuck in the yard creating ruts (the customer had to arrange and initially pay for towing), and the invoice had the wrong name, address, and ZIP code across multiple attempts to correct it. When Kellyn pressed the issue, staff said accuracy "shouldn't matter." Two of the three 1-star reviewers have single-review accounts, but Kellyn's account has 7 reviews, adding credibility to that complaint.
The split between field crews and office/management runs through both positive and negative reviews. Positive reviewers praise specific technicians by name (Todd, Billy, DJ) and describe them as responsive and skilled. Negative reviewers describe different crews who seemed undertrained or disengaged, and cite management and billing as the breakdown point. Jay's 3-star review captures this divide directly: RJ showed up late with a dismissive attitude, but the follow-up crew "saved the situation." The owner's response to Jay was polite but generic, offering a phone number rather than addressing the RJ complaint specifically. This suggests inconsistent crew quality rather than a company-wide problem.
Todd (technician — praised by Jason Lane as exceptional across multiple visits). Ethan (crew member — praised by Jason Lane alongside Todd). Dakota (crew member — praised by Jason Lane alongside Todd). Billy (technician — praised by Peter VanOoyen, Sabrina George, and Lisa Bonfili for knowledge and professionalism). Tony (technician — praised by Lisa Bonfili for explaining work and answering questions). DJ (job foreman — praised by Co Bu for responsiveness and not leaving until customer was satisfied). Jerry (assessor — praised by Monica Haddad for generosity with time on a fire assessment). Chad (assessor — praised by Monica Haddad alongside Jerry). Steve (employee — praised by Phillip Bailey for professionalism). Johnny (technician — praised by Sue McCartney for making the process easy). Mike (manager — praised by Bill Robinson as knowledgeable). Kris (office staff — praised by Danielle Doss for calming communication during emergency). RJ (technician — criticized by Jay for 2-hour delay and dismissive attitude).
Ask for Todd or Billy by name if you can. The company's strongest crews deliver fast, quality restoration work, and their DKI network and equipment inventory back up large-loss jobs. But crew quality varies, and billing has tripped up multiple customers. Get a written, itemized estimate before work starts, and verify invoice details before paying.
Keep in mind
- Panhandle coordinates mold testing through partner hygienists and performs the remediation. While they do not test in-house, they still select the testing partner and recommend the remediation scope based on those results. Ask to see the hygienist's report directly and consider getting a second opinion before approving a remediation plan.
- Three 1-star reviews in the past 18 months describe crew members who performed poorly, damaged property during removal, and failed to disclose additional costs. The most detailed complaint (from a reviewer with 7 reviews) describes workers who were asked to stop halfway through a job.
- Billing accuracy shows up in multiple complaints. One reviewer needed 3-4 calls to correct wrong name, address, and ZIP on an invoice. Another cited undisclosed costs. Ask for a written, itemized estimate before work begins.
- The company claims a six- or seven-state service area spanning West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, and Florida. For jobs far from the Wheeling or Morgantown offices, confirm crew availability and response times.
- The owner responded to only 1 of 4 recent negative reviews (25% response rate), and that response was generic. The company does not appear to engage publicly with most complaints.