Document the condition
Note location, timing, weather relationship, changes over time, and any previous work. Photos and simple measurements can improve the first conversation.
Read the local context
Two things about Champaign change how a loss should be handled. The first is basements: they are the norm in a city built out from an 1855 railroad settlement, and they are the lowest point, so water released anywhere above ends up there, reaching insulation, framing and stored contents behind finished walls -- which makes the affected area routinely larger than what is visible. The second is the ground. Flat prairie with slow-draining soil means surface water has nowhere to go in a heavy event, and a sump failure during the same storm that caused the problem is a common sequence. That distinction matters financially, because standard homeowner policies exclude flood and typically treat sewer backup as a separate endorsement.
Ask what will be hidden
A written scope should explain the preparation and verification that will no longer be visible at completion, not just the finished appearance.
Compare complete scopes
Line up proposals and compare protection measures, access plans, materials, permitting, testing, and what triggers a change order.
What official local sources add
The most useful thing in this framework after a water event is diagnostic rather than procedural. Champaign permits connections to the municipal stormwater drainage system and requires stormwater control plans for qualifying construction because water on this flat, slow-draining ground has to be managed deliberately — and that is exactly why intrusion here is frequently stormwater arriving at grade rather than a failed fixture. Standard policies exclude flood and surface water, so establishing which one occurred matters before anything is moved. Reconstruction may separately require permits.
Sources were reviewed 2026-07-26. Get the parcel's specific flood zone, historic status, and permit requirements from the relevant Champaign authority before authorizing anything -- citywide policy won't answer those questions.