Flood Rebuild Bootcamp
The drying crew signs it off. Now somebody has to put the basement back. This is where your newer guys learn to do it right.
The last couple of years of storms mean you need more people, and newer people. Building basements is my specialty. I've run AIM Project Management since 2012 and done 15 to 20 insurance rebuilds. So I built a training room for exactly this.
Two days, hands-on, in a purpose-built training room at our office in Hammond, Ontario. Studs to trim. No slideshows.
Want it at your site for a bigger group? Rebuild After Flood & Fire is the version I bring to you, up to 20 people.
Like a cooking show.
A real rebuild takes weeks because you wait on everything to dry. We don't. Every wall in the room is staged one step ahead of the last: bare studs, insulated, boarded, mudded, sanded. Your crew moves wall to wall and does every stage of the rebuild in two days.
We start where the restoration crew leaves off: walls open, framing dry, remediation done. Now what?
- Fewer callbacks
- Faster jobs
- More profitable projects
- New hires who know the tools on day one
- Walls nobody has to open back up
In the order a real job runs.
We assume they're new to the company. So safety and tools come first.
- Safety and site setupPPE, lockout/tagout done for real, first aid and eyewash.
- The tools of every rebuild jobEvery tool they'll use, in their hands on scrap before it touches a wall.
- Framing and electrical checksMoisture sign-off, protection plates, boxes, and when to call the electrician.
- Insulation and vapour barrierWhat belongs below grade, fitting around services, sealing it right.
- Drywall hangRegular vs moisture-resistant, layout, screw pattern, cut-outs.
- Tape, mud, prime and paintCorners, butt joints, finish coats, sanding, cutting in and rolling.
- Cabinets, sink, water and sanitaryHang and level cabinets, set the sink, reconnect and leak-test.
- Flooring, trim and the final walkSlab check, floating floor, base and casing. Then find the mistakes I planted.
Adjuster day: what a good rebuild looks like
One day, same room, same six stations. Adjusters, claims reps and estimators learn what to check at each stage, what to photograph, and when to push back. They read moisture meters themselves, match estimate line items to the wall, and walk out with a rebuild inspection checklist for every claim. Up to 8 people. $695 per person + HST, lunch and coffee included.
What your crew can do by end of day 2.
Learning outcomes
By the end, every tech can:
- Use every core rebuild tool safely, and lock out a circuit before work starts
- Read a moisture meter and know when a wall is ready to close
- Insulate, vapour-seal and board a below-grade wall without gaps
- Tape, mud, prime and paint to a finish that passes a light check
- Reinstall cabinets and a sink, and leak-test the connections
- Lay a floating floor and run base and casing
How it's checked: A sign-off at every station, then a final walk where each tech finds the mistakes I planted across all six stages. Pass both and you're Flood Rebuild Certified. This is the hands-on rebuild that comes after IICRC drying certification, not a replacement for it.
We teach the rebuild. Licensed trades stay licensed.
I don't do mould or water remediation. That's a certified restoration company's job. And anything new or damaged in the electrical or plumbing goes to a licensed electrician or plumber. Your crew learns to spot it, lock it out and make the call.
Book your crew.
4 to 6 per cohort. Send me a note with how many guys and when, and I'll send dates.
Book your crew Or just email me
aaron@aaronmarkelbuilds.com · Reply within one business day