Which costs less to open, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE or Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts?

1-800 WATER DAMAGE: $71,403 – $312,398 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts: $18,350 – $309,500 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.

Which has more locations, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE or Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts?

1-800 WATER DAMAGE: 160 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 64); Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts: 278 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 54). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.

Do 1-800 WATER DAMAGE and Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

1-800 WATER DAMAGE has reviewed Item 19 figures for 4 location groups; Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts has reviewed Item 19 figures for 3 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

Franchise opportunities compared

1-800 WATER DAMAGE vs Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

1-800 WATER DAMAGE2026 FDD

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts2026 FDD

Initial investment · Item 7

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

$71,403 – $312,398

2026 FDD · Item 7

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

$18,350 – $309,500

2026 FDD · Item 7

Initial franchise fee · Item 5

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

$59,000

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

Not available

Royalty · Item 6

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

7% · percentage of Gross Sales; tiered by annual Gross Sales

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

0% · Greater of 7% of Collected Gross Revenue, or the Minimum Royalty Fee; 3.5% for a conversion franchise during its initial 6 months

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14

Before you compare

Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
1-800 WATER DAMAGE and Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (1-800 WATER DAMAGE: 4, Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts: 3). Different groups are not directly comparable.

Financial commitment

Disclosure

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

$71,403 – $312,398

2026 FDD · Item 7

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

$18,350 – $309,500

2026 FDD · Item 7

Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

$59,000

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

Not available

No single standard fee identified

Royalty (Item 6)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

7% · percentage of Gross Sales; tiered by annual Gross Sales

Royalty — Remediation Services

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

0% · Greater of 7% of Collected Gross Revenue, or the Minimum Royalty Fee; 3.5% for a conversion franchise during its initial 6 months

Royalty Fee

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14

Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

2% of percentage of gross sales

Brand Marketing Fund Contributions

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 20

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

0% of percentage of collected gross revenue, excluding construction gross revenue

Brand Fund Contribution

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14

System scale & health

Disclosure

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

Total outlets (Item 20)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

160

Outlets at end of 2025

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 64

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

278

Outlets at end of 2025

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 54

Net outlet change (Item 20)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

−18

Calculated: 178 at end of 2023 → 160 at end of 2025

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

−15

Calculated: 293 at end of 2023 → 278 at end of 2025

Outlet exits (Item 20)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Franchising since (Item 1)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

2015

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 9

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

May 2020

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 8

Franchisor founded (Item 1)

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

2015

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 9

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

Not stated

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 8

Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

1-800 WATER DAMAGE

Franchised (19 locations) — revenue — Top 25% Franchisees

$944,433

other Gross Sales

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 61

Franchised (46 locations) — revenue

$512,051

other Revenue per Territory

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 62

Franchised (19 locations) — revenue — “Top 25% Franchisees”

$1,949,638

other Gross Sales

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 61

+1 more groups in the full report

Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts

Franchised (118 locations) — revenue

$1,427,586

mean Total Collected Revenue

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 52

Franchised (59 locations) — revenue

$818,415

mean Total Collected Revenue

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 52

Franchised (75 territories) — revenue and profit

100 percent of Total Collected Revenue

mean TOTAL REVENUE

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53

Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

1-800 WATER DAMAGE vs Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts: common questions

Which costs less to open, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE or Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts?: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE: $71,403 – $312,398 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts: $18,350 – $309,500 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
How do 1-800 WATER DAMAGE and Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts royalties compare?: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE: 7% · percentage of Gross Sales; tiered by annual Gross Sales (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19); Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts: 0% · Greater of 7% of Collected Gross Revenue, or the Minimum Royalty Fee; 3.5% for a conversion franchise during its initial 6 months (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
Which has more locations, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE or Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts?: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE: 160 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 64); Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts: 278 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 54). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
Do 1-800 WATER DAMAGE and Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts disclose financial performance (Item 19)?: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE has reviewed Item 19 figures for 4 location groups; Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts has reviewed Item 19 figures for 3 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

How Franopolis reviews FDD figures