Active leak, ceiling stain, burst pipe, roof leak, storm damage, a tree through the roof, a flooded basement, sewage in the basement, a broken door, no heat, mold, a sparking outlet. Find your problem below, do the one thing that stops it getting worse, and call. Every one of these gets a live person and same-day dispatch — often within the hour in Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex and Morris.
Call or text us a photo · price approved before we work, even at 2am
Licensed & insured · 2,000+ NJ projects · 7 years · a real person answers 24/7
Active leak, ceiling stain, burst pipe, roof leak, storm damage, a tree through the roof, a flooded basement, sewage in the basement, a broken door, no heat, mold, a sparking outlet. Typical price: $250 – $3.5K. Licensed & insured, written itemized price before work starts, no deposit, one dedicated crew. Serving all 21 New Jersey counties from Paramus. Call (201) 676-3099 or book a free estimate.
Water: the main valve is usually in the basement on the front wall near the meter — turn it clockwise until it stops. Electrical: flip the breaker for that circuit, or the main if you're not sure which. Gas smell: don't flip anything, get everyone outside, and call your gas utility from the driveway.
People and pets first, then anything you'd hate to lose, out of the water or away from the opening. Put a bucket under the drip. If a ceiling is sagging with water, poke a small hole in the middle with a screwdriver and let it drain into the bucket — a controlled drip beats a collapse.
A real person answers, day or night. We'll talk you through the next steps while the crew is on the way, and tell you an honest arrival time. You can text a photo to the same number.
Shut the main, then open the lowest faucet in the house to drain the line. Kill the power to any room where water is near outlets. Towels under the bucket if it's on a wood floor.
Bucket under it, small hole in the bulge, lights off in that room. A stain on the top floor is usually the roof; a stain under a bathroom or the kitchen is usually plumbing. Send us a photo and we'll tell you which crew is coming.
Main off, faucets open. If a pipe is frozen but not split, leave the faucet open and warm the room — never a torch, never a heat gun near the framing. We thaw it safely and fix why it froze.
Bucket, move the furniture, pull up the rug. Do not go on the roof in the rain. We tarp the same day and find the source once it's dry.
Stay away from any downed wire, even if it looks dead. Photograph everything before it's touched. Shingles and gutters can wait for daylight; an open roof can't — we tarp it tonight.
Get everyone out of the rooms under the damage and close the doors. If the tree is on a power line, call the utility and stay back. We shore, tarp and coordinate the tree crew and the engineer.
Don't step into water that could be touching an outlet, an appliance or the panel. If the panel is dry and you can reach it dry, shut the main breaker. If not, call the utility to cut power at the meter. Then call us to pump it out.
Stop running water anywhere in the house — every flush and load of laundry adds to it. Keep kids and pets out of the room. Don't try to plunge a floor drain. We clear the main and camera the line.
After a break-in, don't go inside until the police clear it. Keep everyone away from the glass. Photograph the damage before anything is moved. We secure the opening the same day.
Check the thermostat, the switch on the furnace, the breaker and the filter. Close doors to unused rooms and let the faucets drip so the pipes don't freeze. A CO alarm going off means everyone out and 911 first.
Stop the water. Don't spray bleach on drywall and don't run the central air through a moldy room. Open a window if it's dry out. We dry it, remove what's ruined, and rebuild — one crew.
Sparks, a burning smell, a hot outlet, a breaker that won't hold: breaker off, or the main. Flames means 911 before anything else. Water on the panel means the utility, not you. Then call us.
First we stop it. Water off at the right valve, the leak clamped or the section cut out, the roof tarped, the opening boarded, the sagging beam shored. Then we take photos of everything before we touch it further — you'll want them for the insurance company.
Then we find out why. A burst pipe is usually a frozen pipe with a cause. A ceiling stain has a source above it. A flooded basement has a failed pump, a clogged line or water coming through the wall. We show you what we found on your phone and price the permanent fix in writing. You approve before we go further — even at 2am.
The part the franchises can't do: the plumber, electrician, roofer and the carpenter who rebuilds the ceiling are one crew. One name on the emergency call and on the rebuild.
Before-and-after photos, the cause in plain words, and an itemized invoice — the paperwork an adjuster actually needs. We'll meet the adjuster at your house. We don't pad the scope, and we don't leave fans running for three weeks to run up the bill. Most burst pipes and storm damage are covered; groundwater flooding usually isn't. We'll tell you straight which one you have.
We roll from Paramus. In Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex and Morris we're often there within the hour. Everywhere else in New Jersey, same-day dispatch and an honest arrival window — we'd rather say 90 minutes and be early than say 30 and be late. Homes with kids, seniors or medical equipment jump the line. All 21 counties, 219+ towns.
typical fixed-price range — your exact number goes in writing after a free visit
for the emergency visit
A board-up, a roof tarp or a burst-pipe repair sits at the low end. Pumping out and drying a flooded basement, or shoring up a roof after a tree, sits at the top. The permanent fix — a new roof section, a rebuilt ceiling, a new panel — gets its own written price once the emergency is stopped, and you're free to shop it. Same prices at 2am as at 2pm.
How we beat the big chains: The national restoration franchises bill your insurance by the hour and by the fan, then hand the rebuild to a different crew you've never met. No franchise fees, no commissioned salesmen, no rented subcontractors — that's typically 15–30% under national-brand quotes for the same or better spec. Bring us any written quote and we'll match the scope line by line.
“24/7" was an answering service in another state. The callback came the next morning, after the ceiling came down.”
“The restoration company parked eleven fans in my basement for 19 days and billed my insurance $14,000. Then a different company quoted the rebuild.”
“The emergency plumber fixed the burst pipe and left. Nobody told me why it burst. It froze again in February.”
You found a crew that is actually near you. First Call Contracting is based in Paramus, in Bergen County, and our own licensed techs handle 24/7 emergency services in all 21 New Jersey counties — no call center, no subcontractor sent from two states away. Most of Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Essex is 15 to 30 minutes from our shop, and emergencies go to the nearest crew, 24/7.
Closest to us: Bergen CountyPassaic CountyHudson CountyEssex CountyMorris CountyUnion CountyAll 21 counties & 219+ towns →
Call (201) 676-3099, text us a photo, or book a free in-home estimate — you get a written price before any work starts.
Anything damaging your house or unsafe right now: water where it shouldn't be, sewage, no heat in cold weather, an open roof, a broken door or window, a tree on the house, a burning smell or sparks, or a gas smell. If you're not sure, call — we'll tell you honestly whether it can wait for daylight and save you the after-hours trip.
No. The price is in writing before we start, and it's the same menu at 3am as at 3pm. There's no after-hours surcharge added at the bottom of the bill. Emergencies aren't auctions.
Often within the hour in Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex and Morris. Elsewhere in New Jersey, same-day dispatch with an honest arrival window we tell you on the phone. While you wait, a real person stays on the line and walks you through the shutoff.
Yes. Photos before and after, the cause in writing, an itemized invoice, and we'll meet the adjuster at your house. We document honestly — we don't pad the scope, which is exactly why adjusters tend to approve our paperwork without a fight.
That's the point of First Call. The plumber who stops the leak, the electrician who checks the panel, the roofer who tarps and the carpenter who rebuilds the ceiling are one crew. One contract, one foreman, one price in writing for the rebuild, and you hold the final payment until you've walked it with us.
If you're anywhere in New Jersey, yes. First Call Contracting is based in Paramus and handles 24/7 emergency services across all 21 counties with our own licensed crew. Most of Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Essex is 15 to 30 minutes from our shop, and emergencies are dispatched to the nearest crew 24/7. Call (201) 676-3099 or book a free in-home estimate.
24/7 · a real person answers · price approved before we work
Or call Alex direct: (201) 676-3099