Even your insurance agent is susceptible to a loss. Watch your favorite insurance agents (Mike & Sarah) walk through the claims process!
Ignore the ugly wallpaper. The focus of this photo is the water line to a refridgerator ice maker. This little guy caused a heck of a lot of damage over a period of several days.
Our first call was to an Insured Plumber, who informed us of a broken valve.
Although the tile in the kitchen went unharmed, the wood flooring in the adjacent room met a different fate. Moisture from the water line produced a teepee and discoloration. A quick moisture reading told us to contact a home restoration company and our insurance provider!
Because an insurance adjuster could not meet us for some time, we contacted a flooring company to get an estimate. There are cases in which a wood flooring would NOT need to be pulled up at all and simply pushed back into place. This was not our case. That 4 ft x 10 ft area was going to cost us an entire floor.
Some boards were pulled up in an attempt to dry the area and await our adjuster’s opinion.
Acting like a sponge, sheetrock will soak up water. The longer sheetrock is left damp, the greater your chances of mold.
Yeah! Home Restoration to the Rescue! Shown are *just a few* dehumidifiers and blowers to draw moisture out of the floors and walls
Even though the floors and walls looked and felt dry, the moisture reader said differently. This process took three days to complete. Let the professionals tell you when the job is done.
Dehumidifiers draining into the kitchen sink.
This wood floor was originally glued down. “Floating” wood floors are much easier to remove. Unfortunately, there is no machine to pull up glued down wood flooring. It is all done by hand with a small crow-bar and a hammer and will greatly add to the expense of the claim.
Your contractors won’t always show up. They don’t mind if you’d like to get back to work.
The floor fully removed. Once the floor is up, the majority of the glue must come up too. More work, more time and more expense!
This section of the floor was exposed to the water and air the longest, hence the discoloration.
Friendly staff who see you too much.
A new floor being installed. Notice the “floating” nature of this floor as compared to the glued down nature of the last one. If this floor needs to be replaced, removing it will not be as expensive or time consuming!
Complete!
This home is a Rental home near New Orleans, which meant we were limited in our options for insurers.
1. It was important to us to have an admitted carrier. Unfortunately, our Louisiana company outsources it’s adjusters, which can (and did) lengthen response time during a claim. This is something you should consider when choosing an insurance company.
2. If you have a rental home, be sure that you require your tenants to have renters insurance AND make sure their deposit is greater than your insurance deductible.