Insurance and Home Repair Help for Tropical Storm Fay/Gustav Victims

I am actively involved in travels to assist tropical storm and hurricane victims. If you know of any community groups that would benefit from insurance claim and/or home repair advice, please post a comment here or write me directly at harvardtohardhat@gmail.com.

Flood Damage Hazards — Mold, Asbestos and the Insurance Company

Mold grows quickly after a flood – as quickly as 72 hours after the damage. Unfortunately, many insurance policies do not cover proper mold abatement. Here’s how I handled this problem.

Not only did I have severe mold growth in my condominium, but my home was also built in 1971. The ceilings, which needed to be demolished due to water damage, were loaded with asbestos. Both asbestos and mold require extremely skilled professionals to safely remove and dispose of them. The insurance company insisted that I authorize its contractor to remove the ceilings and asbestos from my condominium.  However, they refused to cover proper mold abatement, even though there had been mold growing in the unit

A Message for Tropical Storm Fay/Gustav Victims

I’ve been there. I lost my home and almost all of my personal belongings to a flood back in 2006. I wanted to share three tips that helped me get through the initial phase of the experience. 1) Take photos of everything. Once clean-up crews arrive, the damage may appear less severe to insurance adjusters. You will want great images to help negotiate your insurance settlement. 2) Network now for contractor referrals. If you choose not to use you insurance company’s contractor, you will need to interview several candidates in order to find someone reliable (more advice on gathering contractor referrals appears below). 3) Call your friends and ask them if they know anyone in the insurance business. Talking to “experts” will give you invaluable insider advice for negotiating your claim. (Also see the “Ten Tips for Managing the Inevitable Insurance Claim” article on this site for more insurance advice).

Above all, keep

My Story

During my December 2006 holiday vacation, a plumbing accident on the top floor of my condominium building unleashed a downpour of water that saturated all of the units below it, including mine on the bottom floor.

 

Replicating hurricane-type conditions, flooding destroyed the walls, ceilings, hardwood floors and my beloved chef’s kitchen. Facing not only severe water damage, but also significant mold and asbestos hazards, my home would need to be demolished and rebuilt from scratch. The toughest pill to swallow was that none of it was my fault. And yet, this type of catastrophe is all too common.

Negotiating Insurance Claims

The below article was published in The Standard-Times, The Narragansett Times, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Chariho Times and The Coventry Courier  newspapers.

Negotiating Insurance Claims: Ten tips to prepare for storm, wind or water damage

Between household accidents and natural disasters, homeowners insurance claims have become an integral part of home ownership. From the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 to the recent tropical storms and hurricanes in the Southeast, flooding has threatened countless American homes over the past several decades. Now that the 2008 hurricane season is in full swing, below are ten tips

Share your Contractor Story

Every homeowner boasts a contractor story, from the unscrupulous character who disappeared with his deposit to the remodel that lingered forever. Post a comment here if you’d like to share your story.

Greetings from Harvard to Hardhat

Greetings from the author of From Harvard to Hardhat: How I Hired, Managed and Survived my Contractor. As a former flood victim, I lost my home and had to rebuild it from the ground up (literally)! My MBA may be from Harvard, but my contractor’s license is from the prestigious School of Hard Knocks. If you have a question about hiring a contractor, managing the construction process, surviving the experience or haggling with the insurance company, I will do my best to help. Just send a comment. New to blogging? Check out this excellent video at: http://commoncraft.com/blogs.