That title is a very common question that people ask on Google and they get referred here. I also get “Can I do the Insurance Repair myself?”. Both are very common questions.

The answer would be as follows. When you have a damage situation You call the insurance company and they send out an adjuster. They will call you back later with news of weather or not you are covered. Then they will tell how much they will reimburse you for the damage. Keep in mind this amount is not written in stone. You can talk to them as to how they came up with this figure. Then they write you a check if everything is OK. Actually they don’t care if you ever fix the damage or not. You just get a check and that is it.

So I guess you could decide to fix it yourself or go to Las Vegas and see all the shows and do gambling with it.

On the other hand if you hire a contractor you get the following assurances. You get a hand figuring out is there is near enough money coming from the insurance company and help with the negotiating part with the insurance company. You also get expert help in fixing your property. Expert carpenters and electricians and plumbers and drywall, painters and carpet workers. Then if there was a flood you get something of an expert on mold. Getting rid of mold is treated like a big deal as it should be. You can get sick from mold.

Well I guess what I mean to say is that it is up to you what to do with the money. If you hire a contractor you will probably be getting a co-party check so you can’t change your mind half way through the job.

There is a tide within the affairs of man that, taken at the flood…” once said a famous writer from Stratford-upon-Avon. Given Stratford’s capability for flooding – a drawback which regularly hits British national headlines – it’s seemingly Shakespeare was additional than familiar with the perils of flooding.

In fact, Stratford-upon-Avon is not the only place that is susceptible to flooding; the matter is a nationwide one, within the UK at least.

Moreover, most experts agree that – over the following few years – due to world warming, unless defenses are vastly improved flooding problems are seemingly to increase throughout the UK.

For those fast to dismiss this warning because of the very fact they live way from the coast, it’s important to realize that it’s not just coastal areas that are in danger; many areas close to rivers and lakes – also many that are not – are in danger of inundation.

When shopping for a property – whether for yourself or for renting purposes – it’s always wise to test how prone the property is to flooding, particularly if there is a river or lake nearby. Several clients, particularly those making their 1st property purchase build the belief that if their property is not directly next to the river it can be safe.

Unfortunately the belief that geographical distance from the river is the foremost important issue in preventing flooding will cause a ton of pain and grief for homeowners. While distance from the river is an important factor in preventing a house from flooding, if a river was to break its banks and flood, the river would find its own level, possibly flooding nearby houses.

Some home insurance policies and – if renting the property – landlord insurance policies delete flood harm, although it vital to carefully browse through the little print. Finer details like the total coverage provided by the policy can be very necessary should a flood occur, as you could finish up covering any ‘excess’ yourself.

It’s important to realize that while certain insurance policies can cover you against damages, there will be different costs involved. If for example you’re a landlord and your property could be a supply of income, you have a obligation to your tenants which may mean providing replacement accommodation. You may conjointly have a mortgage to pay that – with no risk of tenants living within the house when flooding and therefore no income coming back in to pay the mortgage – can set you back financially.

Obtaining the proper landlords insurance needs professional recommendation to confirm that you have the right cover. Most specialist landlord insurance policies will not just give insurance for the material injury, however can also cowl loss of rent and the value of other accommodation. It’s necessary always to take individual skilled recommendation – and not to appear solely for the most cost effective deal – it seldom works out that means within the event of a claim.

Do you want to see some wind damage in action? If you do click here Wind Video

Way too several homeowners are below the erroneous belief their home-owner insurance covers flooding. This simply isn’t true. If you live in an area susceptible to hurricanes, tropical kind storms, serious rains and different watery climatic conditions, flood insurance would be a wise investment.

This one has been sitting for over 2 years.  Luckily the water was stabilized to one area and didn’t require the whole thing torn out. He originally called because he thought we only needed to fix a couple of leaky rod holes. It turned out that there were two cracks leaking that had been fixed before by someone else using hydraulic cement.  Hydraulic cement is the worse thing to use.

So we did the cracks in our usual excellent repair technique. The carpet was dangerously moldy along with all the carpet tack. One decorative wall was in front of one of the repairs so the mirrors and such had to be removed. Several inspection holes had to be drilled in drywall areas to check whole walls for other leaks. I can safely say all the demolition damage is done. Now we have to repair the drywall and put the trim back on. The owner will handle the paint and carpet.

This is a goodly expense. The owner bought this house because it was a cheap repo. It was on a golf course and at a discount of 50% so he won’t lose any money on the deal. It was just a big surprise. So if you are in the market for a repo, and it has a basement, you should figure the carpet has to go automatically. If it has a finished basement then certain waterproofing issues will need addressing along with drywall work. We can get this done in just a few days. Remember speed is the thing. If your family is living in the place, don’t waste any time.

Bob - 248 341 3900

It is only the middle of April and we have torn out several flooded finished basements. Most of the water that caused these was from waterproofing issues.  An underlying theme however was the time factor. People are just letting things go for a long time. One flood has set wet on and off for 4 years at least according to the owner. This caused the drywall to turn black with mold along the bottom edge. and all the molding and doors too. The carpet had a thousand mushrooms growing on it.

I think the biggest loss was from some antique books from the late 1800′s and early 1900′s. They were destroyed. The owner went through all this themselves. We took care of the finished basement demolition and clean-up and sanitation. All the water was coming in from the outside from under the floor.  So we installed a full perimeter drainage system. The place is high and dry now.

I think because of the economy, people are putting this important work off for as long as possible.  Afraid to fix this stuff for fear of overspending. Too bad you couldn’t see what I have seen. If this was my house I wouldn’t wait five minutes.

If you get a basement flood it is too late to do anything about it. The time is now before something something happens. Get metal or plastic shelves to store stuff on. Get a battery back up sump pump installed. Don’t store any cardboard. Keep everything in those plastic boxes. Replace the hoses to your washing machine. Fix your waterproofing issues. Raise everything off the floor. Never assume it won’t happen to you.

This is a picture of a fire.