We are still dealing with the aftermath of the nasty hail storm that hit a few weeks ago. As I mentioned before, the insurance adjuster went around our property and found every little bit of damage that the storm did and told us it would all be replaced. Then last week, he came by and gave us the break-down and the check. I was about in tears because I didn't see how on God's green Earth that pitiful amount will get any of it fixed. Here we thought that they were being really generous and everything will get replaced. Now we're trying to figure out if we will have to let go of something important in order to make sure the roof is fixed and siding is on the house - the two biggies. I felt cheated.
The Contractors assured us that it will be fine - everything will be done for what the insurance company has allowed and there won't be any out-of-pocket expenses for us. If something can't be done for the amount allowed, they (the contractors) will contact the insurance company directly and get us what we need. Also, since the insurance company will only pay for two sides of the house to be sided, and it won't match because our siding is so old, they will allow more money to get the whole house sided. If we want to upgrade from vinyl siding to hardy board, then we have to decide what things we are willing to not replace to put towards that additional cost. So that's the next step - deciding what doesn't really need replaced or whether to just go back with vinyl. I felt better.
But wait - there's more! We had to send our check to our mortgage company (Bank of America) so they could endorse it since it was made out to them and us. So now we are waiting for it to come back so we can get started on our house. It's a little frustrating seeing the number of houses that are already getting their new roofs and nothing happening at our house yet.
I really wish I could get an aerial shot of all the roof work going on in town. On just about every street there are at minimum three houses per block with people working on rooftops. Every time I drive through town I am amazed anew by the damage and how much it looks like we recently had a running gun battle take place.
There have been so many contractors come through here, and not all of them are on the up and up. There have been quite a few arrests for operating without permits or licenses, and also for outstanding warrants. It's amazing the number of cockroaches that come out for this kind of thing. It makes it tough on the legitimate contractors as well as homeowners. I Googled our contractor to see how long they have been in business and what they are rated with the BBB, but not everyone thinks to do that. There are plenty of people who will get bamboozled, which is why City Hall is encouraging folks to call them and have the contractor screened. They can run the name against the list of contractors who have permits/licenses to operate in town and let you know their status as well as give tips on how to check on their BBB rating, etc.
I can only imagine to what scale the insurance fraud and shady contractors Greensburg, Kansas and Joplin, Missouri experienced if it's this bad here with just hail and wind storm damage given the relatively small size of the area involved. It would certainly stretch a person's capacity for mistrust and suspicion. I am suspicious by nature however, and do a pretty thorough research job when shopping for anything, so since my husband is an impulse-kinda-guy, I get lots of opportunities to keep my snooping skills sharp ;)
On a lighter note, my new fridge has water and ice, and it and the new microwave work and look awesome! Yay!
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