So complete remodel on the Insurance Company's dime?

[horn4life 3784]

Well... having had 24,000 gallons of water dumped into the house while we were on vacation has put me into unexpected remodel mode. With every wall in the house cut out as well as portions of three garage walls, it's going to be a bit of a project.  I am hoping to get the initial estimate this week from USAA. The good news is that in the end I will have a complete remodel.  The bad news is... supply chain issues like 16-20 weeks on some cabinets (Lowes), flooring I like is end of October, no 1 x 4 finger joint base trim at BMC (guy says it's like Christmas if it shows up).  So concerned on the one hand on the timeline, on the other hand the timeline might provide some opportunities to make some changes we wouldn't have  made without the hell torn out of everything.

My buddy owns quite a few homes and has been through this a few times and he is suggesting I might simply hire the subs, get the work done, and upgrade things I may want to, and forgo the recoverable Depreciation?  I guess ultimately it is math, and if the number is big enough I could do some upgrades with the excess margin.  I could also have a buddy of mine be the contractor and I could have him invoice me at the end, and he could pay me as a sub for the work I am considering doing.  My quote on flooring was upwards of $18K, with nearly $5K being grinding off the hardwood glue and leveling the floor. So basically prep.  Not sure what the sheet rock, hand texturing and paining every wall will cost, but I could do the rock and re-insulate the place over a few days.  I could do a lot of the work, but the Insurance company does NOT pay the homeowner to save money.

Not being in the insurance industry I understand that I am going to get a number on the estimate, and if I spend every penny of that money on the allocated ,costs I can have my contractor recover the  Recoverable depreciation.   With the place torn to hell we are thinking of knocking out some bathroom walls, adding some electrical for extra ceiling fan, point of use tankless water heater, and wall mounted connections for TV.  Tear out tub and replace with shower, do maybe $2K in plumbing. Tear out some entry hall flooring and replace with more hardwoods. And whatever other upgrades we decide on.

Anyone been through this?  I can see at least $10K I could knock out myself with rock, paint and trim, while I am waiting on cabinets.  But every penny of that would get eaten up with the additional changes we would want to make.  I can do anything I want if I do NOT want to try and get the Recoverable depreciation. But if that recoverable number is pretty large, I may have to rethink. Or have my subs simply have the descriptions of the work match up with the insurance estimate regardless of what work they do as long as the numbers add up?

So... learn me on this stuff...

 

 

[ROFL BOX 6649]

What's your deductible?

Pay that in full (with proof of payment if in Texas) & you shouldn't have any problem with the recoverable depreciation.

Moving a wall here or there or other changes aren't a problem.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

[deadshank 24653]

I’m not getting your angst.  
 

Hire competent people to do your work (rely on your friend).  Spend all the money per the scope of loss.  Make a few changes.  Allocate money to complete the necessary repairs and add a few upgrades / changes. Get your recoverable depreciation money and be out only your deductible. 
 

What did I miss?

 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

34 minutes ago, deadshank said:

I’m not getting your angst.  
 

Hire competent people to do your work (rely on your friend).  Spend all the money per the scope of loss.  Make a few changes.  Allocate money to complete the necessary repairs and add a few upgrades / changes. Get your recoverable depreciation money and be out only your deductible. 
 

What did I miss?

 

The four years it'll currently take to get it done ?

[orange dream 1256]

How did 24,000 gallons of water get in your house?

 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21968]

Did you have to pay for the 24K gallons?  

[ROFL BOX 6649]

56 minutes ago, orange dream said:

How did 24,000 gallons of water piss get in your house?

 

 

[horn4life 3784]

Sorry - my angst is as much making sure I like the ultimate outcome. My greed wants to have the insurance company pay to some degree for the upgrades.  My angst also is I still do NOT have an estimate so the amount of money I have to spend (+ my $3000 deductible).  

The 24,000 gallons is based on 27,300 gallons in a month were we were not in the house for 10 days and we normally use 3900 gallons a month.  In Austin you can document the cause and they will adjust the bill after a few months.  So I just paid the high bill and eventually I will get a month or so of prepaid after the adjustment.  Basically the water supply line plastic nut failed.  Shooting 90 psi through a 3/8 inch supply line for some days.  

I am going to slightly upgrade my flooring, but going with and engineered product rather than the plank strand plank Eucalyptus.  That shit was hard as tile and cutting notches and trimming plank lengths was a mofo.  I put all this shit down myself and I did a hell of a job.  Basically I am going to do some of the work myself, and have the subs bill for some of the work I did and have them do the additional work I want done.  I could do every bit of this work myself, and know it's done right, but fuck that.  

I think most of my angst was that I just did not understand how the insurance would work, and my desire for quality upgrades.  The good news is I can remove the walls I want to in the bath room, and the custom cabinetry I am going to do there will likely be less than my container store inspiration.  My main limitation may be moving the plumbing a bit.  I for some reason was thinking we needed to have everything done to get back into the house.  After speaking with the desk adjuster my understand is that once we get the hardwood back in the house will then be livable and they will want us to move back in.  Which is fine with me.  The kitchen cabinets won't be in, but I can wait on that and would much prefer to be back in the house.   I can sort of control the timeline here by choosing the lead time of the hardwood I like.  The wide plank Hickory I really liked was not going to be in until Mid October, but I am going to seek out an alternative I can get faster.  

It will all work out in the end, and I will get the recoverable because I am going to spend every dime as well as my deductible.  The whole house is going to look a lot different than it did early in July.  A little stressful trying to make all the choices, triple checking the measurements, for the cabinets, and getting everything in motion without a firm estimate of the repair costs.  Only really time sensitive thing would be to get the plumbing done before laying all the hardwoods.  Just because it's will be messy if they are having to move the toilet. 

Thanks for the replies guys!  I guess I will take some pics of the way things are now, and then the after photos when the job is done.  Then you guys can shred all my choices and criticize my every decision!

 

[ROFL BOX 6649]

The house is actually not "livable" until you are 100% sure all the moisture & mold is gone.

Fuck that bullshit about the floor.

[CooterBrown 18034]

The supply line on a toilet or faucet causes probably 90% of home floods.

It’d probably make sense to spend $200 and replace all of them on a 5 year schedule.

[fattyflattie 4638]

I turn the water off every time I leave for more than 2 days or so. Wife thinks I’m an idiot but this is a fear of mine. Especially after some of the other construction I’ve seen in this house. 

[Paco 1934]

Use some of the insurance money and install a pressure reducing valve. 90psi is too damn high.

[horn4life 3784]

On 8/28/2021 at 7:17 AM, Paco said:

Use some of the insurance money and install a pressure reducing valve. 90psi is too damn high.

Surly says.... My penis is a pressure reducing valve!

 

[Paco 1934]

If 24,000 gallons comes out of your penis please consult a physician. Or get a job in porn.

[horn4life 3784]

So... I may be S.O.L. with my contractor friend.  As they put their house on the market last week and are planning to move ASAP.  So.. anyone know of a good contractor? 

I still don't have a damn estimate and that is beginning to simply piss me off.  

Now I am starting to worry about other potential supply chain issues because of hurricane Ida. It will all work out...

 

[ROFL BOX 6649]

On 8/30/2021 at 1:58 PM, horn4life said:

my contractor friend... planning to move ASAP

What's your zip code?

[Nice Guy Eddie 13528]

Having a family member or friend be you contractor can lead to great results. It can also lead to a ruined relationship. If you choose someone you know, be aware that you may hate that person by the end.

[horn4life 3784]

6 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

What's your zip code?

78759. 

I am thinking a no on my friend, as he is also my SIL's Dad.  I would sort of like to dump the job on somebody else, but I am saving a couple grand of labor with google translate on the glue removal and leveling the floor from my original bid.  

My understanding is that as long as I spend the dollars on the described damage (via the descriptions on the invoices) and the house ends up being made whole, AND I have proof I spend my deductible I could recover the "recoverable depreciation."  IF i ever get a fucking estimate...

[ROFL BOX 6649]

Great Hills.

There's more than a few Shaggers up thataways.  One of them (he can self identify if desired) used to live right @ the exit for 2222 & Koenig (the N bound exit).

Anyhow, if you intend to GC this yourself, I have references for a few people & can consult on the process / how to get the full benefits of your project dollars, etc.  Shoot me a PM if inclined (& make note of that PM here; the notifications feature sometimes suck).

[horn4life 3784]

On 9/2/2021 at 1:14 AM, ROFL BOX said:

Great Hills.

There's more than a few Shaggers up thataways.  One of them (he can self identify if desired) used to live right @ the exit for 2222 & Koenig (the N bound exit).

Anyhow, if you intend to GC this yourself, I have references for a few people & can consult on the process / how to get the full benefits of your project dollars, etc.  Shoot me a PM if inclined (& make note of that PM here; the notifications feature sometimes suck).

Pm sent- I still don't have the Estimate back yet but any day now.. Got the glue removed and all the tile using some hispanics from the Apartments I am short term renting.  I speak enough Spanish to strike up a conversation and saw they were leveling and laying floor in one of the adjacent units.  I need to go back and look but I think I saved around $2000 for their $1500 of work.  Gotta supervise to some degree as I want quality not just cost savings, but that's a new front door, or tile for shower.

The one interesting thing was that I had a portion of my hardwoods buckle about 2 years ago.  I thought I must have done something wrong, but I was pretty sure I laid the floor down properly.  Turns out I have a leak in the slab.  I would not have noticed the damp spot without them leveling that area as the concrete color and smoothness is pretty varied.  Shut off the water and sure enough the darker (damp) area disappeared.  So I am gonna cut that out and get that leak repaired.  I can likely do it myself but want to pay a plumber in case the fix fails at some point in the future. I also will need to move some gas line into the attic for an A/C move, and plumb for a potential on demand gas water heater so definitely need to find an affordable plumber.  

We finally settled on some natural hickory hardwoods, and I should start getting some of the cabinet pricing back in the next few days.  And starting to narrow wall/cabinet colors.

 

Thanks for the input guys

[horn4life 3784]

Well... FINALLY got the cost from USAA this AM.  Total claim is $68K, less $3K deductible, and another $10K recoverable depreciation.  So a net of $55K, that I need to endorse to my lender.  They will endorse and deposit funds in an escrow account, but cut me an initial check for $50K to get the work started.  Unfortunately,  my adjuster was not the best and I have had to ride herd on this shit from the get go.  I still need to confirm I am not getting the boot Friday from my short term housing.

I have been holding back on ordering cabinets and flooring until I knew I was not going to get screwed on the cost.  I didn't really think I would, but the way things were working I figured better safe than sorry.  Now at least I know a number.  It has been terribly frustrating simply being in limbo for so long.  We always love the beach this time of year, and all the uncertainty, as sort of made that not as appealing as usual.  

Now I guess I will just stress about, "Did we make the right decision" on colors, cabinets, flooring etc.  

[ROFL BOX 6649]

Total claim is $68K, less $3K deductible, and another $10K recoverable depreciation.  So a net of $55K, that I need to endorse to my lender. 

Wait... back up.

What's the GRAND TOTAL... LARGEST number on your summary page?

You are welcome to post a redacted screenshot.

Also, is USAA paying the 10&10 on ALL trades, across the board for the total claim?

Are you acting as GC on your own?

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

[horn4life 3784]

10 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

 

 

Wait... back up.

What's the GRAND TOTAL... LARGEST number on your summary page?

You are welcome to post a redacted screenshot.

Also, is USAA paying the 10&10 on ALL trades, across the board for the total claim?

Are you acting as GC on your own?

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
 

 

Trying to decide whether or not to GC myself, which I could do on what needs to be repaired.  But I am contemplating shifting money into windows, a master bath and remodel, nicer cabinets and and foregoing the $10K in depreciation should I go that route.  But leaving that on the table may not be worth it, with the amount I time I would personally put in to supervise all the subs and lose all my Fall fun time.  I am thinking some sort of a hybrid as most likely.

The estimate of course is somewhat fucked up.  The dollar amount is about right from what I thought, but some of the line items make no sense.  They have me laying hardwoods in the garage for like $4500, but no money for the paneling. So the garage cost is way high.  But the cost on the kitchen is way low.  With money to hang and install cabinets, but no money for the actual cabinets themselves.  Yesterday was mostly spent desperately trying to extend my short term housing.  My Adjuster farting around, nearly caused me to lose my apartment, and needing to vacate tomorrow by noon.

Yes 10% profit/ 10% overage on, $68,420 is the top line number.  $10K recoverable depreciation and $3K deductible subtracted from that top line number.

I don't want to rip off the insurance company and having $4500 for garage hardwoods is just a glaring error. But so is not allocating money for cabinets, and granite in the bathroom.  My plan was to bring the errors to USAA's attention.  I guess they could be saying I need to use the fronts of the cabinets, but there is no money for build out of the new boxes and cabinet rebuild that would be necessary to create the "new" finished cabinets.  But I worry about just subtracting the garage hardwoods, and not increasing the cabinet cost allocation.  

Anyhow, at least I sort of have a starting point from a money perspective.  But I need to see if I can even extend my apartment lease past November 1, as I know they want to remodel this unit.  So there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[ROFL BOX 6649]

& FYI, this screenshot is what I meant by the "summary page".

 

As to the error from USAA, believe me - you're getting screwed somewhere.  That $ 4,500 may or may not actually fix the problems in their adjustment.  Not a SINGLE insurance company wants to hand out money.

[ROFL BOX 6649]