The Devil is in the Details

So to provide some early info and insight to what you might watch out for as you engage your insurance adjuster, I thought I'd add some of our experience here. Whether your experience is the same or very different, all collaboration is helpful at this point to make sure that we are all being treated fairly and these companies are ACTING IN GOOD FAITH as they manage our claims following this storm.

Specifically, we have found the following:

• roofing material costs set too low for any reputable contractor to meet - our unit cost was $180 per SQUARE - this cost includes ALL roofing materials required to completely replace the roof PLUS installation and labor costs. THIS IS INCREDIBLY LOW for our area! most roofers charge $225-250 per SQ.
• paint reduced to one coat throughout the home and adjoining areas of damaged rooms not covered for repainting
• premium carpet downgraded to builder's standard grade
• no provision to texture our heavy textured walls - if you only show paint on your worksheet, your walls will be FLAT upon repair!
• water damage originally stated to be repaired only allowed for repainting on the worksheet - be careful on this one! Per a builder friend of ours, mold forms behind this sheetrock on exterior walls especially AND seems that are stained will typically separate in a few years due to this damage! Sometimes this separation occurs beyond the two years allowed to file against this claim! FIGHT FOR WATER DAMAGED AREAS - Houston stands no chance against mold!
• exterior damage identifed on walkthrough was completely removed
• lighting fixtures that became waterfalls during the storm were originally slated to be replaced and they are not included on the settlement
• ask what the limit is for food replacement - this dollar figure varies across the area and some are receiving hundreds more than others!
• some neighbors were compensated for their own work on fencing removal and gutter repair on smaller claims. Most of us removed our own fencing, if one of us receives compensation for it, we all should.
• some areas of our home are missing replacements for things like baseboards or entire areas were left off.
• KNOW YOUR MEASUREMENTS! - our worksheet only allowed for 80sf of insulation and our areas of damage that will require the replacement of blown insulation is closer to 400 sf! Your contractor can help you review your worksheet for dramatically reduced measurements in each area.

That should be enough to get our discussion started. I am terribly interested in the experience of others as they review(ed) their settlement worksheet. The local rates for unit costs should not vary home to home. If you have replacement value on your home, we should all be entitled to the same level of coverage in order to return our homes to pre-IKE status!

So welcome all - it's time to share, compare and get our homes back!

Is Your Insurance Carrier Lowballing you on IKE damage?

If you are among the masses waiting for insurance claims resolution to begin repairing your home from Hurricane IKE, this might be the blogspot for you! After a promising visit with an adjuster who was very thorough, our insurance company stripped our claim of so much that we ended up with a check for just half of what was required to fix our home. Worse yet, they downgraded materials, lowballed the cost of materials and labor and left out entire sections of repair. We were shocked that we would be put in a position to fight for the coverage we have paid for all these years.


We have been comparing notes with our neighbors of our same carrier and those of others to truly understand how widespread this problem is, but also to know if we are missing out on coverage that we are entitled to (for example, one neighbor was told refrigerator contents had a limit of $500, yet another neighbor was paid $800!). So I am hoping that we can begin to end the insult being added to our hurricane injury by comparing notes and UNITING against the insurance companies who are scheming to provide us all with less than our well-paid insurance companies are required to provide.




Be careful and check your options, our worksheet arrived with a notation that if we question any of the coverage provided in the worksheet that we cannot begin repairs. So our home is among those being held hostage by this dispute and resolution process. Even if you are among the happy insurance consumers with your homes completely restored, you can help others here protect their investments and their rights by sharing your experience, your coverage and any tips that you used to achieve a successful settlement with your insurance following this storm.