<p>Well these cold nights this week took their toll on me…we awoke Tuesday morning to find a burst pipe flooding our house. Pipe was between first and second floor, soaked my kitchen and living room , then proceeded to my finished basement where it was up to 6 inches when we found it and shut off the main valve.
We had an emergency team in within 2 hours to pump out all of the water and cut out all of the carpet and drywall. Now we are looking at a gutted kitchen and basement and partly gutted living room.
I am so overwhelmed that I can’t think straight. Nobody was hurt, we have insurance, life goes on I know. But maybe some words of advice from somebody who has dealt with something like this could ease my way. I know there are probably a lot of things to think about, but you guys always come up with things I would never have considered, so I am asking you to share your knowledge - Thanks!</p>
<p>Wow; I feel for you. I lost roof, screens, gutters, 2 rooms (walls, carpet, furniture, tile) during hurricane. Mold in house was #8 (out of 10). I tore out dry wall myself because impossible to get work done. Also pulled up as much carpet as I could. Put blue tarp on roof and on furniture where water would leak. Got infested with tree rats. On practical note, I put solution on every surface where there was mold, and ran fans 24/7.</p>
<p>The upside was the rooms look better than before. I put blue berber in bedroom instead of boring beige. Insurance covered little, so at least you have that advantage. Also, you probably won’t have huge competition to find workmen. I had much better luck with private stores than the large companies, even tho paid more for some items.</p>
<p>My best to you. Try to foucs on fact that you can remodel and in a month or 2, house will be nicer than it is now.</p>
<p>Leave the lights on to prevent the possibility of mold forming.</p>
<p>Yea that’s what my daughter said. She is encouraging me to be bolder than beige ( my favorite color LOL )
We were going to go ahead and put new cabinets in the kitchen while it was already torn up , but I just don’t feel like rushing that. It should be kind of fun to choose new kitchen cabinets and I am not having fun right now. So we are going to make do until the house is normal again and then my husband said we can re-do the kitchen at leisure.
We are very fortunate that this is an isolated incident rather than a Katrina or even Pacific N/W weather issue. Emergency water crew was here fast and I am sure workers will be fairly easy to hire.
I am just overwhelmed and feel like I will forget some fairly obvious things that I should consider in the process.LOL
I really don’t want to sound like a whiner - I know it could be much worse, but the advice is much appreciated.</p>
<p>aww PAMom - I can relate. TWICE our upstairs shower has failed and water has poured through the ceiling into my kitchen, pantry and family room ruining walls and ceilings. Thank goodness that whole area has porcelain tile which holds up under wet conditions very well. So, at least for us, flooring was not an issue. But the shower had to be torn out and rebuilt both times. It’s pretty big, walk-in style…so both times it was huge messy job that required plumbers, tile guys and drywallers. I’m getting pretty sick of this shower btw…hint…never put this type shower on a second floor. </p>
<p>My only advice is to make sure they set up dehumidifiers and fans. Mold shouldn’t be an issue if everything is adequately dried out. The noise will drive ya nuts, but it will be worth it.</p>
<p>Floods are awful. You sound physically capable, but when I could not handle things well physically (surgically altered back), we hired a handyman to just come over. He did these things: opened every storage box with me, reached down into it and pulled out the upper contents into a second box. If ANYTHING was moist on the bottom, he piled it into a plastic bag for street disposal. I would have kept things but he was ruthless: if it stayed in that box, it would soon “infect” everything else with moisture and mold.
Those few things worth saving, we spread out and found ways to dry.
We had just moved here, so it actually helped me declutter some boxes that had been going from house to house.
I accomplished more with him standing beside me, in 4 hours, than I would have in 4 days. </p>
<p>An in-law who has a marvelous academic library vital to their professions, including many rare books, found a company (in Toronto, but maybe elsewhere too) that freeze-dried all the books. They suck all the moisture out and they end up in plastic bags, vacuum sealed.</p>
<p>Did you know not to walk through the flooded basement? I didn’t. So I walked in water, later reading that I could have electrocuted myself without the rubber boots. First move after a flood higher than your electric sockets or the flame to your hot water heater is: call the electric company, have all power cut off from the house, then go see what’s going on downstairs.</p>
<p>I didn’t know that. If you didn’t, obviously you are safe, so just pass the word along and count your blessings re: that.</p>
<p>Floods are terrible. You have a very good attitude and I hope that eventually you’ll get some new interior to enjoy, as payback for this stress, lost days, lost things.</p>
<p>Went through something similar a few years back when we came home from vacation to find our hot water line to our washing machine had burst and flooded much of the main floor (including kitchen) and the partially finished basement.</p>
<p>Just take deep breaths…and, you are right, try to “enjoy” the chance to do some remodeling. We chose to do a lot of work ourselves so we could “update” and improve some things. </p>
<p>Sorry, I know this an awful disruption to your lives! Hang in there.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for the uplifting words. I didn’t realize how much I needed that until now. Haven’t cried yet, but the exhaustion is setting in and I’m afraid tears will follow.
We did run down into the basement immediately and were probably very lucky not to be electrocuted. We have bookshelves down there and the first thing I thought of was my photo albums. So we ran straight down ( barefoot in pajamas) to grab them and bring them upstairs. My poor 17 YO daughter was awoken by me screaming for help and making her run down into the freezing cold water to save photos as well! As it was, the shelves that held the photos were right where the water was pouring down from the first floor so it was good we did run down. We only lost 2 albums and a few loose photos , so that was not too bad. My daughter works as a photo technician so we will see if she can save any of the wet ones that are wrinkled and puckered.
My newest dilemma is with the carpet upstairs… we recently had new carpet installed ( October) and we have an open floor plan. The insurance told us they would replace the living room and hallway, but when I called the supplier they said that it would be a different dye lot than what was installed in October. The seam will be just inside my entry way ( so quite obvious). Does anybody have experience with matching the same carpet from different dye-lots? Do they really differ much? The color is a sage green if that matters.
I like my open floor plan a lot , but when it comes to painting and carpet it’s kind of an all-or-nothing thing. LOL</p>
<p>See about dying the whole carpet to match.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear about this. I just had the crew finish up my kitchen from storm damage up in the NW.</p>
<p>Check your policy, find out who your carrier reccommends to do the work. My carrier (pemco) garantees the work if we used somebody on their list. We did, and it was a heck of alot easier as all I did was write my deductible check. Since the restoration contractor and the insurance carrier worked together and the carrier garanteed the work…no worries. The contractor wants future business from the carrier so they work fast and clean and do good work. </p>
<p>Suggestion for basement storage… plastic containers. For a few dollars you can keep out water, bugs and other furry things you may not see.</p>
<p>When our house flooded, the floors needed to be redone in the dining room and an adjacent sitting room - however, because the stain would have been different from visible adjacent rooms, we did the entire first floor (resanded and stained) and, while they balked at first, the insurance paid for it – you are entitled to restoration – check your homeowers policy and see if you are paying a premium for replacement costs at today’s value – if so, you have a very strong argument that you should be made whole – here, that means that you should have ONE dye lot for the entire carpeting for the first floor – especially if the rooms run into each other and a new dye lot would be noticable. You should tell the insurer that you will be ordering carpeting for the entire area and expect to be paid - and that you know it costs very little to go to arbitration in pennsylvania. They will try to nickel and dime you - be strong (and feel free to ask for the claim adjustor’s supervisor to discuss the matter more fully).</p>
<p>PA Mom~</p>
<p>I’ve not had personal experience with flooding, but OMG, I just wanted to give you some {{{{{{{MAJOR HUGS}}}}}}}!!! Oh, honey, how AWFUL! Floods are a TERRIBLE mess, and I can’t imagine how discombobulated you must feel in your partially gutted house! Thank G-d for insurance, and in the end, you may love the updating you get out of it. Right now, though, I’m sure it is just a horrid mess. I’m SO sorry. I hope that you get everything fixed up good as new (or better than) SOON!!! love, ~berurah</p>
<p>Good point - the guys that came in and took out the wet carpet asked my why that room was not being removed because they even said that usually when it all runs together like that the insurance covers it all. I’m thinking that maybe because it was brand new the insurance thought we could match it? I guess I’ll need to call them and try to get it changed to the whole first floor. And I do have replacement value insurance so it should be covered - you’r e right!! See I guess I have to be assertive and you guys are helping me to stick up for my rights!!
Opie- my insurance company’s voicemail has one number specifically set aside for Oregon and Washington claims - I do feel for all of you folks out there. Must be terribly overwhelming.</p>
<p>Thanks berurah - your hugs always warm my heart - a pleasure to be the recipient.
Can you tell I am avoiding doing more work on the house this afternoon by hanging out on CC…LOL</p>
<p>
PA~</p>
<p>Now you know why <em>I</em> hang out on CC!! <em>lol</em> But…SHHHHHHHHHHH, don’t tell, o.k.?? 
My house HASN’T been flooded, but it looks about like yours does now! I’d better get it in gear, huh? :D</p>
<p>You DESERVE the break!! So, hang out here with us…we’re more fun than cleaning! :)</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>Darn! Sorry to hear about that PA Mom. That stinks!</p>
<p>Here is some advice from someone that had a roof that slid and water in their living room and dining room. Our insurance company, State Farm, came and gave us an immediate check. They sent out their engineer after the claims adjuster had a look at the problem. This was their idea, and I did not have the experience to ask for this on my own. Part of our roof slid one winter after repeated melting and refreezing of ice and snow on our roof. We needed to replace some support beam that was very expensive. This happened about 10 years ago and then it was $1,000. Without an engineer or contractor having a look, I would not have known about the internal damage. I could not see it. Also, we had drapery ruined on one window, and the other 2 windows did not have damage. I did have replacement insurance, and our insurance company did pay for replacement of the drapes on all 3 windows. They paid for roof replacement, replastering, and repainting. I have heard such horror stories about State Farm in NOLA on the news, but for our small disaster, they were wonderful. I was very pleased.
Bottome line:
My advice is getting a professional access the true damage. Also, only get licensed people to do all work. We had a problem with our roofer and b/c we hired someone licensed, our insurance company paid for that problem, and then went after the roofer for reimbursement.</p>
<p>Editing this to say that I am sorry that you have to go through this, but when all of the work is done, and you are looking at some new things in your home, you will forget some of the panic, and you will enjoy the new look.</p>
<p>PA </p>
<p>Thank you. My problems were small potatoes compared to yours and alot others out here. Some roof damage and water in the kitchen. At least no fir trees in my bedroom. </p>
<p>This is where people find out how good their carrier is. Take notes of every conversation (date time who what was covered) and keep a file. As one said look for only licensed contractors. If you have real problems or arguements with claims adjuster, write the president of the company. It works. </p>
<p>Who is your carrier?</p>
<p>I’m sorry you have to go through this too.</p>
<p>I know it’s frustrating not to be able to put everything back together again right away. The bright side though is that as your walls stay open, air circulation is getting everything really dry in there, reducing your risk of mold.
Not knowing how things are routed in houses with basements, I can’t tell if there was a possibility that excess moisture may have got into your ductwork. Be sure to check them out if you’re concerned.</p>
<p>PA Mom - I’m so sorry to hear about this! What a hassle. We’ve had one really big flood here - the first year after we moved to our house the basement had a major flood. The good news is that insurance covered everything. It turned out to be a good thing since it looked ten times better afterwards, and the basement would have been far from the first project on our list! </p>
<p>Anyway, just as you are describing in your house, our downstairs rooms are open to one another. The original estimate we received from the insurance company was to replace the carpet, and install new drywall and ceiling in just one space. I did exactly what momcubed is advising you to do - spoke to a supervisor and protested the coverage - they immediately agreed to pay for all of it. Unless you can locate the same dye lot for the carpet or are assured that the new lot will be as good as an exact match, I wouldn’t settle for it so easily. Good luck!</p>
<p>That happened to us, so I sympathize! The insurance paid for all of it, but then a month later ANOTHER pipe burst, and this time we caught it before it did any damage. (Well, mostly because all the carpet had already been torn out.) Get this: since we caught it BEFORE any damage was done, the insurance did NOT cover any of the plumber bills! They only covered the bills on the first incident that had caused damage!</p>
<p>Tip: Use Clorox any place where you think there might be mold. Put half Clorox and half water in a spray bottle and spray into the walls, cracks, etc. This can stop mold in its tracks and prevent a nasty, huge mold-killing ordeal / bill. Or so I read, and that’s what we did.</p>
<p>In our case, we concluded that the house had shifted due to the thick, hard soil getting so dry on particularly hot, dry Texas summer. Keep the area around the house watered.</p>