Putting Your House Back Together After a Tornado

[Sinderelly]

Has anyone been through this? We had alot of damage from a May 25th tornado. The emergency work has been done (drying out the house, removing the insulation and building an emergency wall) but re-building has not started. It's really hard to know where to begin. We are waiting on a quote from the restoration company that did the emergency work but still haven't gotten the quote. Has anyone been able to be your own contractor and hire your own electrician, roofer, drywaller, sub-contracter etc? How do you know if you receive a quote if you are getting a good price? We have the insurance adjuster's estimate and we sent the check to our mortgage company already. Any advice out there?

 

[mommyrosa2]

So sorry that you have to go through this. We acted as our own contractors a few years back when we built our first home and sub-contracted all the work (plumbers, electricians, etc.). What I can tell you is that first and foremost IT IS A LOT OF WORK, and can be VERY TIME-CONSUMING. It's not always easy finding the subs and finding reliable, licensed workers and if you don't really know anyone whether directly or thru "word of mouth" then it makes the task even more difficult. It's sometimes worth the extra money to hire a contractor who will take care of everything for you. With that said, if you do decide to venture out on your own, then I strongly suggest you get more than 1 quote from folks. This way you can ensure that you're not being over-charged. Secondly, and most importantly, ask for references & check their references before they do any work - there a lot of shady folks who like to call themselves "professionals" and get everything in writing. Again, a lot of work but it can be done IF you have the time and patience. Best of luck to you.

 

[vsimeone]

Check with your insurance company. My parents' house was destroyed in a tornado in 2002. They hired their own contractor and rebuilt. The insurance paid for them to stay in an apartment for 6 months while they rebuilt.

I'm so sorry you are going through this. It was a traumatic experience for my parents but they were able to rebuild and get back into their house in a reasonable length of time. Best wishes.

 

[mistysue]

I had a tree fall through my roof (nearly $30,000 in damage) and found that contractors suck if you don't know anybody! I would try for a home repair company that hires the subs if you don't have experience with anybody. Then you only have one person you need to contract and getting the subs to do their job is their problem, not yours. Plus if it's not a bigger company, residential contractors can be a pain because they assume you are not going to pay- I had one company calling me before they even sent a bill to threaten a lien on my house.

Advice I have always wanted to give somebody: whatever you do- do not sign a form that the contractor will mediate with the insurance adjuster for you! I did this and then the insurance wouldn't cover my food, hotels, clothes (tree went through my closet) or any of the personal items destroyed... they only covered the home repairs because the adjuster wouldn't talk to me and the contractor wouldn't bill for anything he wasn't doing! It even stated in my policy that these things should be covered but I lost out on a lot because of it- included replacing an outdoor furniture set.

If you were going to try to do the repairs yourself, know that the insurance company might want to see liability insurance for everybody who works on the house, and you will still have to get all the permits.

 

[disneymom2003]

No advice. Just wanted to say how sorry I am that you have to go through this.

 

[disneymom2003]

No advice. Just wanted to say how sorry I am that you have to go through this.

 

[Sinderelly]

Thanks for the great advice everyone! I went across the street and asked the neighbors who they are using as a contractor. We have someone coming tomorrow at 10 to start on an estimate. Our neighbor's brother works for this company too. We are being careful. There has already been some home improvement fraud reports

 

[arminnie]

I'm glad you are being careful. I know so many people that got ripped off after Katrina. They paid deposits to contractors, and then the contractors skipped town.

 

[seashoreCM]

Often all of the good contractors are booked. You should not choose a contractor quickly without checking references for the purpose of getting the job done sooner.

It is better not to let the contractor handle the money and write out checks.

 

[rockyroad]

My advice is not to expect things to be back together quickly.

We are still trying to get our house back together from the May Day 2010 flood.
And sadly no flood insurance which kind of slows things down even more.

Getting things back together takes a lot of time and energy.

Does your insurance have preferred contractors?
My sister did well dealing with hers after a big tree was in her house.
She ended up with a new upgraded roof(had to pay the difference between standard and architectural grade shingles), rooms painted, a new door, a new deck and a new screen house. She was able to make some changes so that her deck and screen house are actually better than before the tree.
She also was able to combine the lost garden thingies and a brick walkway that was damaged by the tree removal equipment and get a beautiful big stamped concrete patio.
And she was able to stack her antique bricks to use later.

And make sure you consider what you want and utilize your opportunities to the fullest.

 

[annsteere]

Keep careful, detailed records in a single notebook or folder.

Our roof blew off in a tornado and we had big water damage in the lower level because with no power for 5 days the sump pump back up battery burned out.

I had no idea that our agent would offer to pay me $15/hour for my labor doing stuff like spraying with bleach to keep mold away. That surprise bonus, based on my calendar and notes, helped cover expenses that were not fully reimbursed.

On the other hand, a list of the many promised and missed delivery dates for new carpet was helpful when they finally did show up and offered to do the labor free as an apology.

 

[bettymae1121]

Be very careful. When a disaster hits an area, con artists flock to the area, taking deposits and leaving town (often they'll do one day's work, so leagally it's no longer fraud, if you can believe that). It might take a bit longer but I'd work with the insurance company and go with whoever they recommend. I believe many insurance companies guarantee the work if done by one of their approved contractors, though of course you need to check with your agent/policy about that.

My MIL had a house fire, the insurance company took care of everything, the contractor they used was great, her house is better than what it was before the fire! In a weird way, it was a blessing, she got a new roof which she really needed but couldn't afford!

 

[crazelion]

I used what going through. I am stilling looking for a contractor put a roof on the house and fixed the cracks in the ceiling. Our tornado hit April 25, 2011. I just got the 4 huge trees off the house.

I was hoping the insurance company would have a list of local contractors but they don't. This is very grueling task be going through. My neighbor hood is still a mess.

 

[MissouriPrincess]

I don't have much insight to offer, but I understand what you're going through. We are also in the process of rebuilding. We lived on the east side of Joplin.

You seem to be making quicker progress than we are. We have had the adjuster come, and they have submitted their official report. We had a contractor do an estimate, but we haven't had his official report back yet. We are also in the process of listing damaged personal property. We are living about 20 minutes away from our home in another town in a duplex. Housing is hard to come by right now, and it is difficult being away from our home/agent.

Again, I don't have much to offer except a hug. This certainly is a learning experience!

 

[cjlvsccm]

to all who are going through this (or have in the past)! Many friends and relatives are facing the same around N.AL from the 04/27 outbreak.

Even if your insur company doesn't have recommended/preferred contractors, find your local or nearest Builders Association... they will be able to provide a list of local contractors, their years in the area, BBB rating, etc. MUCH preferable to the maybe-shady businesses who flock to such areas after a disaster!

I know it's tough, but have patience even while you're proactive to get your home put back together! Wishing my best to you all!

 

[Sinderelly]

We are supposed to get estimates from two contractors by Friday. But they have both already said they are 3-4 months behind. I am hoping someone can secure our wall and hoping we don't get more wind as the temp wall isn't very sturdy. To everyone near Joplin or other harder hit areas I wish you the best of luck putting things back together. Our area wasn't hit near as hard but our neighboorhood was the hardest hit in this area and I am getting a just a small sample of what y'all must be going through.

 

[My3kiddos]

I haven't dealt with a tornado, but we did have a house fire in October 2009. Our insurance company called Paul Davies Restoration to board the house up and we had the option of using them to rebuild the inside of the house and try to salvage what could be salvaged or find someone else. We went with them based on their reputation locally and that they guarantee their work. They were an absolute blessing. I still talk to the guy who was in charge of the structure claim. I think getting a contractor would be your best bet. Going thru a disaster is traumitizing enough and you don't need the added stress of subcontracting everything out and making sure the work gets done. Also there are alot of scums that come out of the woodwork during disasters.