Apparently it’s best to look for new insurance companies when your claim is denied–site unseen–and closed out. I spent the better part of last week researching insurance companies and getting quotes. My email exchange with the rep who had two first names bore fruit. He reordered the claim reopened. They sent an adjuster to the house to look over the damage. He confirmed we definitely had grounds for a claim. He took measurements, computed figures, and got back to us Monday with an estimate.
Did you know they pay for a contractor to do the work even when you say you’re going to do it yourself? $20/hour. I have a Masters degree and I’m pretty sure I don’t even make that much money. It just does not pay to go into education. (If you have loved ones pursuing a degree in education, then encourage them to do something else with their talents. But I digress.) Wife has been working on the floor. She had to pull back some of the original floor, dry or replace the subfloor, refinish the original flooring, put it back down, and then she had to extend the flooring under the cabinets. If this happens again, we want it to flood the floor, not seep into the subfloor. Her work is to the right.
The adjuster confirmed that our flooring is original, which makes it almost 30 years old. It looks great, but we can’t find stain to match, meaning the entire floor needs to be stripped and refinished. On the plus side? The color we used for the dining room (floorboards running vertically) which matches the color by the front door is available, so we only have to refinish the kitchen area. My kitchen currently looks like a tent city in a dump.
On the plus side, we’re saving so much money doing it ourselves, that we’re going to be able to replace the pink and white laminate countertop. I don’t have anything against laminate, but the pink is a bit much. The backsplash is pink, and the cupboards are painted white. It’s a dollhouse kitchen, and I’m not a dollhouse kind of girl. (Okay, maybe I sort of am.) I don’t know what we’re going to choose, but I want enough money left over to redo the backsplash too. Just not subway tiles. I don’t get the subway tile trend. It looks like a gas station bathroom, and that’s not a look I want in my kitchen.
We’re also refinishing the cabinets, which are oak under that horrid white paint that shows every single fingerprint from my dirty kids. The basement (finished) is also in need of repair. When the kitchen is finished, I’ll post more pictures!
Here are some pictures of the basement:
Michele Zurlo 