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Policyholder Claim Story: Rich in Ohio
August 05, 2016
The Fire
On September 20, 2014, Rich and his wife were in the final few weeks of a two-year-long home remodeling. Rich’s home is a 1950’s-style ranch home. The goal of the remodel was to create an open floor plan within the home. This would include removing three walls to combine the sunroom, kitchen, dining room, and living room, followed by extending out a fourth wall and replacing a screened in back porch. Rich and his wife performed nearly all of the work themselves.
On this Saturday, they were finishing up the living room by applying a fresh coat of stain / varnish to the solid wood paneling. The pair finished this task late Saturday night. Rich laid the staining rag over the edge of a plastic trash can sitting in the garage.
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The next day, on Sunday, Rich and his wife left the house for the morning. While they were out, the rag in the garage ignited, setting off a dangerous series of events. The rag lit the contents of the trash can on fire. The plastic trash can melted, igniting another plastic trash can. This can fell onto and melted a one gallon plastic gas can, sending gasoline onto the garage floor. The intensity quickly accelerated as the fire melted through the plastic gas tanks of the lawn mower, weed whacker, and leaf blower. This quickly ignited everything combustible, including all of the wood from the small woodshop in the garage, setting the garage ablaze.
Thankfully, a neighbor, having just gotten up from a nap, spotted flames in the garage window and quickly called 9-1-1.
Unaware of the fire ravishing their garage, Rich and his wife were traveling home when they spotted fire trucks ahead of them. With sirens blaring, these trucks traveled through intersections in front of the couple. Just then, Rich’s wife received a call from their neighbor notifying them of the fire. “It was the longest two-mile drive home of our lives” said Rich. The couple had no idea how much damage was done or if the fire was even put out yet. They arrived to see firefighters with hoses approaching their garage. This is when the couple witnessed the orange flames raging behind the garage door windows. “Seconds seemed like minutes” before the firefighters broke open these glass windows with their water hose. After that, the fire was extinguished in less than a minute.
An important note to remember about a fire extinguished with water: a huge amount of steam is produced. The steam mixes with the smoke and results in significant damage. Rich’s house and attic were filled with this combination immediately after the fire was extinguished. Fortunately, the fire did not breach the drywall in the garage.
Reality Sets In
Once the fire chief and the fire investigator finished their work with the couple’s damaged property, Rich was informed that his power, water, and gas had been cut off. He was also told to board up their home before dark to prevent any acts of vandalism. Rich described this moment, “You literally feel totally helpless at that point”.
Fortunately, Goodville’s independent adjuster, Tim Couch of Northeast Adjusting Services, Inc. arrived at the property that same afternoon after traveling for two hours. Rich comments, “It was comforting as Tim explained the steps we needed to take to prepare”. “I distinctly remember him saying ‘everything will be OK, but prepare for some really bad days ahead’.” For Rich and his wife, those bad days stretched into the following three weeks.
The couple immediately started removing contents to create an inventory and deciding what could be salvaged. For Rich and his wife, the most difficult part of this process was watching as four new remodeled rooms were stripped down to the studs. Windows, trim, doors, ceilings, insulation, and flooring were tossed into dumpsters.
A Place to Stay
Rich and his wife were unable to stay in their home after the fire and during the construction. They were invited to stay with a neighbor for the first three weeks. This was a great help as they began to empty their house and sort through their contents.
The couple then moved into the local Residence Inn. This Inn allowed pets, and fortunately, the family cat survived the fire. Goodville provided Rich and his wife with funds to stay in this location for the next eight months. Rich says, “This was so comforting and conveniently located”.
Recovery
Rich began looking for recovery service contractors right away. He found many of these contractors immediately eager to sign you up and ready to start. However, he soon learned this is not the time to make any quick decisions. You need to ask detailed questions of each contractor and quickly become educated on fire restoration processes. Rich suggests asking for documented process and task lists, and agreements with commitment deadlines. Also, try to setup weekly reviews of the progress. He states, “You have to engage yourself in the entire process from inventory to restoration.”
Rich found that there are all-in-one fire restoration service providers, but when you discuss details, most subcontract out various services such as demolition, fire restoration, construction, finishing, content cleaning / restoration, and so on. That is not a bad thing, but you need to also research the sub-contractors.
Rich and his wife decided to use an all-in-one contractor. Unfortunately, after six months of work and delays, the couple decided to part ways with their contractor.
With their knowledge from the remodeling process, the couple completed the remaining work themselves over the next three months. This involved painting, electrical and plumbing, and working with a kitchen cabinet installer. Because Rich is the homeowner, the county inspectors agreed to perform remaining inspections without the contractors. The restoration work passed all the inspections.
Fire Prevention / Damage Prevention Suggestions
- Purchase a fire proof trash container when working with heavy oils, oil-based paints, and varnishes. This container should be used to hold all waste rags and used brushes. Rich was told by the fire chief that even peanut oil on cotton rags is capable of self-combusting if not discarded properly.
- Buy only metal Type-II Safety Cans for storing gasoline and other flammable liquids. Rich had three gallons of liquid stored in this type of metal can, and they did not ignite in the fire. If possible, the best option is to not store any fuel in your home, including propane.
- Make sure you have a fire-rated door between the house and the connected garage. Also, ensure it has spring-loaded hinges to keep the door closed. In Rich’s situation, smoke entered the house from the garage through this avenue, causing much damage.
- Make sure to keep any attic access closed to the garage. Similar to the previous situation, smoke entered the attic in this way and coated everything in black soot.
- Upgrade your thermostat to communicate with your smoke detectors. This will enable the thermostat to shut off the air-conditioner / furnace fan in the event of smoke. For Rich, his thermostat turned on the air-conditioner to adjust for the heat, contributing to the spread of smoke throughout the house.
- Upgrade your smoke alarms to send a text if triggered. Rich’s home contained five smoke alarms, and all were triggered by the fire. However, none of the alarms could be heard by neighbors until they stepped outside of their homes.
Restoration Process Suggestions
- Inventory and secure all contents of the home / garage before removing anything for disposal, cleaning, or replacement. This process will ensure that every item is accounted for in the end. Rich notes that during the entire 18-month restoration period, he spent considerable hours itemizing construction tasks and ensuring quality of work. “This is not the norm, but you should be prepared to do so if necessary” says Rich.
- As part of your inventory, take pictures of all contents before removal from the home / garage. Rich says, "Do not rely solely on the contractors to perform this task even if they say it is part of their service".
Conclusions
The entire process of restoring the house and contents to pre-fire conditions took 18 months. Rich reports that there is no indication the house sustained a fire. He and his wife are “so grateful for [the independent adjuster] Tim Couch, [the Goodville claims representative] Michael Eby, and their insurance agent Steve Miller [of S C Miller Agency], who guided [them] through this life changing ordeal”. Rich continues, “I want to thank Goodville so much for your service and support in helping return our home to its original state.” “Throughout the entire process I found that Goodville representatives were extremely fair and responsive to our needs and patient with the delays we experienced with contractors."
Rich and his wife are also thankful for the friends who stepped up to help during this tragedy. They were willing to immediately open their homes, provide meals, and help sift through their belongings.
In a final statement, Rich says, “I have realized so many unpleasant emotions associated with the fire and have absolute fear of ever experiencing it again. It was a test of our faith, our marriage and strength to just plow through it all. A fire is a life changing event, and we pray we never experience it again. [We] have a whole new perspective and compassion for fire victims.”
The couple hopes their story can educate the public about fire prevention and help others experiencing something similar.
This blog entry is created for informational purposes only. Any viewpoint or sponsorship of outside parties involved in the blog entry does not necessarily represent Goodville’s stance as a company. The blog should not be used as a substitute for professional advice.
Policyholder Claim Story: Aven in Virginia
July 13, 2016
The Catastrophic Event
On February 23 and 24 of 2016, according to the Weather Channel website, at least 61 confirmed tornadoes ripped across 10 states on the eastern coast of the U.S. Aven and her family were among those who witnessed this outbreak first-hand. She recounts the events of that Wednesday, “We had tornado warnings all day on the 24th”. This prompted her and her husband to take the kids and the animals to the basement. “We heard a loud roar, and my husband and I looked at each other and knew it was coming.” They found the safest part of the basement, the bathroom, and huddled together.
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“We heard the roar of the freight train go over us very quickly; it only took about 45 seconds to rip the roof and entire second story off of our home.” Though she did not know at the time, Aven’s family home had lost not only the second story roof, but the entire second floor. This floor held the kids’ rooms, and in an instant, all of their belongings were scattered about the community. The two family vehicles were buried by debris. Trees were downed all over the community.
According to the NBC12 News website, the damaging event was classified as an EF-3 tornado, with winds up to 140 miles per hour. The tornado’s path reached 400 to 500 yards wide, cutting a 28-mile path through parts of Virginia. The news station, quoting the State Police, reported at least 25 people injured and at least 30 buildings damaged. Aven and her family were in shock, but thankfully, no one was hurt.
Aven then focused on reporting a claim to her agent, Riverland Insurers. She was able to visit their website on her iPhone and report the claim. The family home and vehicles were insured with Goodville Mutual, so she clicked on the Goodville claims link and called the 24 hour claims service. “I spoke directly to a claims rep. that night….I had a claim number and a call from Angela [at Goodville] by 8 AM the next morning.”
The Day After
On Thursday, the day after the tornado, Aven and her family began combing through the damage. They focused their efforts on valuables most easily damaged, such as photos.
The adjuster called and emailed Aven by 8 AM. He later visited the location of the claim and stayed for several hours.
That same day, Aven was approved for a $5,000 advance. This was used to help purchase essentials for the kids, as their bedrooms were hit the hardest. Aven’s daughter was able to recover a few belongings, but her son’s bedroom was completely lost.
Two Days After
On Friday, two days after the tornado, volunteers showed up to help load salvageable items from the house. The family secured what was left of their home, and after Aven heard back from Goodville, the family had the rest of the house demolished.
Aven’s family decided to move into a rental home. They signed a 6 month lease with a local Real Estate company, and Goodville issued a check for the lease (just two days after the storm).
The Impact
Once the independent adjuster finalized his report, Goodville Mutual declared the home a total loss. A check was issued to the family on March 8.
In Aven’s neighborhood, 5 homes were declared total losses. “One other was with Goodville, and they were also very pleased [with the claim].” Only 2 of these homes are being rebuilt. Aven and her family decided against rebuilding their home not only because of the destruction to the physical building, but because of the terrible memories associated with the place. “The children have not gone back to the house since the night of the tornado; we wanted to shield them from the devastation.” The family sold the lot where the house once stood, helping to finance the purchase of a new house. Aven is set to close on July 15 and move the family in August, finishing out the 6 month lease on the rental.
When asked about the coverage they were provided by Goodville Mutual, Aven stated, “We were very pleased with the Home Cover Plus endorsement that gave us extra coverage for my husband’s boat and trailer, as well as the deductible waiver.” The deductible was waived because their home was a total loss. The family plans on insuring their new home with Goodville as well. Looking back now, Aven states, “Goodville made this devastating experience so much smoother”. She is “very pleased with the rental”, and “the company along with the adjuster were great.”
While you may hope to never use your insurance for a difficult claim, you can feel confident knowing, if that time comes, Goodville will support you.
This blog entry is created for informational purposes only. Any viewpoint or sponsorship of outside parties involved in the blog entry does not necessarily represent Goodville's stance as a company. The blog should not be used as a substitute for professional advice.