Re: To do list on the insurance/Beach project

Phew, a lot to digest.  Cliff, I think you told me this when we spoke by phone on Saturday, but what is a normal moisture reading when you are measuring beach house walls?  Thank you so much for going down there, meeting with the guys, and these detailed pictures and notes.

It sounds like the most immediate need is our rebuttal/counter proposal to USAA to see how much USAA will cover.  Was there a ballpark estimate from Dwayne and them about how much all of this would cost?  Sounds huge.  Does our counter proposal need to be thorough enough to price out and include materials like new flooring and carpet?

Let me know how I can help.

Thanks again,

Marge

On Mon, Oct 5, 2020 at 10:42 AM Cliff Spencer <cliff@alasaw.com> wrote:

Hey ya'll, 

Here is the link to the folder I created on the Spencer google drive for my pics or moisture reading I made with Dwayne: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eAABd_0LgtMOnvJIFTsSuo4hLksBI3S8?usp=sharing

There are comments attached to each one showing the location and the moisture readings and other comments. This is best viewed from google drive on the web rather than opening the images in Preview or another app. I think my comments only show up on the web.

What these moisture reading indicate is that all interior drywall and wood paneling on exterior walls needs to be removed, the insulation removed, so that the walls can dry. If they are not removed, the wall and insulation will dry out, but because of the moisture, mold will develop and continue to grow, as it has already started in several locations. This is the contractors recommendation, and I agree. 

If we decide not to open up all the walls, we could roll the dice, but we'll likely end up with black mold and is hard to remove and will be even more costly if it's allowed to grow for any length of time. Better to pressure USAA to cover it (we've surely paid them enough in premiums) and get it done.

The exterior sheathing on the underside of the house needs to be removed as well. 

Once this is complete, we wait about two weeks for it to dry out. Then it can all be treated for mold and cleaned. Then we can start the process of replacing insulation, drywall and painting.

On the flooring/replacing carpet, we need to get USAA to cover replacing all the carpet, as anything new will not match the existing. As an improvement, per the contractors recommendation, we should consider wood flooring or "LifeProof Vinyl" (google that) as an alternative. Both are better options that tile, which can trap moisture in the sublayers. I am NOT saying we need to replace the tile floor in the beach side downstairs and upstairs. That should dry out well enough once we remove exterior sheathing.

Additional asks for USAA to cover:

-Painting of all walls in order to match new/repaired walls

-Cabinetry to be reset in the laundry room and kitchen

-Storage Pod rental to store the furniture during renovation

-Clean up or everything

-Dumpster costs

Assuming this all goes well with USAA and contractor's schedules, we will need to decide on paint colors. I guess it's an opportunity to rethink interior furniture, replace mattresses and other things that have been on our lists.

Pretty overwhelming, but we can do it! Step by step.

I will put up the hurricane shutters before leaving, as it looks like we have more storms on the way. Yikes!

Cliff Spencer, field to studio

205.377.6729 | www.alasaw.com
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On Oct 2, 2020, at 10:51 AM, Thomas Spencer <tspencer@planetbama.com> wrote:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sR7dA2wp3fmSRAzVPodumEvaozEfqcezYMsaqvW53m8/edit?usp=sharing

 

 

Oct. 2, 2020

 

Make sure the air conditioner is fixed and running at the right level and the house is sealed up and dehumidified.

I have an additional dehumidifier for you to take down.

Fans as well.

 

Reinspect for new mild growth in hidden corners. I didn't kill the mold in the utility closet. If Dewayne and crew didn't tear that out it should be treated with bleach. There is bleach down there.

 

 

Review the adjuster's report.

Walk through the house and look for additional mold, etc.

Walk through the house with DeWayne and identify what really needs to be done.

If you have time before you leave, we can go over the adjuster's report.

We have to identify what he's left off, and what we can legitimately claim beyond what he has identified.

We need to present a counter proposal.

 

We need to decide what we are going to do about replacement flooring.

Keep paint colors

 

Examine Doors front and back 

Kitchen stairs

Utility closet under the stairs

 

 

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