the joys of home ownership

[tekmoe]

i've lived in my home for almost two months now. 2 days after i moved in, the hot water pipe under the sink burst. i was able to get it turned off pretty quickly so the damage to the hardwood floors was minimal.

this past saturday, the cold water pipe decided to burst. i was not so fortunate this time around. the water flooded the entire kitchen, went into parts of the living room, master bedroom, and almost made its way into the studio room (the entire house is hardwood, exlcuding the bathroom.) it took me almost 2 hours to get all of the water out of the house.

fast forward a couple of days...i call allstate, my homeowners insurance provider, who instructs me to have a compnay called Servpro come out and suck up all the water out of the floors. not knowing how this process works, i figured it would take a few hours and they'd be on their way. WRONG. this is a 3 day process. they have about 12 blowers in my house along with several humidifiers. they are also using these big clear plastic mats that suck the water out of the cracks in the hardwood floors. it's amazing how much water is underneath the floors! it's very hot and very loud inside the house. i'm staying at a hotel over in irving right next to my work until all the water is sucked up.

i'm going to have to shell out close to a grand for the deductable. there goes my stimulus check. but on the bright side, i'm going to get all of the flooring throughout the house replaced as well as new kitchen cabinetry. this is definitely worth more than a grand and it will also help the resale value of my home.

even after all of this, the positives of owning a home definitely outweigh the negatives.

[Ash]

when something like that happens again 15 times in the next year, you'll think again.

[Liz]

Hmmmmmmmmm a grand for all new floors AND cabinets in the kitchen, sounds like a steal to me. YEAH for homeownership and its insurance.

[tekmoe]

Originally Posted by Ash

when something like that happens again 15 times in the next year, you'll think again.

not very optimistic are we?

[Ash]

optimistic, but realistic

[hepkatmama]

i have to replace my fence with my stimulating check.

woot! so very exciting.

[C-fer]

Still looking for a house... what a pain in the ass it's turning out to be.
Great house, bad neighborhood... Good neighborhood, the house is a mess.
Great house, good neighborhood, and the owners take the house off the market...

Hope I don't get those problems after I move in, but it sounds like everything is under control now. Best of luck!

[thumpcbd]

Originally Posted by Red

Hmmmmmmmmm a grand for all new floors AND cabinets in the kitchen, sounds like a steal to me. YEAH for homeownership and its insurance.

HAAHHAHAa you have never seen how much your insurance bill goes up after a water damage claim has been filed on a house before. It's not free -- just financed through your insurance company for the next 10 years.

[PETA]

houses are money pits.... just better long term money pits than paying rent

[Liz]

Originally Posted by hepkatmama

i have to replace my fence with my stimulating check.

woot! so very exciting.

We're putting ours up for our taxes at the end of the year and actually have FUN with our Christmas bonus check this year (for gifts/vacationing, etc.) instead of putting it towards bills.

Yeah for being grown-ups, a?

[Liz]

Originally Posted by thumpcbd

HAAHHAHAa you have never seen how much your insurance bill goes up after a water damage claim has been filed on a house before. It's not free -- just financed through your insurance company for the next 10 years.

No, you're right, I havent. I havent been blessed with THAT experience yet, thanks.

But yes, I'm not an idiot. I'm well aware that it'll go up. Much like it would after using car insurance, depending on the damages/situation, etc.

Either way, YEAH for home owner's insurance! Just imagine how fucked you'd be without it. Hmmmmmmmm.

[zymote]

Did you not get a home warranty when you bought the house? The right plan would have covered everything for about $50, Servpro and all (awesome company, btw - they do good work). I'd call your agent and bitch them out if they didn't make the seller buy you one.

[PETA]

Originally Posted by zymote

Did you not get a home warranty when you bought the house? The right plan would have covered everything for about $50, Servpro and all (awesome company, btw - they do good work). I'd call your agent and bitch them out if they didn't make the seller buy you one.

Those warranties are pretty much crap. Of the many claims we made I think one was covered under that $50 fee. Now, it is useful in so far as it gets repair personnel to your house more quickly but as far as cost savings we found none. Agreed, it should be negotiated into the purchase but that's just for year one.

[steve-o]

Originally Posted by DjKrispy

Still looking for a house... what a pain in the ass it's turning out to be.
Great house, bad neighborhood... Good neighborhood, the house is a mess.
Great house, good neighborhood, and the owners take the house off the market...

Hope I don't get those problems after I move in, but it sounds like everything is under control now. Best of luck!

sounds like us lol

[zymote]

Originally Posted by xian

Those warranties are pretty much crap. Of the many claims we made I think one was covered under that $50 fee. Now, it is useful in so far as it gets repair personnel to your house more quickly but as far as cost savings we found none. Agreed, it should be negotiated into the purchase but that's just for year one.

What company did you use? I know that none of my clients have had any problems with AHS or Allied, although there are companies out there that are total crap.