What are the odds?
I recently deemphasized the fact that Levco does insurance-related reconstruction work because railing against the Disaster Response industry is like beating your head against the brick wall. I apologize in advance, this article is cathartic.
At Levco, we actually do rebuild homes and are learning from every accidental insurance-related encounter. We are pre-disastered if you will.
Floods, Fires, & Disasters, Can Happen to Anyone.
Rebuilding after a disaster doesn’t have to go badly at all. As the police say, we can do it the easy way or …
So much depends on the insurance adjustors, like anything there are good ones and bad ones. Years after winning a fight with an insurance adjustor (whom I will not work with again). I was left feeling exhausted, emotionally bankrupt, and pissed off at the end of the project. But I won by golly! Ultimately I paid a heavy price for following my moral compass and putting the project back together correctly. Never again, I muttered to myself.
Shortly after that painful experience was over, I was approached by a couple that had a major fire in their home five months prior. No rebuilding had started yet. Their gut was telling them that things were not right.
They told me, “The cleanup company seems unequipped to do the work?” “Well, I said, of course, they are NOT”. The clients were actually threatened with “big fines” if they reneged on the contract they signed under duress. They were intimidated into having the remodeling work done by their clean-up company against their will. Oy, I thought this is not going to go the way they initially envisioned at all. I wished them well. (More to come on this one)
My two cents
My 2 Cents, For What it’s Worth
After the mitigation (Cleanup part) is done you can (and should IMHO) get a professional remodeling contractor to rebuild your home. Shame on the disaster response industry for behaving unethically. It is perpetuated by the insurance industry who would rather not have remodeling companies do the work so that they can control costs.
Contracts signed while the client is disoriented from a disaster should be prohibited, yet it happens daily. I am spring-loaded to shine the light on this behavior and I’ll do what I can to protect & defend anyone who is being treated unfairly.
Recent Events Are All Over The Map
In one recent case, a client forced her insurance company to pay for the flood repairs when my price came in one-third higher than their estimate. Bless you!
The following week, on my first visit, I was accused of being unprofessional when I asked a prospect for the claim number to do some research. In her case, one month after a speeding drunk driver hit their home, the gaping car-size hole in a bedroom was still not fixed. This is unacceptable people!
The homeowner was so confused by the insurance companies and claims, that she thought I was the enemy. Exhaustion and confusion set in as she was scrambling to get three bids to fix her home. She was sure that she was entitled to a lottery-size windfall and was preparing to contact her attorney. Actually getting the work done properly was a secondary concern. I felt bad for her as I hightailed it out of there. I drove by recently and saw that it eventually got fixed.
Lessons To Digest & Share
- Disasters are very disorienting. Avoid them by properly maintaining your home.
- The insurance company is usually there to help you. They have rules they must follow so at times they may seem at odds with you.
- Check your policy to be sure you are adequately covered (Garages especially) before you have a loss.
- Get sound advice from people that know and deal with these situations regularly. Like any serious medical diagnosis, getting a second opinion is prudent.
- Getting three bids is a waste of time and effort.
- Pick the contractor you trust and go with them.
- Never enter a project or any type of serious relationship on the wrong foot or without trust.
Levco Has Figured Out How to Help
Most remodeling contractors have no idea how to help fix a large loss. Levco has recently figured out how to do it well. It is in our nature to run towards problems like these. Sadly profitability was typically thrown out the door. Finally, after many failed attempts we have developed systems that protect our margin and make the work worth doing. Naturally, there will be new twists and turns but it is working pretty darn well for the time being, FFN as I like to say.
Your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about remodeling, click here to email me directly, or call 208-947-7261
If you or someone you know is considering remodeling or just wants to speak to a trustworthy remodeling contractor, please contact me. You’ll be glad you did.
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