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DH an I woke up at about 9 AM today and discovered a fire in our garage. Our two dogs were out there; one, an English mastiff, Junior, survived. Unfortunately, our elderly, frail presa canario did not. Neither DH nor I was injured.
The response of our fire department was remarkable. They were able to confine most of the damage to the garage, which has been reduced to a pile of black debris. The rest of the house does have some heat damage and a lot of water and, of course, smoke. My car was not in the garage but close to it. It is now nothing but a metal skeleton. DH was able to move his vehicle and it is undamaged.
We are (well) insured with USAA and their response has been fantastic. They sent someone to board the house up right away, and I have been in contact with their adjuster and someone who will help us find a place to live. We are spending the night at DH's office. I will be able to get a rental car until I can replace mine.
The problem with a place to live is finding a landlord who will have a yard for a mastiff. Condos and townhouses are pretty much out. We will be checking into the possibility of a long term boarding situation for him.
Do any of you have any suggestions for avoiding pitfalls with rebuilding? We have had great service from USAA with other issues in the past and will go with one of their recommended contractors.
How absolutely horrible. That's one of my worst nightmares. I'm so glad you and your husband are OK, but the loss of your dog is just too sad. My condolences to you on your loss.
When my uncle lost a house (the entire house) in a forest fire he decided not to rebuild. I remember that it took months to do the inventory for the insurance company - remember, it was an entire house - and all the extended family members pitched in with photos of family heirlooms and at family gatherings at that house. I never thought of doing a video inventory of my garage but that's probably a good idea going forward.
Do you have any family members or friends who can keep Junior until life settles down? My uncle had two dogs who survived the fire and one elderly one who did not. Family members took care of the survivors for the short term.
There was a poster on C-D who wrote multiple posts about his experience rebuilding after a fire. Wish I could remember his name but I'm drawing a blank. Hopefully he'll see your post and step up.
Best of luck to you. I hope the whole process goes smoothly and quickly for you.
Holy smokes! So sad to hear that you lost your dog. I'd be extremely bummed if my dog were harmed/killed. Let insurance make you "whole again." Put in a smoke/CO2 alarm in your garage, too. Glad to hear you are unharmed (physically.)
I’m also a USAA member- and yes, that service aspect is still good. You can use whoever you like for the rebuild- sometimes the suggested contractors are not the best. It’s just ones that have a “working relationship”.
The adjuster will use a software program called Xactimate. It is a calculating software that determines materials and labor. It is “programmed” for certain areas based on zip code and other “industry protocols”. For a garage, it should be somewhat straightforward- but all the incidental casualty can be “grey” depending on the adjuster. I’d probably ask how up to date the system is due to current supply chain and labor issues- otherwise, be prepared to do some brow-beating to cover costs.
What most people miss is contents. And if your garage is like 75% of the country you probably have/had a lot of “STUFF” that is now gone.
I have no idea what the Rome area has in the way of GC’s, but I’m sure there are several. Talk to friends, neighbors, work peeps, family members in the area who have had remodeling/building done. Would they recommend who they hired? Maybe one of them will be the same as suggested by USAA adjuster. Do damn good and deep due diligence before signing a contract. This may seem like a small/medium job that could be handled in the matter of a couple/three months- but don’t get your hopes up! Everybody is busy, short handed, and generally lack supplies to complete jobs in a timely matter. Ordering some materials may take months to get.
Think of this “project” as a short-term relationship between you and the GC (your assigned adjuster is your arbitrator- but I sometimes wonder in who’s corner are they actually in), if you don’t get the “warm&fuzzies”, keep looking. Communication is a really big key- and I don’t just mean the GC to you. You have to be communitive also. Ask questions, relay concerns and wishes. If you see something you don’t understand- ask! See something that doesn’t look right, is wrong, or just doesn’t seem right- say something. Get an explanation that you understand- if you don’t understand, say so. Hopefully another explanation will clear the air.
I know there maybe a push to settle for less expensive, or more readily available items just to get the job done- resist as much as possible (remember, insurance is to replace “like-for-like”). Once done, you’ll have no recourse to change later.
As far as the other questions, I’m probably not the one to ask because I have not been in that situation. All I can tell you is I’ve heard good stories, and bad. But, with no first-hand knowledge let’s just call it “hearsay”.
Sorry for your loss; you will get through it. Life may have skipped a beat, but it does go on. And this maynot be the easiest thing to get through- but the more you know, the “more better” the experience!
Look for places close enough to your house that you can check on it daily.
When a tornado destroyed the house of a neighbor in B'ham, they rented my rental house, which literally overlooked theirs. They then got to comfortably watch the GC and make sure nobody was coming in and taking their "stuff." Talk about ideal!
Another possibility, although it is the wrong season, is to rent an RV or trailer and park it ON your property if you are allowed. The mastiff can then stay where he is familiar, life goes on much as normal but in a more condensed space.
If you have concerns at all about theft, rent a storage unit for the most valuable / easily fenced items.
Contact the insurance co.immediately to have them procure a hotel room for you and a kennel for the dog.
Rebuild projects tend to drag on. While that's happening, rent a place where you can have your dog. Induce some sympathy by explaining your house was damaged by a fire. Maybe they will forgo their no pet policies for you for a short tenancy.
Make a list of the items you lost in the fire. If you kept receipts in a file in the main part of the home, bring them out and match with your lost list.
I have nothing to add but I am so sorry to read what you have experienced. I hope things go as smoothly as possible in rebuilding- and I am sorry for the loss of your beloved pet.
How terrible for you all. I'm so sorry for your loss of your beloved old dog. I'll be following your thread, it may help me, or someone else, down the line. I hope you can find a place appropriate for you and your other dog quickly. x
I would recommend that you make 100% sure you understand exactly what your policy covers and to what extent. You'll be surprised how many people have come up short after a casualty because the terminology was not what they thought it meant.
We had a homeowner in out development that found that out when they discovered their policy with all the fancy words and terms ended up paying to rebuild the damage portion but not to the same like standard that was before the loss. The maximum of the policy was not enough to cover all the quality details needed and it ended up being more builder grade to get everything done. Even their attorney who ended up getting just a few extra thousands out of the insurance company, basically told them they were underinsured where it counted. There were also issues with the contents as some items required a rider that they didn't get because they assumed it's based only on all value.
Many of their issues arose just because they didn't understand the actual terms and conditions of their policy so they had to make lots of decisions they didn't want to make just so they didn't run out of insurance money or end up with their original Nordstrom's exterior finishes with a Dollar Tree interior.
USAA does have a good reputation for handling claims but they are not without similar "surprises" over policy limits as non-affinity companies have. So make sure you fully understand exactly what they are covering and to what extend/quality from the start.
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