Friday, February 16, 2007

Lessons Learned- Part 2

Lynn Marie asked for the rest of the story, and all the kids are zonked on flue meds, so here goes.... I just hope you don't regret asking!

Friday, it rained. Friday night, it snowed. Saturday, it rained. Saturday night, it snowed. Sunday, same pattern. Monday rolls around, and I decide that I cannot put off cleaning the kids' bathroom anylonger. They stink, and bathing them in a filthy tub last used by the dogs would be somewhat counter-productive. Oh, indeed, I can so put it off longer!

There are pieces of the ceiling in the tub. Not, the popcorn ceiling decided to shed its' winter coat, pieces. Chunks of plaster and drywall. I calmly mention this in an "oh, by the way could you look at this for me" kind of way to my husband when he gets home from work. "Is it safe for me to bathe the kids?", I ask him, " I mean, chunks of ceiling aren't going to fall on their heads, are they?"

Very same day. Different room. Same "oh-by-the-way-could-you-please-look-at-this". Except this time, there is a puddle on the floor of the laundry room. And I'm certain I can't blame it on the puppy, as it's muddy water. The washing machine is leaking, and molding the floor underneath. This gets me looking at other spots in the place that look curiously similar.

Hubs asks what's going on with the treasure hunt that has me saying "dammit dammit dammit" under my breath. I tell him I think there's mold in our house. He freaks, packs the entire family, including dogs into the minivan and truck and insists we drive into town to stay with his parents. I call the one company that answers the phone out of the three listed under "fire and water damage" in the phone book. Hubs calls the insurance company and starts filing a claim.

"DO NOT call your insurance company until you know exactly what is wrong with your house and how bad it really is." Those were the words of the water damage control/mold remediation/carpet cleaning/duct cleaning man who inspected our home. This man happens to be brilliant, by the way, and also proof that the Lord does answer prayers. He attends our church, and I had no idea he was who I'd called for help. He instructed me on how best to handle the insurance company, how to clean the mold myself that the insurance company said was my fault.

And he brought the news that it wasn't near as bad as I thought it was. The mold, that is. The financial ramifications, we're still assessing. We have to replace all of the windows, and the skylight in the kids' bathroom, and patch the roof, all on our own dime. Not to mention replacing the leaky washer.

"And DO NOT EVER let your real estate agent talk you out of a home inspection no matter how bad you want to be in the place yesterday. " Last May, our pellet stove backdrafted into my husband's face while he was lighting it. He has recovered, but that's how we learned that the fire safety inspection of our home previous to the sale had failed. Now, as a result of the catastrophe that has been this February, we've learned that every single window is not only leaking, but also molding. This probably began before we ever laid eyes on the place, but how were we to know without that inspection?

However, we have certainly learned A LOT. And that is good.

2 comments:

Qtpies7 said...

I learned that about car windows, too. You are supposed to call and change your deductible to $0, and then wait a little while and call in the window. You can change it back later. (we didn't do this, but eh car place said we should have talked to them first, thats what they recommend) But you still end up paying for it in the long run with higher payments because of the lack of deductible. But Geico repairs windows free anyways, I believe, they did ours when we were out of state one time.

Anonymous said...

Wow! That is some story and I am glad that I asked. I'm so sorry that you had all those problems at once. Remember that verse that says something about the rain ralling on the just and unjust alike? So you are not alone. Some days it just rains! Thanks for the story.