Remodel Contracting Podcast

When Disaster Strikes: Navigating the Storm Restoration Process

• Jeff Bass • Episode 6

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What’s Involved In Storm Damage Repair And Restoration?

When disaster strikes your home, the aftermath is more than just water and debris—it's a complex journey from chaos back to comfort. General contractor Jeff Bass pulls back the curtain on what storm restoration really looks like on the ground, revealing crucial insights that every homeowner needs to know before filing an insurance claim.

The restoration process begins immediately after damage occurs, with professionals working to reseal your home environment against further intrusion. But the real challenge often lies in navigating insurance claims. As Jeff candidly points out, "Insurance companies didn't grow by paying claims"—they operate much like casinos, collecting premiums while paying out as little as possible. This dynamic makes professional advocacy essential during the claims process.

Most homeowners don't realize that cleaning up storm damage too quickly can actually reduce their insurance payout. Proper documentation before remediation ensures maximum coverage for all affected areas. Jeff shares a remarkable success story where professional advocacy transformed a $37,000 initial insurance offer into an $80,000 settlement, allowing for a complete kitchen renovation and new flooring throughout the downstairs of a home following water damage from a leaky dishwasher. The difference? Having someone who understood how to identify and document all related damage, including cracked granite countertops and water-damaged hardwood floors the insurance company initially missed.

From understanding the supplemental claims process to knowing when remediation should be handled by specialists, this episode provides essential knowledge for anyone dealing with storm damage. The right contractor doesn't just repair your home—they transform disaster into opportunity by maximizing legitimate insurance coverage.

Ready to protect your greatest investment from storm damage? Call 469-831-5620 for a free consultation and discover why having a qualified advocate makes all the difference when disaster strikes your home.

To learn more about Remodel Contracting visit:
https://www.RemodelContracting.net
Remodel Contracting
801 Alpha Rd, Ste 133
Richardson, TX 75081
469-831-5620

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Remodel Contracting Podcast, where outdated spaces meet their modern makeover destiny. Hosted by Jeff Bass, general contractor, home renovation expert and guy who firmly believes your avocado green bathroom has gotta go. Based in the DFW Metro, remodel Contracting is here to help you level up your living space Because, hey, you updated your wardrobe, now it's time to update your home. Expect more, live better. Let's remodel.

Speaker 2:

Storms don't just leave behind water, they leave behind chaos. Storms don't just leave behind water, they leave behind chaos. In this episode, jeff unpacks what really goes into storm restoration, from emergency response to final walkthrough. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host, slash producer, back in the studio with general contractor and home renovation expert, jeff Bass. Jeff, how are you today?

Speaker 3:

Doing great. Sofia, really happy to be here with you, happy to have you back, jeff Bass.

Speaker 2:

Jeff, how are you today Doing? Great, sophia, really happy to be here with you, happy to have you back, jeff. Now nobody breaks down the mess and method like you. Can't wait to dig into what storm recovery really looks like on the ground. So, jeff, let's get into it. What's involved in storm damage, repair and restoration?

Speaker 3:

Okay, that's a great question, great topic, sophia. So, first of all, with any kind of storm damage, we want to start the remediation process as soon as possible. That means the first step is to stop however the damage is coming in, whether it be wind damage, hail damage, water damage. We've got to seal up the house again. Your house is a sealed environment and we need to return it to that state as quickly as possible, and it depends on what type of damage it is. We do a lot of roofs, so if it's a hail or storm damage on the roof, we will immediately send the team out there to tarp the roof and then we will start the process after that.

Speaker 3:

If it's a water damage, depending on what it is. I don't do 24-7 remediation, but there are a lot of companies that do that I work with. I believe in being excellent at whatever you perform, and that is just something that, as a company, I prefer not to do. I prefer to refer the 24-7 remediation out to someone who's an expert at doing that, who's an expert at doing that. After you have returned the house to a state of being sealed, where the elements are no longer coming in your house, then what we have to do is we start the repair process, so we go in and, if it's a roof, we will find out where all of the leaks are. We will check the condition of the gutters, of the siding, of the shingles, of course, of the screens on your windows, and then you'll file your insurance claim, and the best thing for us to do is to have one of our representatives there anytime the insurance adjuster's there, so we can establish that relationship, build that trust and so that they can see, so we can give a different perspective on what kind of repairs are going to be required.

Speaker 3:

It's important to have an advocate in your court when dealing with insurance companies. Remember, insurance companies didn't grow by paying claims right. It's just like when you go to Vegas. They didn't build those casinos off of winners, right. They built them because people give money and they keep it there. And that's the same way insurance companies grow, right. They collect your money and they pay as little in claims as they can. That's why it's important for you to have an advocate on your side and then we help with that process.

Speaker 3:

Whether it be storm damage, water damage, roof damage, hail damage, whatever it is, we work through that process, actually even fire damage. I just worked with a restaurant on remediating their fire damage. So that's what it is. We come in, seal up the house, make sure it's not leaking anymore, go through the insurance company to see what kind of damage is going to be covered. If it's interior damage, we'll be pulling sheetrock off to make sure that any framing behind the sheetrock is drying out properly. And once everything's dried out properly, we will pull out insulation, replace that, replace the sheetrock and bring the house back to the condition it was before the damage occurred. And, like I said, we're your advocate. They're, every step of the way, working with the insurance company to make sure that you get restored back to the state that your house was in before the damage occurred.

Speaker 2:

So, jeff, what are the first steps homeowners should take right after storm damage occurs?

Speaker 3:

The first thing they should do is call their insurance company and get the process started. In filing a claim, the insurance company is going to want to see the damage has occurred. So I recommend, if it's interior damage, take pictures. Honestly, I don't recommend for homeowners trying to clean up the mess themselves because, remember, the larger the claim is, the more money the insurance is going to recover for you. I know that sounds kind of backwards, but you know I mean the less damage there is, the less money you're going to get on your claim. So it really kind of depends on what your objectives are.

Speaker 3:

And I will tell you one thing people need to keep in mind is, let's say, your dishwasher leaks. Okay, the insurance company is not going to pay to remodel your kitchen. They're going to pay to repair the damage. That's done. You know the insurance company doesn't care if your lower cabinets match your upper cabinets, which that part can be very frustrating on things like that. So again, that's where we try to get as much damage covered as possible so that we can bring it back to a state where you're happy with it. But yeah, the first thing you should do is call your insurance company and file a claim. Next thing you should do is call me and we will make sure to get somebody out there to start the remediation process, which, and depending on the claim, could be me and my team, or it could be someone that I refer out. But yeah, that's the first step.

Speaker 2:

Now, what is your initial property inspection?

Speaker 3:

we'll first of all try to find out where the damage is coming in from. We remediate that. Put a tarp on the roof shut off, whatever water shut off valve needs to be shut off, you know, just find out where the water is coming in and get that solved. That's the first thing that we're going to do and then typically we will, you know, we'll walk through and get a general assessment of what damage is. But it's important to get the insurance adjuster out there as soon as possible and to make sure that we're all on the same page as far as what damage is, so that we can make sure that when we do start the rebuilding process that those items are going to be covered.

Speaker 3:

You know we don't want to go in and start ordering replacement cabinets if the insurance company is not planning on paying for those, and the process is called a supplement process. So the insurance company will come forward with their initial things that they're going to cover and then anything after that point is called a supplement, which we have to file paperwork with the insurance company and negotiate back and forth with them to get them to cover other items. And most people don't want to be out of pocket to cover those items, not knowing if their insurance company is going to reimburse them or not. That's why the sooner we connect with the insurance company, then the sooner we can get those items covered. For example, if we do the initial walk through with the adjuster, we can point out things that he's not seeing, and then we don't have to go through the supplement process later if those items are included immediately up front.

Speaker 2:

Is there a story you would like to share with our listeners here today about a time when you advocated for a client and things turned out way better than they expected?

Speaker 3:

Oh, absolutely so. I mean I've got tons of them. So I have one recently where it was a leaky dishwasher in a kitchen and let's see, they had tile floors in the kitchen and in the breakfast area they had hardwood floors and the insurance company initially came in and wanted to pay I want to say $37,000 on the claim. They did not want to pay for the upper cabinets, they wanted to have unmatching lower cabinets in there. This one I did not get involved until after the remediation company had been there. It was actually a little scary. So if the kitchen is out of business, if you can't do anything in your kitchen, everything's disconnected, everything's gone. The insurance company should be at a minimum giving you a daily per diem for meals and, ideally, should be paying for you to be in a hotel or an Airbnb.

Speaker 3:

This particular one had a pony wall, which is a short wall, and that pony wall was supporting a granite countertop. The insurance company took the cabinet out that was supporting this on the back of this pony wall, took the cabinet out. So you had a small pony wall supporting a granite countertop that was about 200 pounds just teetering on it, being held up with two by fours. When I got there, it had already fallen over. The whole wall had fallen over, the slab of granite had fallen over, and this homeowner had toddlers in the house. Imagine if one of those toddlers had tried to pull up a chair, like they usually do, to have their breakfast there, and this countertop had fallen on that child.

Speaker 3:

You know, sometimes the insurance companies and the remediation companies, they're not going to do what's in your best interest. I mean, this is an entire kitchen of granite countertops being held up, floating on two by fours. It was ridiculous. So we came in, we took pictures, showed where the granite was cracked that we had, showed that there was water damage on the hardwood floors in the breakfast area, as well as the tile floors.

Speaker 3:

Long story short, we wound up getting enough from the insurance company to not only replace the countertops that they weren't going to replace, also replace the upper cabinets that they weren't planning on replacing, and we replaced all of the flooring in the entire downstairs of the house. Wow, we got that claim from like $37,000. We got that claim up to almost $80,000. So they got a brand new kitchen uppers, lowers, countertops, everything. We actually redesigned the kitchen and instead of having a peninsula, we put in an island in the middle and we got all new flooring and the entire downstairs of the house. So that's where having an advocate on your side negotiating with the insurance company can work to your benefit.

Speaker 2:

Wow, thanks for that important insight, jeff. Always appreciate the way you bring clarity to high stress topics, and we'll catch you next time with more ways to level up your living space.

Speaker 3:

Thank you, sophia, great to be here.

Speaker 1:

That's a wrap for this episode of Remodel Contracting Podcast. Ready to kick that 90s kitchen to the curb? For a free in-home consultation, call 469-831-5620 or visit remodelcontractingnet. Expect more, because your home deserves better and, honestly, so do you.