Storm Damage on August 2, do you know good contractors??

Hi Everyone,

I know this is late posting but it is concern with others which has large trees in your yard. We bought our house in November and had three large trees in our front yard (at least 80 ft tall and 80-90 years old). We thought it was wonderful having such old and large trees. Well since November we had to remove one tree because it was dying (the state removed it for us since it was on their easement). The state tree removal company must have been really inexpensive- once the tree was removed they did replant the bushes but the shock to them don’t know if they will make it, not to mention all the damage the did to other plantings we had. Well that was one tree down but we had two other large, old beautiful trees in our front yard. My thoughts changed about large tree after Saturday, August 2nd.

I was home alone, and ran out to Publics to get some groceries around 7pm. On the way to the store, I noticed the sky getting dark and heard on the radio a sever thunderstorm warning was out from 7-8pm. I just thought to myself, ‘Oh it will be nice to get a bit of rain, might cool us off. It was probably due to the high temps we have been having.” Well I got back from Publics and was in shock to see a tree in my house (see picture). I still didn’t believe it when I got in the house to see rain rushing in. I called State Farm right away, and the firemen showed up to make sure everyone was ok. I was on the phone with State Farm for about a good 30 minutes asking when the adjuster would be coming out- they said a week. I then called a friend of mine to cancel going to the movies on Sunday because of the tree in the house. He didn’t believe that it happened so he came over. Meanwhile, I proceeded to move the wet furniture, mop the water off the hardwood floors and tried to take some pictures. I have never had a tree on my house before so I didn’t know what to do. I thought the insurance company would help, but they are useless when something happens to your home. My friend which came over, then told me while the rain was pouring in the house to call a tree company (which he suggested DeKalb Tree Service- don’t confuse with other companies). After my first experience with the state tree company, was very leery and looked them up with the Better Business Bureau (no complaints filed), so I called them on the emergency number. They said they would be out from ½ - 1 hour to give me an estimate to remove the tree from the house. They were on time and gave me an estimate, which included stump removal and tarpping the house (I thought I had to put the tarp on it). I didn’t get much sleep that night because of the intermittent showers and was concerned about water on the hardwood floors (had to keep water off them). So before DeKalb Tree Service showed up, a guy shows up at my door around 8:30 asking if my house was Zeltwig’s home (believe it or not I know my neighbors last names, and no other on our street had a tree down on their house). He was with another tree service company and State Farm sent him out. I told him I already had it under control with an estimate from another tree service company, and would be showing up at any minute. I asked him for an estimate but he never gave me one. He scurried away after finding out another company was taking care of the tree. Well about an hour afterward, DeKalb Tree Service showed up and did what they said. I also asked for a quote to remove the other large old oak tree (which was struggling to survive), to remove. I had them remove that one also (wasn’t going to take any chance again with a tree coming down). I really hate that we don’t have the old trees in our front anymore but it is better to remove them then to let them fall where they shouldn’t.

So since then, I have contacted some contractors for estimates (Still accepting estimates so if you know of a good general contractor who is reliable, please send me their name and number), and State Farm Adjuster showed up TEN days after the tree arrived in my living room. I am still waiting on estimates from State Farm and other contractors to put my home back together.

If anyone knows of a good contractor or had this happen to them, please let me know so I know what to prepare for.

Also, remember it is up to YOU to call a tree service company, and it is your choice who to go with. Do your research and know who you might call IF a tree lands in your home. I know I will call DeKalb Tree Service again when I need a tree removed.

Here is the tree in the back of the house- yes it was a large tree..

Robert

I sent you a dmail

BB

We are going through the same thing with a tree that fell on our house Cleveland, GA. We had severe tree damage to the Atlanta house less than three years ago. We are self contracting the work up here, a complete tear down and rebuild of a thirty foot, solid masonry chimney, because we had used this chimney person before. The house will need a new metal roof, deck rail sections and some siding. We have contacted the original roofing company too.

Although you are at liberty to use your own contractor and repair people, just be aware that there are a couple of down sides. One is that you are ultimately responsible for supervising the workers as well as the contractor. The other is that, although a contractor will give you a guarantee on the work for a year, they often don't live up to it. In today's terrible building environment even the most prestigious contractors, who have been around for years, are going under. So, if this happens to you during or after your job, it's your problem and not the insurance company's. If you use the insurance company contractors the guarantee is backed by the insurance company and All State will see to it that one of their approved contractors completes or repairs the work to your satisfaction. Even though you might like to think you're getting a great deal by using your own folks, the insurance companies are encouraging folks to go that way so they don't have the headache of dealing with the contractors either. Good luck.
Laurel

Good that your are okay and were not hurt.. Amazing pictures. I would be in shock coming home to see that!

How's your project going by the way Laurel?

BB

Got a footings inspection this a.m.. They will be pouring the footings tomorrow morning. After setting up 3 stories of scaffolding, they discovered that the footings extended under the scaffolding (that needed to be jackhammered out). The scaffolding all had to be taken down and will go up again after the new footings are poured. The bee guy off-roaded in a big flat bed and took down three sections of pasture fence. He is still running around the yard with smokers, guns and what all to try and round up the bees from the chimney (that are now in a nearby tree). There's more to this saga, but I'm saving for my first Pulitzer prize publication. Don't know if I posted this...
Laurel

Hi MayPopLaurel,

The two contractors which are on State Farm perferred vendors list are out in Covington GA (over 40 miles one way)! I would like someone a bit closer and more familiar with the area. I am looking for a General Contractor which would have to watch over the workers.

I also live in a Historic District which means the house needs to put back exactly the way it was before (have paster wall on the inside- house built in 1957). I have contacted the Historic District and we should be able to get our permits without much of an issue if the house is put back exactly the way it was before.

I am so sorry about your home. I hope the bee guy can get most of the bees and relocate them. Who called the bee guy- you, contractor, or insurance? Has your home owner insurance increase since the damage?

Robert

DG is weird today. I wrote a post saying I'd DMail and I did. So, hopefully, you have mail. There is no post here however. They were down for part of the morning too.
Laurel

Robert, where are you? I saw the front off a home from a fallen tree in Grant Park today, but your photo does not look like the Grant Park home.

I lost MANY MANY trees to the Tornado in my yard in March. And we had State Farm. They were very fast for the smushed house across the street from us, but for our home with no physical damage to the home it took about 10 days. I think it is RIDICULOUS that they took so long to get to you, with no roof!
Because we were in an emergency situation (8 trees down on our property, but we had another 8 or so in our yard from other properties) they told us to get anyone to take care of the trees. They settled with us afterwards but for a month or so it was hell trying to figure it all out. They'd say one thing, then another thing....it was crazy. However, State Farm did do fairly well by us in the end. We still have to pay to have the yard repaired, they don't pay for that - just physical property damages. So you should be OK. I would be careful with contractors on two sides. You need one that will do the job you want, plus you need someone who will write up the paperwork properly so everything gets totally reimbursed. You need someone who is willing to deal with that aspect of things.

GGG

Hi GGG,

I don't live in Grant Park but close to Decatur. I am sorry to hear about your loss of the beautiful trees and so many of them.

I know your pain of waiting for the adjuster to show up. Did your adjuster before he/she leave tell you they would be scheduling a structural engineer to look at your house then renege? When I told them I would be probably getting my own- they then wanted to know if their structural engineer could be present at the same time so they could talk and agree then and their. I told them no way, if they wanted to bring a engineer out to look at the damage then do so. I then let them know their adjuster didn’t even go in the crawl space and I had fallen insulation, and water pooling in there which I have never had before (we are covered for mold). Then the adjuster decided to call me back to schedule because he heard “ he missed some things”. I told him don’t bother to come on this property again without an engineer. I did get his report and not a word was in it about my oak floors which were damaged (moved in the house in Nov of last year). I don’t know where State Farm gets their adjusters but it could be they thought I would be fine overlooking warped floors- wrong! The condition of the floors was one of the major features to me and now an area of them is ruined. Funny they didn’t want to send the adjuster out for the flooring but they did for the water in the crawl space, it is also funny they denied us a structural engineer without even going in the crawl space!

Robert