Harvey Damage to Home

[Jason85]

I have a question for all the home owners who had extensive flood damage during Harvey. How many of yall had your home rebricked and backer boards replaced? Several people in my neighborhood are having their house rebricked and backer board replaced but some how my insurance company is telling me there is some federal policy stating the brick should not be replaced and that the home owner could be held responsible if FEMA ever audits them? Is that true or is my insurance company telling me a bunch of BS?

[rtjh]

I don't know the specific rules but my entire neighborhood (+-250 homes) flooded 5+ feet and I have yet to see any house re-bricked.

[Jason85]

I guess i should mention this neighbor hood was build in 1972 so maybe that has something to do with it?? I really dont know but my insurance company didnt even pay to replace the backer board when we have pics showing mold on the backer board. The house was treated for mold but not between the backer board and the brick..

[Hockley]

I don't know the specific rules but my entire neighborhood (+-250 homes) flooded 5+ feet and I have yet to see any house re-bricked.

Same here.

[txhunter007]

I didn't re-brick and no one else I know did either. I don't know anything about the brick rule, sorry.

[Jason85]

I didn't re-brick and no one else I know did either. I don't know anything about the brick rule, sorry.

did you have the backer board replaced?

[Neck]

I'd go talk to your neighbors and ask them if insurance is footing that or if they are coming out of pocket for it. My home is brick and they didn't give us any money to do anything with exterior walls.

[Jason85]

I'd go talk to your neighbors and ask them if insurance is footing that or if they are coming out of pocket for it. My home is brick and they didn't give us any money to do anything with exterior walls.

So i just talked to my neighbors and how they got it covered was by writing up a quote for replacing the backer baord from the inside out which is more expensive then replacing the brick. Either way my insurance company messed up and didnt even write for the backer board to be replaced even though we asked about it and had concerns about the mold growing on it. I have documentation and pics of the mold so im anxious to see how they are going to handle it.

[JoseyWales82]

I was told if the brick shifted even slightly, then they would replace. But they didn't care about how I was going to replace my backer board. Paid for the replacement of the backerboard, but not to rebrick. So it left us in a pickle.

Luckily, mine didn't deteriorate too bad. We just dried it out, sprayed a crap ton of bleach and antimicrobial, and patched the problem areas. Patching is not easy for obvious reasons. Some places they used new gyp board and others 3M sticky sheets(not sure what it is).

(28" water here. But flowing not settled, so much less silt then some other unfortunate people)

[JoseyWales82]

I had other neighbors that their contractor put some type of roll mesh (that was easier to feed between the studs and brick). Then they sprayed a thin layer of foam on that. Still leaving the air gap. I think this mesh is also corrugated (lines up and down), to help with moisture.

Another neighbor cut 16"/32" small patches of gyp. board and fed them side ways through out the whole house. Took him a few days. He was able to use a right angle screw gun and 3M tape to attach to the gyp.

[Stuck]

So i just talked to my neighbors and how they got it covered was by writing up a quote for replacing the backer baord from the inside out which is more expensive then replacing the brick. Either way my insurance company messed up and didnt even write for the backer board to be replaced even though we asked about it and had concerns about the mold growing on it. I have documentation and pics of the mold so im anxious to see how they are going to handle it.

Well there you go. Flood water is really not going to damage the brick but it will damage your sheathing depending on what type of sheathing you have installed. The only way to replace sheathing and your vapor barrier is to remove the brick. Most newer homes have osb sheathing for wind bracing and I promise any osb in flood water is damaged.
While there are many who try to take advantage of an insurance company and profit from a claim (which is insurance fraud). Insurance companies under value many claims. Not necessarily because they want to, but after Harvey on the coast, Harvey flooding in Houston and Irma 2 weeks later in Florida, how many brand new adjusters do you think they had on the ground?
If I remember correctly, Insurance companies have 28 days to assess your property from the date you file. They are going to get a warm body at your property within 28days, qualified or not. If a policy holder does not agree with the assessment then they will send out another adjuster or building consultant usually with more experience, but they met their 28 day deadline with the warm body.

[Stuck]

I had other neighbors that their contractor put some type of roll mesh (that was easier to feed between the studs and brick). Then they sprayed a thin layer of foam on that. Still leaving the air gap. I think this mesh is also corrugated (lines up and down), to help with moisture.

Another neighbor cut 16"/32" small patches of gyp. board and fed them side ways through out the whole house. Took him a few days. He was able to use a right angle screw gun and 3M tape to attach to the gyp.

That's insane. Your drain plane has to run from bottom to top or overlap by min 3/4".

[JoseyWales82]

That's insane. Your drain plane has to run from bottom to top or overlap by min 3/4".

Yep. Lots of head scratching going on. By both contractors and neighbors. Each contractor will tell you whatever they do is best too.

FEMA must have dealt with this a lot. The adjuster didn't initially have the exterior sheathing accounted for. (It was a young kid from NJ, first week on the job) He then called at a later date and added it because they had big meeting about people complaining and winning their case for replacement.

[Jason85]

Well there you go. Flood water is really not going to damage the brick but it will damage your sheathing depending on what type of sheathing you have installed. The only way to replace sheathing and your vapor barrier is to remove the brick. Most newer homes have osb sheathing for wind bracing and I promise any osb in flood water is damaged.
While there are many who try to take advantage of an insurance company and profit from a claim (which is insurance fraud). Insurance companies under value many claims. Not necessarily because they want to, but after Harvey on the coast, Harvey flooding in Houston and Irma 2 weeks later in Florida, how many brand new adjusters do you think they had on the ground?
If I remember correctly, Insurance companies have 28 days to assess your property from the date you file. They are going to get a warm body at your property within 28days, qualified or not. If a policy holder does not agree with the assessment then they will send out another adjuster or building consultant usually with more experience, but they met their 28 day deadline with the warm body.

Yea with house being built in the 77' there probably isn't even OSB between the backer board and brick... The mortor that was used to brick the house just crumbles in your hand like sand. The house definitely needs to be rebricked. Im hoping i'll be able to the same thing my neighbors did.