Insurance & Home Repairs?

[BrandonH]

I know we have contractors, insurance adjusters & homeowners here so thought this may be a good source for me to get input from someone not directly involved with my current insurance claim. Short story is I had a water leak in the attic last Wednesday while home. Even though I was home it did a good amount of damage before I could get the main shut off. Filed my insurance claim a few hours after the incident and signed a contract with a local company for restoration that same night. The owner/contractor doing the work is highly recommended and seems like a straight shooter. The insurance adjuster was there the following morning with the contractor present. Repairs began the next day and I recieved my check from insurance yesterday minus deductible & depreciation which was expected. The adjuster either met or exceeded what actually needed to be done in order to return my home to the original condition.

I am attaching the part of the contract that specifies that the contractor is to repair for the precise scope of work that is determined by my insurance company. It follows by saying all monies paid for the approved work will be paid to the contractor.

The contractor began repairs immediately and is probably 75% complete, but I just recieved the itemized estimate with the check yesterday that specifies exactly what insurance is paying for.

Question I have is...
There are items listed that did not get done that don't negatively effect the work, but am I expected to pay the contractor anyway for that line item? (Examples are 2 coats of paint, but only 1 coat painted. Toilets & sinks removed & reset, but they weren't. New baseboards, but only part of them replaced). The contract is worded as though they get all the money, but it also says for the "precise" scope of work.

I plan to discuss all this with the contractor now that I have the final estimate, but wanted to have input from others that deal with this on a regular basis. I did discuss some of it with my adjuster and he said I should be able to negotiate somewhat with the contractor.

Not sure of it matters, but I paid the contractor my $6500 deductible up front and the total job is around $20k.

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[Johnny Dangerr]

If the insurance company finds you saved $1000.00 they will demand it back. Probably easier to pay and go down the road. When my 20K job was done I called for the final check and the agent said "did a bunch yourself?" I started laughing and explained I do not know how to change the oil on my car.................

[tx_basser]

He needs to complete the work as outlined. Ran into this in a similar situation with a leaky roof. Contractor wanted to paint over mold and wet sheet rock instead of replacing, texture, paint, etc. I stopped all work and told him it has to be done per insurance itemization

[BrandonH]

If the insurance company finds you saved $1000.00 they will demand it back. Probably easier to pay and go down the road. When my 20K job was done I called for the final check and the agent said "did a bunch yourself?" I started laughing and explained I do not know how to change the oil on my car.................

I don't have issues with paying for work that's done. But I'd rather give the insurance money back before paying a contractor several thousand for items not done. The insurance company also doesn't have an issue with me doing some of the work myself & compensating me for it. They didn't hesitate to add labor costs for my wife & I to mitigate the damage before the restoration crew arrived.

All this being said I haven't had this discussion with the contractor yet and there may be no issues. I'm mainly trying to get educated by those of you with experience so I have an idea how to approach it.

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[Texas Stalker]

Insurance & Home Repairs?

I’d say for the paint they probably used a paint and primer of high quality. More than likely it covered great the first time. I know i buy the best paint available so i only have to paint it once. Costs more but covers better. Most paints these days don’t need two coats unless your buying junk paint. For the toilet reset I’m assuming the adjuster just threw that in there to make it easier to replace the base. Sometimes adjusters dont have any construction experience and just add stuff on. But they also forget stuff for sure. I’m a contractor and I can tell you they forget stuff constantly and we either get those items supplemented/added on or In my case if it’s not a ton of money I just eat it. As for replacing all the base that could be an issue if it actually got moldy and needed replaced. If not then just give him the check and tell him Merry Christmas.


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[BrandonH]

He needs to complete the work as outlined. Ran into this in a similar situation with a leaky roof. Contractor wanted to paint over mold and wet sheet rock instead of replacing, texture, paint, etc. I stopped all work and told him it has to be done per insurance itemization

Luckily I haven't ran into these issues yet. He has done everything I "think" needs to be done, but the insurance estimate calls for excess work that isn't truly needed to return my home to pre-damage condition. For example the insurance may have paid for 200' of new baseboards, but only 50' is needed (I made up these figures).

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[Texas Stalker]

Insurance & Home Repairs?

Also sometimes adjusters add lots of additional stuff to help pay the contractor a little better. Some of their payouts on items aren’t very good. I feel like the additional payout items helps offset low item payouts. It all balances out.

I enjoy the insurance companies that pay well because there are a few that don’t pay worth a dang. (Allstate is the worst).

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[BrandonH]

Also sometimes adjusters add lots of additional stuff to help pay the contractor a little better. Some of their payouts on items aren’t very good. I feel like the additional payout items helps offset low item payouts. It all balances out.

I enjoy the insurance companies that pay well because there are a few that don’t pay worth a dang. (Allstate is the worst).

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Oh they paid very well. The adjuster threw in so much stuff that wasn't a "necessity". And I'm sure getting the check within 6 days of filing the claim isn't always the norm with insurance companies. And I don't mind paying for all the work, but I expect most of it to be done.

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[Texas Stalker]

Oh they paid very well. The adjuster threw in so much stuff that wasn't a "necessity". And I'm sure getting the check within 6 days of filing the claim isn't always the norm with insurance companies. And I don't mind paying for all the work, but I expect most of it to be done.

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Oh yeah. Make sure he does the work to satisfaction but don’t let stuff like one coat of paint instead of two hold off payment. If it looks painted good then it’s good to go. This is just my opinion as I don’t know the complete scope of the work and what all your insurance is paying for.


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[TxnRunner]

You received a detailed line by line estimate for a reason, he should be held to that scope of work or adjust the scope and cost accordingly. I do agree with others that one coat vs two coats is a moot point as long as you got good coverage from the paint and it looks great. That's the whole reason they allow for two coats is to ensure the finished product is quality, and that can be accomplished by a good painter with one coat.