The remodeling company is done with the drywall, painting, doors, and cabinets. From the beginning of the year until now. Carpet needs to be installed. and then to check if the mortgage company wants to send an inspector.
Then to finish cleanup of the unfinished side. To arrange the storage. and then to move stuff back down to the basement. Settle back in.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sump Pump Gotcha--Water Softener Salt Discharge Corrosion Problem
Check if your water softener discharges to your sump pit. If so, then the salt will accelerate corrosion of your sump pump. Especially if it is cast iron or stainless. I don't know about all plastic.
I just put in a fancy Blue Angel, and they said salt from water softeners voids the warranty. Most sump pumps have warnings about water softener brine corrosion.
Also some municipalities don't want water softener discharge to sewer. And the salt can damage your lawn or plants. So it should discharge to storm drain if possible.
Plumber came back and exchanged sump pumps. Put in a Zoeller. I think I will recharge the softener manually myself, and make sure I flush the pit with water after it's all done, esp. in summer when there is little ground water.
I just put in a fancy Blue Angel, and they said salt from water softeners voids the warranty. Most sump pumps have warnings about water softener brine corrosion.
Also some municipalities don't want water softener discharge to sewer. And the salt can damage your lawn or plants. So it should discharge to storm drain if possible.
Plumber came back and exchanged sump pumps. Put in a Zoeller. I think I will recharge the softener manually myself, and make sure I flush the pit with water after it's all done, esp. in summer when there is little ground water.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Carpet
sample sent to ITEL http://www.itelinc.com/
Adjuster's estimate for replacing carpet looks minuscule.
Carpet Weaver guy told us the same story; he has to fight with State Farm all the time, and often doesn't win.
Adjuster's estimate for replacing carpet looks minuscule.
Carpet Weaver guy told us the same story; he has to fight with State Farm all the time, and often doesn't win.
Drywall-insulation work
Removing the lower 2 ft of drywall and insulation to avoid mold issues.
The previous owner did this basement finishing himself and the drywall mudding was terrible. There were bulges over studs. Also the electric boxes were all floppy.
So with the drywall removed, I tried to stabilize the electric boxes. A switch to a light that wasn't working--I found a wire had broken off, and fixed that.
We had to pay extra for them to smooth out the drywall above the 2 foot level.
Painting the areas mudded over paint produced a little pocking. The just sanded and repainted over that.
So we changed the color from a blue to a light yellow (off white) which makes the room brighter, appear larger, and hides imperfections in the drywall better maybe.
Carpet will be light blue.
Electric boxes that don't come out level with the drywall--you can buy these plastic spacer things to bring the outlets out. to help the covers fit and look better.
The previous owner did this basement finishing himself and the drywall mudding was terrible. There were bulges over studs. Also the electric boxes were all floppy.
So with the drywall removed, I tried to stabilize the electric boxes. A switch to a light that wasn't working--I found a wire had broken off, and fixed that.
We had to pay extra for them to smooth out the drywall above the 2 foot level.
Painting the areas mudded over paint produced a little pocking. The just sanded and repainted over that.
So we changed the color from a blue to a light yellow (off white) which makes the room brighter, appear larger, and hides imperfections in the drywall better maybe.
Carpet will be light blue.
Electric boxes that don't come out level with the drywall--you can buy these plastic spacer things to bring the outlets out. to help the covers fit and look better.
Contents
ACV, RCV, and Depreciation
ACV-actual cash value is what it would cost to replace it today minus depreciation based on how many years you had it.
They write you a check for ACV. If your policy covers replacement value, when you buy a new one, they pay the difference (the depreciation). If you don't buy a new one, that's it.
State Farm gives us 2 years to claim contents.
Buy a new treadmill.
An antique table was standing in the water and all the feet split.
We took it to an antique woodshop guy. He said it wasn't cost effective to fix.
SF asked for a professional to document what replacement cost might be. and sent us a check for that amount.
ACV-actual cash value is what it would cost to replace it today minus depreciation based on how many years you had it.
They write you a check for ACV. If your policy covers replacement value, when you buy a new one, they pay the difference (the depreciation). If you don't buy a new one, that's it.
State Farm gives us 2 years to claim contents.
Buy a new treadmill.
An antique table was standing in the water and all the feet split.
We took it to an antique woodshop guy. He said it wasn't cost effective to fix.
SF asked for a professional to document what replacement cost might be. and sent us a check for that amount.
Phase 2 The Adjuster
So the adjuster finally comes after more than 2 weeks. Drying has been complete. The adjuster inspects for an hour or so. Then goes off for 2-3 hours to complete a report. Comes back with the report and writes a check on the spot.
Gotcha #1: If the amount is >$7500 the check is made out to the Mortgage company as well.
What does this mean?
When you dig into this, each mortgage company has different rules.
Our mortgage is with CitiMortgage. You hunt and hunt on their website, try some phone numbers and get a call center in India. They give you a web address of http://www.mylossdraft.com/ with a pin of cm001. If you put in ch001, you get Chase mortgage.
According to the mylossdraft website, for CitiMortgage--if the amt is <$10K, send them the check (do not endorse it), and they will endorse and send it back. If the amt is >$10K, you endorse the check and send it to them. They put it into escrow.
You send them a whole list of documents:
Your current mailing address and phone number, and loan number.
[Loss Summary Worksheet] (Required only when contractor is being used for repairs.)
List of repairs from Insurance Company (Adjustor's Worksheet)
A signed copy of the Contractor's Contract
Paid Receipts, required only when the Homeowner is making the repairs
[Statement Of Self Contracting] (Required only when Homeowner is making the repairs)
[Conditional Waiver of Lien]
[Certificate of Intent to Repair]
[Certificate of Completion of Repairs] (To be signed only when repairs have been completed)
Then they send you 1/3 or 1/2 the money.
When the work is about complete, the MortgageCompany will send out an inspector to verify, before sending the rest of the money.
So why do they do it this way? Something about the mortgage company having an interest in the property being fixed properly. If the work is not done and verified, you don't get any money. If your contractor does it for a lesser amt, escrow will only pay that amount. If your contractor estimates it costs more, you go back to the adjuster to negotiate.
Gotcha #1: If the amount is >$7500 the check is made out to the Mortgage company as well.
What does this mean?
When you dig into this, each mortgage company has different rules.
Our mortgage is with CitiMortgage. You hunt and hunt on their website, try some phone numbers and get a call center in India. They give you a web address of http://www.mylossdraft.com/ with a pin of cm001. If you put in ch001, you get Chase mortgage.
According to the mylossdraft website, for CitiMortgage--if the amt is <$10K, send them the check (do not endorse it), and they will endorse and send it back. If the amt is >$10K, you endorse the check and send it to them. They put it into escrow.
You send them a whole list of documents:
Your current mailing address and phone number, and loan number.
[Loss Summary Worksheet] (Required only when contractor is being used for repairs.)
List of repairs from Insurance Company (Adjustor's Worksheet)
A signed copy of the Contractor's Contract
Paid Receipts, required only when the Homeowner is making the repairs
[Statement Of Self Contracting] (Required only when Homeowner is making the repairs)
[Conditional Waiver of Lien]
[Certificate of Intent to Repair]
[Certificate of Completion of Repairs] (To be signed only when repairs have been completed)
Then they send you 1/3 or 1/2 the money.
When the work is about complete, the MortgageCompany will send out an inspector to verify, before sending the rest of the money.
So why do they do it this way? Something about the mortgage company having an interest in the property being fixed properly. If the work is not done and verified, you don't get any money. If your contractor does it for a lesser amt, escrow will only pay that amount. If your contractor estimates it costs more, you go back to the adjuster to negotiate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
