Still waiting

We haven't heard from the insurance company. We need to be able to take steps to remediate the mold and move forward, but we also must wait until we can be sure that the insurance company has completed their inspections. We've put a call in for our attorney and are waiting to hear back. I wonder if some day I'll be able to post and there will be lots of good news and forward movement to write about......

The appointment - a disappointment!

We had the appointment with the insurance inspector on Tuesday.  G and I had allowed ourselves to be hopeful that this might be the turning point.  Once again, it was a disappointing outcome.  The person was unreasonable and disappointing in every way - a continuation of the company's delay, downplay, and low-ball strategy.  At this point, we're waiting to see what our attorney recommends as the next step.  G and I are both making an effort to be as positive and hopeful as we possibly can in light of the current circumstances.  The most frustrating aspect is that we can't move forward with repair and remediation at this point - as we could damage prospects for recovery from the other parties.  We would appreciate your prayers for peace, stamina and a positive outlook.

Another appointment

Our attorney has arranged for the insurance company inspector to come tomorrow.  It will be a different inspector, for which we are grateful. .  We are impressed with our new attorney.  He is on the ball!  Unlike our other attorney experience, where we sat for days - even weeks at a time with nothing happening, this person is "cracking the whip", so to speak.  He told us he'd contact the insurance company today and give them a week to show up.  Lo and behold, we get a call to expect them tomorrow morning.  He's also planning to contact one other party who has been involved in this whole thing.  We'll see how that plays out.  This positive forward movement is well timed.  G and I have both been pretty stressed out the last few days.  Perhaps something encouraging will come from this visit.  In any case, it's a necessary step we have to take before we can begin mold remediation.  Please continue to support us with your prayers and positive thoughts.

Meeting and MORE homework!

We had our meeting with the attorney and his expert on Friday.  As it turned out, the senior partner of the law firm showed up - we were expecting the younger partner.  The attorney rattled off a list of documents, etc. that he needs...phone calls that we need to make, etc.  Mercifully, I was quickly taking notes or there would have been no chance of retaining all the information.  We are working on getting it all together for another meeting that is supposed to happen this Friday, August 15.   I think there is no doubt that we are making progress at this point, and that is a welcome sign.

A blessing in disguise

We thought we knew which contractor we planned to use - a contractor who did some insurance work at our present home a few years ago.  As we proceeded with this gentleman, we had questions raised by some of his actions and also by seeming omissions in his estimate.  About the same time, two dear friends each suggested contractors they had used.  In addition, I drove by a house a few blocks away where extensive remodeling was being done, could tell at a glance that it was really quality work.  So we're in touch with that contractor as well.  It could have been that our loss of confidence in the contractor we'd planned to use might have been a disaster.  As it turns out, I think it was a blessing in disguise - as we're dealing with some really awesome people at this point.  Wish us luck!

Another step forward

Our attorney just called.  He made an appointment with us to come out later this week with his "inspector" and personally view the situation at our house.  We feel this will be a significant step in moving things forward.  We're hoping, also, that contractors' bids will come in this week so that we can have more information to work with and to give to the insurance company.  Thanks for stopping by to check on us!

Not through after all....

 A couple of the contractors were slow getting back to us, so it turns out that we have 2 more interviews.  G thinks that the more estimates we can get, the better in many respects.  This is likely to be a long road.  We need to make decisions carefully and have a long paper trail and lots of records.  We're well on the way to both goals.  G is busy making the follow-up phone calls I mentioned yesterday.  Thank you so much for caring and checking in with us.  We'd appreciate your continued prayers during this journey - for stamina, peace, forward movement.

A busy week

It's been a very busy and somewhat tiring week.  We've interviewed many contractors.  Good ole steady, patient G has copied house plans for each person and has gone through the endless verbal details of which walls must be removed, where mold has been found (and has not), etc.  I have gone for a portion of each interview.  Since I'm allergic to mold and it causes my asthma to kick up, I've learned that I can't be there for very long at one time.  At this point, we've interviewed all the candidates - except for one flooring contractor.  As it turned out, two different friends gave us names of people they like, which was so helpful.  Now that the interviews are done,   G is going to call each contractor and ask that they expedite their bids so we can make a decision.  We're a bit unsure what the next step is - but as we catch our breaths and gather our thoughts this weekend, we'll probably be ready to "hit it" next week.  As an aside, we had mulch spread in the huge area under the trees in the front yard.  The next day it looked just awful.....clumpy, uneven, all moved around.  Our neighbor clued us in - it's the raccoons spending time there - fighting, digging - who knows what they're doing.  Someone is going to have to get out with the rake and try to repair the damage.