Work underway!

Work has been underway on our house for almost a week now.  There will be a break of a week while the environmental contractor is on a previously scheduled vacation.  In some areas, there has been less mold than feared.  In other areas, water damage and mold has been found where it wasn't expected to be.  But overall, it looks like there may not have to be as much destruction (and thus reconstruction) as we had feared.  Plus, this is PROGRESS!  We're  pleased with the progress and relieved that it may not be as bad as we'd been told - because this will, in the end, result in less expense to fix.  Thanks for all the positive thoughts you've sent our way!

GOOD NEWS FINALLY!

We've had our first bit of good news in 6 months!  We were released today by the insurance company to begin repairs on our home. We received the phone call this afternoon.  We don't have a settlement (or even an offer) from the insurance company, but at least we can proceed with repairs.  This will enable us to get on with our lives.  We really need to move on and try to regain some measure of sanity.  We can just hope and pray that things will turn out all right in the end.  But for now, we are elated to be able to begin demolition (of damaged parts of the house), then proceed on to construction.  Hooray!!!!  For all of your support in every way, we say THANK YOU!

No news is......bad news

We still have not received release from the insurance company to begin work.  So we're trying to wait and think positive thoughts - not getting too bent out of shape.  One difficulty is that our mold contractor is leaving town for two weeks, so there is a narrow window to get his work done.  His work being completed affects the rest of the construction beginning, obviously.

A pleasant side-story in this unpleasant saga:  In a conversation with the mold remediator on a recent day, I learned of an ongoing "act of kindness" of his.  He has an agreement with a very large church in Akron that the pastor will contact him  if a family needs mold removal services, but can't afford to pay for them.  In those cases, he does the work for free.  In addition, he has arranged for his supplier of the chemicals he uses to donate the chemicals.  I was so touched by his integrity and spirit of giving - something good to be reminded of after some of the circumstances we've experienced.  Watching some who have not acted with integrity has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn in our saga.

Please continue to surround us with prayers and positive thoughts.

Hooray! A bit of hope!

Yesterday, with very little notice, the insurance company sent out an environmental company and a contractor - both to inspect the property.  The people were very respectful and seemed competent. This is a distinct contrast to previous experiences we've had with all the other people who have come out.  We were told by our mold expert, who was present, that the environmental people were from a reputable company - he personally knows the company.  At this point, we're trying to find out if we have fulfilled the required inspections fully. Our attorney is contacting the adjustor; we hope to know something later today.  If the insurance company clears us (meaning they have seen everything they need to see),  tear down of the damaged materials could start tomorrow! The tear down and remediation would take a couple of weeks. We have a very trusted and honest company to do that portion of the work.

Frustrating

It's been a long time since I posted. Our lives have been very frustrating. We are STILL waiting for the insurance company to show up and inspect our home. Even our attorney seems unable to get movement from them. Without that inspection, we can't begin mold removal or any repair, as we could be accused of "destroying evidence". Things have gotten tense now, as there is obvious delay on the part of the insurance company. Our mold person is ready to start the work Saturday, September 6. If he is unable to start then (because we're not released), he is leaving town for a period of time and work couldn't begin until sometime in October. The short version of the story is that it's possible that would throw construction into late October or November. We don't have heat in the house (the furnace failed; can't be replaced until all mold is removed and the construction is done, and the ducts are cleaned), so drying of paint, etc. could be a problem.

We're both feeling the extreme stress of this situation - I worry about G - I wouldn't be surprised if he worries about me. Between the two of us, we're experiencing anger, fatigue, and overall stress symptoms. If you are a person of prayer, we would ask you to pray for resolution of this situation.