Hi all,
I did not want to drag back up such a long thread, but wanted to give an update about the issues with my house. First, the adjustor finally showed back up yesterday and, although he denied a few things, they were very few at this point. We got the go ahead to fix that entire end (the bedrooms/hall) and he will pay for most of the repairs. We did not get the go ahead on the rest of the house, but it will have to be done and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. It's still an open claim and will have to stay that way.
It appears what happened to destroy all of the floors was that moisture (basically condensation) was brought into the house through un-insullated duct work (boots) in the air conditioner system. The actual duct work was insullated, but the boots coming into the house were not insullated at the time the system was installed. Condensation built up and got between the two layers of the flooring and most particularly in the felt (like on a roof under the shingles). The felt kept it trapped and so the top layer molded very, very badly from the bottom up and the bottom layer molded from the top down and then completed rotted away. It was impossible for anyone to know what was going on.
So, as of this point, every area of the floor near a duct is somewhat soft from the top....meaning that that particular room is also compromised. The only room not damaged with the mold so far was the one without a duct. It, however, has some water damage where it ran under the floor from the shower that leaked. So, he covered it too!!!! He won't cover anymore bathrooms because he says the floor is made of such thick concrete under the tile that it would not have had the same problems and i think he may be right.
We are still having to jack up the center of each bedroom, replace the main beams under the two load bearing walls on that end of the house and things like that. I know it is not over...it won't be over for a VERY long time, but at least we did find out what is going on and he did agree to pay for a great deal of it. That is a big relief. Also, one of the guys working is a heating and air specialist and was just "helping out on a small bathroom job" he thought. He is going to replace all the branch lines, clean the air system from the inside out, fix any leaks, and replace all the boots with insulated ones as they go...so I don't have to buy a new heating/air system after all and it doesn't have to go into the attic....Thank GOD! Basically that should save me at least $8,000.00. It's still going to cost a lot, but $8,000.00 is a lot of money and I don't have it!!!
I have not yet filed the actual mold claim since they are paying for all of this under the water/condensation claim (and are aware of the mold). I've got about 300 pictures that certainly tell the story of what we have found and have ordered hard copies...thank God for the 9 cent pictures from Walmart when you order more than 100. I'm going to get the Dr to check me out in the next week or so and get documentation and then follow up with my daughter and husband. We will be filing a mold claim at some point to suplement any additional damage that was not fixed or that they denied. Apparently, because mold is such a sensitive issue and ours is sooooooo bad, they don't want it really mentioned...so we'll keep that ace in the pocket until we need it and then file an additional claim.
I don't want any money over and above the repair bills and perhaps Dr expenses for treating this stuff, but I honestly believe I have found the root of many of my personal health issues. Of course, it's not going to change my spine, but my many other health issues can all be directly contributable to toxic mold. Some is obviously the black mold and some is obviously the white, chunky mold, but some grows out in brown, green, or white and grows in branches like sea creatures. Some is even in swirling patterns that are as large as about 3 (five gallon) buckets sat in a circle. I could never have even imagined damage like this. I still can't and believe me...I see it every day! Each floor in each room is worse than the last! I'm very scarred of the den, but we can't do that room until we finish the two bathrooms/3 bedrooms/hall/5 closets on that end of the house. Then we can get the extra furniture out of my formal livingroom and start there. It all sounds crazy, but it may be a blessing in the end. I am sooo trying to keep an upbeat attitude, but I struggle with it every second.
Wish me luck guys...I need it and I so hope and pray this will help with my health problems and prevent my prescious daughter from developing any problems with her health.
Love to you all!
RetiredMom