I have been having some foundation issues for the last year or so. starting noticing cracks and doors not shutting , especially during the really dry time of the summer. Usually after a good couple of days of rain the doors would begin to shut, however, that did not happen this year… started noticing the cracks a little worse and walls pulling away from the wood floor. I had a foundation company come out for an evaluation. they noticed my lowest spots in the middle of the house, next to the guest bathroom, a guessed that was a possible leak from our old cast-iron pipes. We contacted our insurance co. and noticed that we did have dwelling and foundation coverage. they sent a plumbing co. (Church services) out to test for leaks throughout the hose and found not only a leak but in fact ALL pipes are leaking. The recommendation to the insurance company is ALL pipes need replacing. i am unsure to what extent the insurance co. is going to help replace the pipes. my question is what do I do and how do I go about doing this. i am clearly a novice homeowner. i assuming we are talking about 30-40 thousand dollars to replace pipes and get the foundation repaired? if i have to come up with amount on my own, sans insurance aid, where do i get this money from? Do you suggest home improvement loan? Is there some other loan you suggest?! am i doing the right thing ? Should the plumbing repair be primary?
Brian
Tom’s Answer:
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Tom: He’d certainly get a loan if he got good credit but we won’t even go there yet. Call the insurance company when you have true factual details on the repair. Secondly, try to get a company who’s going to do both. That way, you have one warranty and a company that will stand behind not only the plumbing fix but the foundation repair. Anytime you tunnel under a house, you have to support the foundation anyway whether it’s a repair or not. The way it was written that we have holes all over the place, I find that kind of odd that you have to plumb everything. Maybe a second opinion to start with would be a good idea. Abacus Plumbing could run cameras down there and really get a good visual and give you actually a tape. I believe they still use VHS actually on this one. To play it, I don’t know how we’re going to do it.
Charlie: The recorder has a [inaudible 00:48].
Tom: You will have actual visual documentation for your insurance company.
Charlie: Maybe it’s a job for TDT. Maybe it’s a drain line.
Tom: No. If it is, all comes down to it is a straight run. You might not have to fix your foundation. TDT can come in, reline your drain lines and you know what’s going to happen, maybe the house will just settle and you’ll be fine. Like you said, heal itself, brother.