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We thought 2020 was bad but now...
JoeBob:
Yes I am still here. Yep I am surprised. I continue to grow weaker. When think I could not possibly get weaker and still walk, I do. I am still on my feet. I now fall down about once a month.
We had a house fire Jan 11. Not a serious fire but it dusted my house down with asbestos. I had to vacate. I have a detached garage so car was safe. I lost $58,000 in possessions. I need to replace couch, love seat, kitchen appliances, pots pans, dishes, table, chairs, wardrobe for both of us.
In addition in a separate category, carpet, construction work, paint etc.
The asbestos clean up cost $38,000. I haven't seen the bill for smoke clean-up. I also have not seen the list of smoke damage losses.
Travelers insurance has been great so far. They found me a rental house and are paying the rent.
Because of my bad health, I am unable to help with this problem at all. My wife and friends do everything. My wife is working herself to a frazzle. She is underweight to start with, yet she has lost another 10%. She did not have it to loose.
We have to be out of this rental on May 27, but repairs are not likely to be done by then. We will need to move 2 more times. I hope we can find a month to month rental.
On a bright not we get lots of new stuff. But we lost a lot of memories.
The house is at 7982 Jay St. Arvada CO. 80003 is anyone want to see it on zillow. The damage is all interior the photos don't show it.
Bill
Reeves1:
Not sure what to say, but if you need help here post !
I have very little cash this year, but if I can help I will !
Canadian.....
JoeBob:
My intent was to update people as to my condition. We don't need any money. Locally, friends have given us $2500 in cash and gifts. I did not need this either, but you don't say no when friends want to support you.
The insurance company gave us a check for $5000 the first day. Our physical needs are met. We crave your prayers. My wife's name is Donna and as you know I'm Bill.
JoeBob:
I got my second covid shot today. It doesn't matter much as I seldom leave the house.
In some ways the fire was a blessing. We have been needing new carpet for years. I could not change it, as I am not capable of moving stuff out of the house to get it done.
The companies that did the clean-up emptied my house. They threw most my stuff away. They moved some things to their warehouse for cleaning and storage.
I have guaranteed replacement value on my stuff so I get new everything. The couch and loveseat were 30 years old. The kitchen appliances were 15 years old and out of style. We had the money saved for new carpet and will now use that to do long neglected repairs and updates.
Most of my clothes were too small, as I have gotten fat in the last years of inactivity.
The insurance company won't give me the money, but insist that I buy replacements. I am lazy and did not throw out any non fitting clothes for the last 30 years. As an example, they will allow me $18.00 each for 51 graphic t-shirts etc.
I will have extended family members buy any clothes they, need as I will never use up the money.
I have hundreds of CDs I don't listen to anymore, they are giving me full value as if they were new. But 15 photo albums are a total loss.
My categories of losses equal 27 single spaced pages. My 51 graphic t-shirts are considered as one item. I am talking about thousands and thousands of items. The interesting thing is that reading the pages I remember every item.
The fire was in the attic. It burned about 3 Ft. of 2x4 ceiling joist. That is all. It is amazing that that little bit of fire could cause all this damage.
Dtmix:
I am sorry to hear of your recent loss and having a tough several years...my thoughts and prayers are with you and yours. I remember when I was a kid, and my family suffered from a house fire that was limited to one room, but the water and smoke damage was unbelievable as it impacted the entire residence. Luckily, no injuries, and that's what matters. I do remember my parents going over line by line the items to be replaced and I couldn't believe the minute details...even down to the Dixie cup holder in the bathroom...gaw d knows why I remembered the 99 cent Dixie cup holder...crazy! Maybe it was the cartoon character and that's probably important to a kid...Anyhow, we were made whole by the insurers, neighbors, and friends. Sounds like you are rich in friends and support.
As for the picture albums... that is probably the worse of the losses...in our case, we were lucky that we had friends and family who loaned theirs for us to make copies of...like my parents wedding pictures...not exact copy of the lost items but meaningful just the same. Perhaps you can ask others for pictures that are most sentimental to you and your wife? Possibly some were duplicated to the computer or the cloud if you happen to have grown children that used such technology? I also know that there are photo restoration companies that can do wonders so maybe there's a couple pictures within the album that could be saved. If I am not mistaken, that could be covered by the insurer up to whatever the policy covers. Fingers crossed.
I wish I can say something without sounding like a cliche or hokey...you have your wife, a roof over your head, and family. You also have friends here as well!
God bless...best wishes to all...
Dan
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