Dishwasher broke - water damage

ReeferBob · Jul 25, 2016

I had water dripping on the outside of my house yesterday that I hadn't seen before. I traced it to the dishwasher. Apparently it has been leaking for quite some time. Seems like a lot too. The hardwood below it had swelled enough to pop the granite seal on the countertop, both cabinets right and left of the dishwasher are ruined and the subfloor is black with mildew and totally saturated below the hardwood which I ripped out. I could barely get the dishwasher out from under the cabinet since the floor had swelled enough to really jamb it in there. A piece or two of hardwood right in front of the dishwasher (not hidden) is showing signs of buckling too. I broke down and called my insurance company who is coming today to see what is what.

Anyone have any idea what this could all cost? I have a $1000 deductible but I am thinking this is $3-$5k damages.

I just replaced both my HVAC systems at a $15k cost. lol the hits keep coming!

jeremy.gosnell · Jul 25, 2016

To repair it correctly, you may have to rip the sub-flooring up as well. That will get pricey, as contractors are going to break through more than likely needs repaired, getting everything up. Even though the seal holding the granite to the countertops popped, I can't imagine the granite is damaged, as that stuff is about as tough as finished home materials get. I would consider contacting Serv-Pro or a water restoration specialist in your area, and see what kind of remediation they can offer. If the sub-flooring isn't physically warped or damaged, they can likely take care of the mildew preventing the need for ripping up the sub-flooring. Make sure to check the exterior good for signs of insect penetration, as carpenter ants love moist environments. Look for the tell tale little round holes in any wood on the exterior, which would signal carpenter ant penetration. Here are some links from our companies' website that may be useful to you.

https://deepcreeklakehomeworks.com/2015/06/16/why-water-clean-up-is-important/

https://deepcreeklakehomeworks.com/2015/06/19/rebuilding-your-home-after-catastrophic-water-damage/

https://deepcreeklakehomeworks.com/2016/05/23/preventing-dreaded-wood-boring-pests/

jeremy.gosnell · Jul 25, 2016

By the way, I would suggest considering swapping all your flooring out for tile that has the appearance of hardwood. Not only is it impervious to water, it's impervious to about anything else. The best option for a finished space when going tile, is to install a radiant heat mat below so the tile floors aren't always cold to walk on. The cost of radiant heat has really dropped, with the rise in popularity of tiles that mimic other flooring materials. When I replace the flooring in my kitchen and living room, I will most certainly chose that option. My current flooring is engineered hardwood, but I have two large dogs and their claws micro-scratch the heck out of it. The thin wood veneer of engineered hardwood makes it impossible to sand and re-finished, meaning the only scratch reduction options are simple polishes with limited effectiveness.

As for the cost of your damages, without physically looking at it, I can't really say. If you post some pictures, I could probably give you a pretty accurate cost guess, based on what these repairs would cost here in MD where we are located. Since you too are in MD, it should be pretty comparable to your local area.

ReeferBob · Jul 25, 2016

Thanks for the comments. I talked with the insurance company this morning and she said if there is evidence of a long-term leak, the damage is not covered. So I will just let it dry out, spray it with mold killer and install a new dishwasher myself. In the pic I already pulled all the wood from within the dishwasher area (it was all the way back to the wall). I have about 2000 sq ft of hardwood from the kitchen to the front door in one large open area so no chance I am putting in tile instead. The visible parts are all ok with the exception of the one piece right in front of the dishwasher which isn't that bad anyway. Cabinets on both sides are waterlogged but seem structurally ok. Countertop is popped up at the seem about 1/8" but also not a big deal. I just replaced my HVAC to the tune of $15k so not looking to spend a lot on this. I hated the old dishwasher anyway so was already looking to replace it. It was installed incorrectly by the last owner and never cleaned that well.

jsker · Jul 25, 2016

Do you not just love the insurance companies:rolleyes:

jeremy.gosnell · Jul 25, 2016

Home owner's insurance has gotten bad these days. We deal with insurance companies all the time, and there is no rhyme nor reason to what they cover, don't or try to work around. It's a fight for home owner's to get coverage under the terms of their policy. IME Allstate is one of the better companies to deal with. If I were you, I would have a mold/mildew remediation contractor treat that area, just to be safe, as that's quite a bit of growth. If you want to do it yourself, I would suggest scrubbing it down with Moldex, drying it and priming it (2 coats) with Rustoleum mold preventing primer. That should kill off active spores and seal everything up preventing growth from breaching the subfloor and making its way into your home's air. You likely have growth extending behind the cabinets and any other area where moisture occurred. This should die off once moisture is gone.

Opus · Jul 25, 2016

Allstate has been horrible for me. Had a bad hail storm 2 years ago this past April. Needed a new roof, new siding on south side of house, new gutters, repairs to patio, new window screens, and repainting. It took me over 18 months to find a contractor that would do the repairs for the amount the insurance company was giving me. 2 of the contractors tried for months to show Allstate that more money was needed but they refused to budge. The Allstate guy actually called me and told me there was no way in .... that they were going to give me any more money and I needed to be my own contractor and sub contract out all the different jobs. I will be dropping them soon.

ReeferBob · Jul 25, 2016

Wonderful, I have Allstate lol! Thanks for the advice RE mold. I will do everything you suggest. How long do you think it will take to dry out? I figure a week. But I should spray it right away right?

Is this the stuff?

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...s=aps&field-keywords=moldex&rh=i:aps,k:moldex

jeremy.gosnell · Jul 25, 2016

ReeferBob said:
Wonderful, I have Allstate lol! Thanks for the advice RE mold. I will do everything you suggest. How long do you think it will take to dry out? I figure a week. But I should spray it right away right?

Is this the stuff?

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=moldex&rh=i:aps,k:moldex

Yes, that is the moldex that we use. It's pretty potent, so make sure to have some ventilation when you scrub it. I would scrub it right away. The two best ways to speed up drying are a high output blower fan or a dog dryer like a groomer uses. I have a dog dryer I use more for drying stuff out, than I do for drying my dogs. Depending on saturation, I would probably give it 72 hours with a fan on it after scrubbing. 5 full days if you don't have a fan. Then apply two coats of Rustoleum and put a fan on that for 24 hours if you have one. Some water remediation people actually scrub the moldy area then seal it up with plastic before replacing the main flooring. The Rustoleum actually works better and forms a stronger seal.

That sucks about Allstate for you guys. The Allstate adjuster I've worked with was pretty sympathetic to home owner's scenarios and willing to work with contractor's suggestions, even when the repairs were outside of the minimum necessary to fix a problem. A lot of how an insurance company performs boils down to whom you speak with and which adjuster arrives to look at the issue. Some folks sincerely want to help home owners, even if it means the insurance company paying out and others are steadfast in following every possibly wiggle out rule in the book. The same with adjusters, some want to ensure a home is put back together the right way, with no chance of future problems and others simply want to save the insurance company money. Home owner's insurance is getting notoriously hard to even get, looking at customer's personal credit, pets, lifestyle, furnishings and other issues when applying a policy. I would guess there are home owner's insurance companies out that that would deny coverage or raise a premium for reef aquarium owners.

ReeferBob · Jul 25, 2016

jeremy.gosnell said:
Yes, that is the moldex that we use. It's pretty potent, so make sure to have some ventilation when you scrub it. I would scrub it right away. The two best ways to speed up drying are a high output blower fan or a dog dryer like a groomer uses. I have a dog dryer I use more for drying stuff out, than I do for drying my dogs. Depending on saturation, I would probably give it 72 hours with a fan on it after scrubbing. 5 full days if you don't have a fan. Then apply two coats of Rustoleum and put a fan on that for 24 hours if you have one. Some water remediation people actually scrub the moldy area then seal it up with plastic before replacing the main flooring. The Rustoleum actually works better and forms a stronger seal.

That sucks about Allstate for you guys. The Allstate adjuster I've worked with was pretty sympathetic to home owner's scenarios and willing to work with contractor's suggestions, even when the repairs were outside of the minimum necessary to fix a problem. A lot of how an insurance company performs boils down to whom you speak with and which adjuster arrives to look at the issue. Some folks sincerely want to help home owners, even if it means the insurance company paying out and others are steadfast in following every possibly wiggle out rule in the book. The same with adjusters, some want to ensure a home is put back together the right way, with no chance of future problems and others simply want to save the insurance company money. Home owner's insurance is getting notoriously hard to even get, looking at customer's personal credit, pets, lifestyle, furnishings and other issues when applying a policy. I would guess there are home owner's insurance companies out that that would deny coverage or raise a premium for reef aquarium owners.

Sweet thanks!

I don't fault Allstate for saying they will probably not cover it (inspector coming out Friday) I am sure it is in the policy somewhere. I think it has been leaking for at least a year judging from the amount of water and how saturated everything was. My deductible is $1000 anyway. That's what the new dishwasher is costing I already ordered one. The previous owner's son installed the $1500 Kenmore Elite that failed. It probably can be fixed but I always hated it anyway. New one is Kitchenaid.

Opus · Jul 25, 2016

I think part of my issue is I live in Texas. They bow down to the insurance companies and let them do whatever they want. My deductible is 2% of the value of the home which I think is the best you can do around here. Talking to the contractor that finally fixed everything, he said other states are much stricter and Allstate would have had to pay more if I lived outside Texas. It could also be the adjuster. Talking to others with other insurance companies they were treated much better. One said their contractor went back to the insurance company and got another $7k from them. It could also be timing. I played it safe and waited around 6 months before trying to line up a contractor so hail season would be over. Most fixed theirs immediately so most of the money the insurance company had put back for the "hail storm damage" was probably gone.

Now Allstate was great on the claim to the our Honda Pilot that was hit in the same hail storm. They gave us close to $7k to repair it but we decided to trade it in instead. Got very close to blue book on the trade and I asked the dealer how much it was going to cost to repair and he said he estimated around $1k.

ReeferBob · Jul 25, 2016

You can always ask for a public adjuster. Not sure this is everywhere but it is in MD. My friend's house had a kitchen fire and insurance adjuster calculated $18k. Public adjuster came and changed it to $75k. Overall when done, the total repair was over $100k and included all electronics in the house being replaced due to smoke damage, all windows being replaced due to 4 being popped out by FD to get hoses in, all siding replaced due to siding on one side being melted, entire kitchen replaced, etc, etc, etc. Insurance was basically going to clean up the mess and call is a day.

ksc · Jul 25, 2016

You don't ask for a public adjuster, you hire one. They usually get 10% of the total claim payout, paid by the homeowner. It might be in your best interests to call one before your insurance co. sends their adjuster. You should always hire the public adjuster before you call your insurance co. They are like your attorney.....

ReeferBob · Jul 27, 2016

Well I just cancelled my claim. No point really they are not going to cover anything and if they did, they would raise my rates anyway. The fan has been running for a few days and the floor is dry and getting its regular color back (black is disappearing).