And yes, we would lift the house off of the foundation. Remove the damaged sections, pour new concrete/rebuild block depending on what it was originally and set the house back down on the new foundation. Lot's of new drainage and waterproofing. The non structural damage was farmed out to other companies. All three times the homeowners opted to stay in the house while the work was going on.
Go directly to your attorney of choice. Complexity of repairs and dollar amount involved plus resale issues (this will have to be disclosed when you list the house) mean that this ain't the time to fart around.
"Fell asleep at the wheel" eh?
Man that stinks, I'm sorry to read this. I hope the insurance companies don't slow the repairs down too much.
In reply to Nick (picaso) Comstock:
Full basement. 8 foot ceiling with a 8" deep shelf all the way around.
The first one I worked on the guy had a heart attack while driving a full size van. much more damage than what your house looks like, it actually shifted the entire house about a foot off the opposite side foundation wall.
The second one was gang bangers chasing each other around in cars having a shoot out. Driver got shot and hit the house. Much less damage. Actually saw two rolling gun battles while we were working on the project. berkeley you Dayton Ohio.
I'm GUESSING that our homeowners policyholder (Liberty Mutual) isn't trying to (or won't) minimize things due to them not being responsible for the repair costs (the drivers insurance company would be liable).
I want to be careful and get things done RIGHT and COMPLETE but I also want to let the responsible parties do their jobs and I'd like to stay uninvolved as much as possible. I have enough going on with family etc at the moment.
ebonyandivory wrote: In reply to Nick (picaso) Comstock: Full basement. 8 foot ceiling with a 8" deep shelf all the way around.
Can you elaborate on the 8" shelf? Do you mean an actual wooden shelf for storing things or there is an 8" step back in the foundation wall?
PM sent.
My limited experience is that home insurers are much less painful to deal with than car insurers. Not really sure why...
She hit the E36 M3 out of your house, didn't she?
That would be AFTER she took the pole out?
Damn.
You never did send a pic of the pole.
DWNSHFT wrote: Go directly to your attorney of choice. Complexity of repairs and dollar amount involved plus resale issues (this will have to be disclosed when you list the house) mean that this ain't the time to fart around.
It will only need to be disclosed if they sell in the next few years or if there are lingering issues from it.
Ya if you know a lawyer it would not hurt to at less talk with them so they can explain the process.
That looks like the whole structure was shifted and if that is the case I would be surprised if you will be allowed to live there.
Depending on the damage there could be a significant amount of interior gutting to inspect the structure as well as the MEP. Pinched wires are no joke. And yes i would be looking for diminished value depending on the extent of the repair. There are also code issues. Particularly the energy code and the stretch code. Depending on the classification of the repair and the percent of the structure that has to be repaired you may have to bring some or all of the structure up to current code.
What state are you in? I assume that you ate probably under the IBC. Either the 2009 or the 2013 version.
I would consult local architect and an engineer about this.
All I have to say is daaaamn
dculberson wrote:DWNSHFT wrote: Go directly to your attorney of choice. Complexity of repairs and dollar amount involved plus resale issues (this will have to be disclosed when you list the house) mean that this ain't the time to fart around.It will only need to be disclosed if they sell in the next few years or if there are lingering issues from it.
Depends on where you live. When I sold a house earlier this year, the disclosure form wanted documentation for all repairs and/or alterations I'd made to the house since I purchased it, plus anything I knew about what the previous owner(s) had done as well.
That said, if repaired properly, I don't see why it should be an issue. Don't cut any corners, get it all done properly, permitted, structural engineers, etc, and it'll be fine. This is a house, not a car, odds are none of the lines were actually straight to begin with. It's not getting shiny paint, clear coat, buffing to a mirror finish, etc.
As for insurance, definitely go with your homeowner's policy. Even if you were to ignore all of the previous reasons, this is likely to exceed the property damage limits on the driver's policy.
Seeing all the damage, I have to wonder if the driver survived...
I am glad that you and your loved ones were not in the house or the yard when this happened.
Re: Diminished Value
At least in Florida I haven't heard of diminished value on a homeowners claim. I will say that that I am a field adjuster so I generally don't deal with all the back end work regarding additional living expenses, contents damage etc. It's never even been brought up actually whereas it was relatively common when I was handling auto claims. You can always ask about it though.
The contractor you select should be able to handle all the permitting, engineer, architect needed. They would also be dealing with code issues and supplements needed. The initial estimate may change significantly based on the hidden damage and what the engineer/architect reports say. I would look for a contractor in your area that handles new construction "custom" homes and home additions as they will be more familiar with the process than a someone that handles remodels and more cosmetic repairs.
As far as an attorney goes I am sure one word be happy to assist for 10-30% of the damage amount or on an hourly basis. This will invariably cause significant delays. I say this because their scope and estimate amount will likely be significantly larger than the insurers or contractors and will require a lot of time to reach an agreement. They certainly have their place but I wouldnt run to one unless you reach an impasse.
Greg Voth wrote: Re: Diminished Value At least in Florida I haven't heard of diminished value on a homeowners claim. I will say that that I am a field adjuster so I generally don't deal with all the back end work regarding additional living expenses, contents damage etc. It's never even been brought up actually whereas it was relatively common when I was handling auto claims. You can always ask about it though. The contractor you select should be able to handle all the permitting, engineer, architect needed. They would also be dealing with code issues and supplements needed. The initial estimate may change significantly based on the hidden damage and what the engineer/architect reports say. I would look for a contractor in your area that handles new construction "custom" homes and home additions as they will be more familiar with the process than a someone that handles remodels and more cosmetic repairs. As far as an attorney goes I am sure one word be happy to assist for 10-30% of the damage amount or on an hourly basis. This will invariably cause significant delays. I say this because their scope and estimate amount will likely be significantly larger than the insurers or contractors and will require a lot of time to reach an agreement. They certainly have their place but I wouldnt run to one unless you reach an impasse.
Exactly. I just don't understand the thought of "Run, get a lawyer". Why? Someone hit your house. You have insurance, they have insurance. So you want a lawyer to do what? Take a large chunk of your settlement (which would be the same amount as if you didn't get one anyway, so you're losing out)? Slow the process down TREMENDOUSLY...because they will. Just don't understand that mentality.
Reality is you can go with your own carrier or hers. It may be slightly faster to go through your own. Have no idea what her policy limits are, but it's possible they wouldn't be enough to cover the damage, so if you go to your own carrier, that's not an issue for you to worry about. You only need one contractor, regardless of which insurance company you use. It's the pure and sole responsibility of YOUR contractor to scope all the damage and point all of it out to whichever insurance company you chose. The insurance company will send an appraiser to evaluate it, but that appraiser isn't going to be the one putting the FlexSeal and packing tape on your walls 
, your contractor will. So chose carefully and make sure they point out any additional damages they find as repairs commence. It's not a lot different than an auto repair after an accident. Think of it this way, the insurance company is just writing the check, they're not doing the work.
As for what hit the house, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it was a Smart ForTwo...
Nick (picaso) Comstock wrote:ebonyandivory wrote: In reply to Nick (picaso) Comstock: Full basement. 8 foot ceiling with a 8" deep shelf all the way around.Can you elaborate on the 8" shelf? Do you mean an actual wooden shelf for storing things or there is an 8" step back in the foundation wall?
As a kid, we used to keep our Matchbox cars up there. The sill was set back which left a 6" shelf. Now it's all been boxed in and finished.
just make sure you can prove that it was her fault and that you didnt run your house into her car
Luckily my detail-oriented brother was to arrive the very next day to visit my parents (who live with us).
He was able to get some info and he told me the girl took out a pole at the ground before this off-road excursion:
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And said aside from cuts/bruises and a possible broken ankle she's ok (thank God) but I find that all hard to believe. I don't know how you could still have all that damage to a very solid poured foundation after all that distance and obstacles already encountered and not have been doing 100 mph to begin with.
ebonyandivory wrote: And said aside from cuts/bruises and a possible broken ankle she's ok (thank God) but I find that all hard to believe. I don't know how you could still have all that damage to a very solid poured foundation after all that distance and obstacles already encountered and not have been doing 100 mph to begin with.
Quite easily. It's very hard to say, but just from what I see I'm going to guess she was driving an SUV, CUV, something like that. They're heavy, let's just say 4000lbs. At 35mph, you'd be shocked how much energy a 4000lb vehicle has. I've seen vehicles hit immovable objects at that speed and the damage looks really bad (look at the IIHS test videos as examples). If she fell asleep, which I see happen fairly often, that means she probably didn't have her foot on the brakes or the gas. The roadway appears flat. So if she was going 35-40mph when she fell asleep, she may not have slowed much when she hit the house. I'd guess impact speed to be in the ballpark of 25-30mph. If she was going 40-50mph+, her car likely would have gone fully inside the house.
2nd page and NO ONE has suggested she was chasing Pokemon???
fireball123 wrote: I thought that piece of plastic was a supercharger and was going to ask you what type of car hit your house but than I took a closer look and realized it wasn't a supercharger
Haha same.
Just an added fact: the hill we live on is one of those "OMG I'm gonna crash" when you ride your bike down. She was coming UP that, took out a pole and continued into the house.
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