How to Spot Shitty Hurricane “General Contractors”

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Were you in the path of destruction left by a hurricane? Are you struggling with the loss of all the items even high end stores like Macy’s or Ethan Allen can never replace?

Did amazing volunteers (quite honestly real life angels) from any number of civic and church ministries help demo out the bottom four feet of sheet rock, kitchen cabinets along with all of your possessions? Or maybe your house had it even worse–all the way to the ceiling.

Did you get the last spot at that apartment complex around the corner, or even across town? The house price for any available house in the area is skyrocketing. It is a crazy time due to the fact: EVERYONE NEEDS A PLACE TO LIVE AND NONE OF THE HOUSES ARE HABITABLE!!!

Yet, you still have to go to work just to put food on the table.

You don’t have time to run around after all of the different trades needed to fix your house.

In an ideal world, you want three bids for a small remodel job like a bathroom. However, with a project the size of an entire house, there are a crazy number of problems caused by the flood. Each would ideally be addressed by the experts in each trade:

• A remediation contractor to clean, dry out and protect your home BEFORE reconstruction.
• A foundation company to fix the wall that is leaning out of square from the force of water.
• An electrician to replace all the outlets per FEMA guidelines, or perhaps your old two wire Romex needs upgrading to modern three wire.
• A HVAC technician to fix your air conditioning or replace the unit.
• A drywall company to replace every last wall.
• A plumber to replace the water heater.

The list goes on and on!

Just that small list alone is 6 x 3 = 18 calls. Not to mention being at the house to be present for the contractors to come up with a bid. RECALL THE ABOVE STATEMENT ABOUT STILL NEEDING TO WORK.*

Sure, it would be nice if you had time to learn how to fix a house, but your schedule is too busy–and that was before the hurricane. Or maybe you don’t want to know. Some of us just want a turnkey house, move in, kick back and enjoy. Both are reasonable lifestyles and attitudes!

However…

EVERY SHITTY CONTRACTOR WHO KNOWS THERE ARE PEOPLE THEY CAN CON INTO BELIEVING THEY ARE DOING A GOOD JOB IS IN <INSERT THE LATEST DISASTER CITY HERE> RIGHT NOW. THEY ARE ALREADY THERE, AND MORE ARE ON THEIR WAY…

IT PISSES ME OFF.

We all work hard for our money. Many, unfortunately not all, have insurance to cover our losses (although there are still the items that are irreplaceable). A contractor is someone you trust to put your home back safely.

The first step is to take out the old material, treat the remaining structure with the proper chemicals/ cleaners (not bleach) and then proceed to dry it back out. There are dryness thresholds and mold tests to verify it is ready to be sealed back up.

Your flood insurance pays for this. Check out your line item insurance claim and make sure it is there. If it is not call the adjuster. If it is already there and this step is skipped your contractor is stealing this money and putting you at risk!

Freshly hung drywall textured just two days ago!

The asshole contractors who don’t care are taking precious money of trusting homeowners and already painting the sheet rock they just installed in a home that was flooded only two weeks ago!

Do you think they went through any of these steps? Do they even have a moisture meter? Do you think they tested for mold?

One of the current Hurricane Harvey general contractors working in my aunt’s neighborhood DOES NOT have a moisture meter and proudly boasts about spackle (texture on the drywall after it is taped and floated) completed on another house around the corner. STATING IT IS “DRY ENOUGH” IS NOT THE ANSWER.

We aren’t talking about a hot, arid climate like Phoenix, AZ, or the middle of the Sahara desert here. We are talking about a humid environment right by A HUGE SOURCE OF WATER. THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL THESE HOUSES ARE DRY WITHOUT DEHUMIDIFIERS AND HIGH POWERED FANS.

Not only that but, even worse, the house was soaked in contaminated water for days. Think oil, gas, and feces. Did they treat the remaining structure to clean it and kill mold spores?

Who wants a new load of drywall (photo taken yesterday 9.18.2017)? Your answer: “Hell no! Not until my house is safe!”

ASK YOUR CONTRACTOR WHAT HE/SHE WILL BE DOING! Does it sound thorough enough? Do you know?

DO NOT BE CONNED. Arm yourself with knowledge. Read the following materials. Even if you don’t want to. No one else is looking out for you especially if they just want your insurance money…

Here are some great links for flood disaster recovery and how to restore your home, courtesy of my husband in preparation for his trip to help. These sites are continuously updated.

• https://texashelp.tamu.edu/browse/by-type/naturally-occurring/floods/
• https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/solutions/water-damage-restoration-clean-up-checklist/
• http://www.floodsafety.com/national/property/cleanup/index.htm
• https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2012/09/07/tips-prevent-post-flooding-mold-home-clean-it-dry-it-or-discard-it
• https://www.fema.gov/rebuilding-after-coastal-storm
• http://www.expertdry.com/component/content/article.html?id=54

Local links for Hurricane Harvey:

• http://www.ci.dickinson.tx.us/627/Hurricane-Harvey-Information
• https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2017/09/17/disaster-recovery-center-open-galveston-county
• https://houstonrecovers.org/

And here are some PDFs to save/print off:

• https://www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m4540081_repairingFloodedHome.pdf
• http://floodsafety.com/media/pdfs/cleanup/Cleanup_after_flood.pdf
• http://texashelp.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/floods-dry-out-before-rebuilding.pdf
• https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/643461
• https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=HH_Rebuild_2015_DR.pdf
• https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/3972#
• http://www.galvestoncad.org/data/_uploaded/file/Hurricane%20Harvey%20Damage%20Reporting%20Email%20Instructions%20for%20Galveston%20Central%20Appraisal%20District.pdf

NOTE: your flood insurance WILL NOT PAY OUT AGAIN. Also homeowner’s insurance has SPECIFIC mold exclusions in the policies holding YOU liable when the shitty contractor slaps your home back together and gives you the keys. In addition, you may be liable to renters or the following homeowners if they suffer because the work done on your home was not correct.

You just want to go home, but what if the wrong contractor does the work, seals up the house and mold starts to grow in the walls? Sure, it looks good on the inside of the room. But how many visits to the doctor, “allergies” and other problems will start to appear in your life?

This scares the shit out of me for every last individual and family out there. I’d rather buy a mold filled house with it on every surface rather than it hiding behind every last wall. At least it is out there for me to see.

There are too many shitty hurricane general contractors preying on hurricane victims. Do not become a victim twice!

We decided put our money, time, effort, and family where our mouth is.

My husband is out in Texas right now making sure my aunt does not get screwed by any greedy asshole contractors. We want to help the rest of the family too, but certain houses are still in limbo.

By the end of next week my husband will be a licensed general contractor with full training on mold remediation from IICRC. We don’t want him to just look and sound pretty from reading the links above (although he is admittedly handsome!). He will be fully knowledgeable on the subject.

In the remediation business we want to educate people about their homes making sure they are welcoming, safe and not a death and hidden illness trap. We want to show there are real contractors who care about your safety and interested more in delivering quality work than just rushing to the next job.

You may want an answer from a general contractor telling you, “Sure, you can be home next week”. We all do because there really is no place like home. Except when it is not. Take your time. Ask the right questions. Make sure you are not a victim of more than just the Hurricane itself.

*In our conversations, we have also discussed offering services like being the point of contact for all bids and being on site for contractors when they are coming through to review the damage to come up with the bid. This would save people from having to take off from work. It also gives homeowners the peace of mind they have options they might not know about since they are stretched so thin between rebuilding their home, working, and family life.

We also want the homeowners we work with to have other bids to view against his. My aunt has already decided to work with my husband, but he will still get bids on the work, not only to prove his worth, but also build her confidence in the necessary work.