Basement reno induced by a flood
Slashed insurance coverage and tight deadline drove project
A modern-day David vs. Goliath scene began unfolding in Burlington a few years ago when two months worth of rain poured down in just six hours.
With flooding and sewer-water five inches deep in his basement, homeowner David Roberts was among the 3,000 residents — including the city’s mayor Rick Goldring — who found themselves at the mercy of Mother Nature on that Simcoe Day long weekend in August 2014.
Aflooded basement is a dread that lurks in the heart of every homeowner. But it became a nightmare for Roberts when he realized his insurance company had reduced his flood damage payout the year before to $15,000 from $50,000. The cut was a result of expensive claims in the wake of extreme flooding events in Hamilton, Toronto and Calgary. A backwater valve was needed to put him back to at least $25,000 coverage.
The follow-up slap in the face for the father of two young daughters was a notice in the mail saying his premiums were going up. But details about the 70per-cent cutback on the payout side were buried deep in the paperwork.
“It’s like being on a slowly-sinking ship,” says Roberts, 39, of desperate attempts to keep the flood water and sewage at bay in the basement while his wife Cynthia, 38, learned the frustrating news from the insurance company on the phone upstairs.
Since the flood happened on the Aug. 4 holiday Monday, stores were closed and Roberts was unable to buy a sump pump. Instead, he used a five-gallon Shop-Vac and towels in a frantic attempt to absorb the murky water that for hours came up through the floor drains and eventually hit five inches. “It was our own form of water torture,” he says. “We lost a lot of memories,” he says of his wedding mementoes, family photos and childhood keepsakes that were stored in the basement. “You couldn’t even comprehend it. Your heart sinks and you feel sick.”
As well as the items that can never be replaced, Roberts lost a half year of evenings with his wife and daughters — Avery and Naomi, who were then 3 and 5. After working days as a television producer, he spent nights for six months repairing and renovating the basement to get it done within the insurance company’s six-month deadline. And within the budget he was given.
Remediating the basement ate up $6,400 of the family’s $15,000 insurance payout. That meant Roberts had to find a way to renovate it for $8,600. And with quotes of up to $30,000 to hire a professional, his only choice was to take on the task himself.
“What are you going to do? You laugh or cry,” he says. “I’ve chosen to drink, to cry, and then to sober up and laugh!” Roberts somehow found humour in what he calls the “world’s worst garage sale” — piles of his family’s wet, smelly items were stacked in the driveway after being removed from the basement.
He then had to painstakingly photograph all of the items individually, as required by the insurance company.
“It wasn’t exactly a Kodak moment,” he says. “It was hot, it smelled, everything was slightly water damaged. And there were no customers!”
As well, the basement housed the family’s laundry room, extra bathroom and rec room — with a 1,200square-foot house, the Roberts family was feeling the space crunch. Trips to the laundromat were also getting old fast.
For the six months Roberts worked in his basement, he taught himself new skills including laying vinyl and laminate flooring, installing insulation, countertops, cabinets and base- boards, wall-framing, drywall mudding as well as electrical and plumbing work. All this while counting every dollar spent on supplies to try and stay on budget.
“You’re trying to nickel-and-dime, so now you’re pulling hinges and door handles off smelly, rotting doors so you can reuse them and save money,” he says. “You just go: ‘Why am I having to do this? What did I pay into insurance for?’ I don’t know how they can sleep at night.”
Although he had a bit of “weekend warrior” experience fixing toilets, replacing electrical plugs and doing a bit of drywalling, Roberts had never imagined himself going solo on a major renovation.
But with the help of YouTube videos and visits to home renovation stores for help with Canadian electrical codes, he was able to complete the project on time and almost exactly on budget. He figures he’s still out about $5,000 for the personal items they lost — like camping equipment and electronics — but he’s relieved his furnace didn’t have to be replaced, which would have put them another $5,000 in the hole.
Roberts urges homeowners to pay attention to their insurance policies and ensure they know exactly what, and how much, they’re covered for.
“When the disaster strikes, it is a very difficult time to decipher all that stuff and you are in no position to renegotiate any of it,” he says.