Household insurance question
Discussion
Disaster has struck - compression elbow on feed pipe to washing machine has spung a leak/worked loose resulting in some water damage to 2 rooms - skirting boards have blown (were grip filled to the walls) on both side of an internal/stud wall, wallpaper stained on one side of wall. Possibility that water has tracked under the laminate flooring in one room.
Think that it may have been leaking quite a while
Gutted - I decorated both rooms 3 weeks ago and the only reason I noticed was because I noticed that there was some black stains on my newly decorated bathroom wall.
Will my household insurers put it right or will they claim wear and tear?????
SotonS2 said:
Depends on the specific policy wording I guess but we had a similar experience in our last house. Our insurers paid up no questions / no inspections for new flooring and all repairs.
:crosses fingers:
god I hope so! I really don't fancy redecorating again
spent hours sanding and varnishing the skirtings. 
wedg1e said:
If the wall's plasterboard and has black gunk on it, plan on renewing the wall. It'll have turned to mush and even if it dries out it'll fall to bits.
OMG! This could end up a frigging nightmare if they need to renew the plasterboard that means taking the coving down, taking out a custom built cupboard that housed the washing machine & tumble drier and IIRC there were some brackets for the cupboard that have been tiled over
pagey said:
OMG! This could end up a frigging nightmare if they need to renew the plasterboard that means taking the coving down, taking out a custom built cupboard that housed the washing machine & tumble drier and IIRC there were some brackets for the cupboard that have been tiled over
My shower leaked. It soaked the bathroom wall (plasterboard), travelled across the 2 x 2" wooden frame and soaked the lounge wall one side and the kitchen wall the other. I had to rip both walls off the frame and start again (when the frame had dried out - even then it has patches of rot). The kitchen has an extensive area of black crud behind the cooker (other side from the shower): even if you scrape it off it comes back. I know for a fact that when the kitchen gets a refit, it'll be going back to the wall frame...
Here's the wall after I ripped the first bit off; you can make out the black rotten area at the bottom. The pipe down the wall is the gas feed to the kitchen.
I decided to add cavity insulation, more for sound deadening than warmth (ever tried to fart quietly when you have visitors in the lounge?
)... 
... and as Julie prefers baths, but I prefer showers, we split the difference and fitted a showerbath:
In the process, I repiped the radiators so that the pipes are hidden in the wall. In this pic:
the extra wooden framework is to take the weight of the 4 foot high towel radiator and the folding shower screen.
No wonder you need a three day weekend....Oy! Whilst not actually finished per se, progress is being made at a steady(ish) rate... the bath and shower were up and running in time for Valentine's Day - only been without since the end of November:
and the sink came on-stream this week, once I'd got round to boxing -in the cistern and creating some cupboard space...
The curtains are obviously part of the 'original' decor. Still to do are the section at the end of the bath, wallpaper, blind, finish ceiling (yes I know, should have done that first...), tile windowsill, install lights, wall cabinets, flooring.... god knows how much it's cost, I gave up counting at £1300. The bloody room is only 6 feet square!
Luckily I'd just won £500 on the Lotto when I started it....
- only been without since the end of November: and the sink came on-stream this week, once I'd got round to boxing -in the cistern and creating some cupboard space...
The curtains are obviously part of the 'original' decor. Still to do are the section at the end of the bath, wallpaper, blind, finish ceiling (yes I know, should have done that first...), tile windowsill, install lights, wall cabinets, flooring.... god knows how much it's cost, I gave up counting at £1300. The bloody room is only 6 feet square!
Luckily I'd just won £500 on the Lotto when I started it....
wedg1e said:
My shower leaked. It soaked the bathroom wall (plasterboard), travelled across the 2 x 2" wooden frame and soaked the lounge wall one side and the kitchen wall the other. I had to rip both walls off the frame and start again (when the frame had dried out - even then it has patches of rot). The kitchen has an extensive area of black crud behind the cooker (other side from the shower): even if you scrape it off it comes back. I know for a fact that when the kitchen gets a refit, it'll be going back to the wall frame...
Here's the wall after I ripped the first bit off; you can make out the black rotten area at the bottom. The pipe down the wall is the gas feed to the kitchen.
Thank
for insurance - I've decorated and tiled it once, no way I'm doing it again 
G.S.I. 
wedg1e said:
looks a bit like my bathroom at the moment
Insurance assessor sent one of their contractors round to dry out the affected areas - I thought that they were going to install a couple of de-humidifiers
They ripped up the majority of my bathroom carpet, tore up 90% of the laminate in the adjoining room, pulled off skirting boards
I now have 2 De-humidifiers running and 3 bl00dy great fans to circulate the air and aid the drying. Was told that it would take at least two weeks Its great fun (not!) clambering around fans and power leads to get in and out of the bath. God only knows what else is going to swell, shrink up or fall apart as it drys out
excuse me for knowing jack abt plumbing, but what is a compression fitting?
i recently had a shower installed but one of the builder/tilers damaged a joint behind the power shower outlet. luckily, it was a relatively small leak, and i have a few brown patches in the kitchen/hallway where it has leaked through to the wallpaper. needless to say, i've got the plumber back to check all the joints...
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