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Hello –
My parents are dealing with a indoor flood damage mitigation specialists going by the name Paul Davis Restoration…We got a call from them after reporting to the insurance company a main floor bathroom flooding that soaked floors, walls and ceilings below.
They are a nationally franchised company based in Florida with the parent company in Canada.
So far they have run a bunch of “Turbo” fans and dehumidifiers for about two weeks and coming by with moisture sensing meters that look like stud finders.
Not sure what to make of them and would like to hear from anyone who have dealt with this company.
I would like to get the mess taken care of pronto but they’re going the route of “let’s try to dry out everything before we give you an estimate on what it would take to make things right.”
They seem to be well trained by the headquarters to say just the right thing so they can hold on to the job instead of getting right down to the repair figures and allowing us to decide who to hire for the repair work or do it ourseleves, which at this point is mostly re-priming and painting the walls and ceilings.
There would be a few sections of drywall replacements.
But with them involved and representing the insurance company to work up the figures I haven’t been able to touch anything.
They just came by again and drilled some holes in the downstairs bathroom (which was under the flooded bathroom) and brought back the fans and dehumidifiers – (“Uh, this room isn’t completely dry yet.”)
To give you and idea how long they’ve been at this, the flooding occured on Christmas day and they showed up the next day.
We had everything wet vac’d and mopped up by the time they showed up – they’ve been trying to dry out the walls and ceilings.
Appreciate your help if you have any feedback.
Replies
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Paul David is big here in Louisiana, I can never touch there prices. Just remember they are NOT working for you, there bosses are the insurance companys. They save the insurance company money they keep getting the referals. BE CAREFUL
*Sounds like the home repair version of the paintless ding repair companies that follow hail storms and the like. Not familiar enough to comment except to say that they seem to have a system that allows them to accomplish what others do by tearing out and replacing with patience and some different machines. Of course it your patience that gets to be tested. Wet drywall that dries out after being saturated will not be worth a hoot. skip
*FWIW Dep't.In the past several years, there has been a growing concern with possible adverse health effects of various molds. Moisture (e.g., from floods) is a key component in mold growth. Ii thinksome area's are adopting protocols for dealing with the problem, which include tearing out soaked drywall. (see, e.g. http://www.ci.nyc.us/html/doh/html/epi/moldrpt1.html ) the NYC protocol for dealing with mold and flooded building components.A long shot would be sending a letter to the company's General Councel, noting that the approach they are taking appears to be contrary to current standards for dealing with the problem, and enquiring as to whether their liability insurance would cover them in case their approach to dealing with your parent's problem leads to adverse health or economic consequences.Note, if you send the letter to a business person type, it'll probably just get blown off; if you send it to a legal type, there's a fair chance it'll get some attention. CC the letter to the CO's Comptroller, usually a buiness type but usually also has some responsibility for the Co's risk management, and is at the top of the Co food chain.(You can get this info as to GC and Comptroller for large Co's from standard business listings.) Or, I found this with a few minutes web search: Corp officers for First Service, which owns The Franchise Co, which owns PD Restoratation:Timothy J. Greener Senior Vice-President, Integration & Margin Enhancement (I've never heard of such a position, but it sounds pretty impressive )Douglas G. Cooke Corporate Controller They don't list a General Counsel, but consider this membor of the Board of Directors, with a cover letter asking him to forward your enquiry to the Co's General Counsel:James R. Rollwagen St. Paul, Minnesota Senior Attorney, Ecolab Inc. (publicly-traded diversifiedservices company)
*I've never heard of the company so I can't tell you if they're any good or not. But if you're not comfortable with them, if they aren't answering your questions to yuor satisfaction, and you suspect they're trying to do what's best for the insurance company and not you, send them packing.You don't have to use the insurance company's contractor. Call somebody you trust or somebody a co worker or your brother has been happy with and get a price from them. Fax the extimate to the insurance adjuster and get the guy you trust started fixing the problem.
*Thanks for all the good suggestions and feedback.Luckily this happened during one of the most cold and dry months in recent memory, so mold growth is not a major concern at this point.I guess except for their slowness they've been doing a fair job. Their main approach has been to dry out everything using fans and dehumidifiers without disturbing anything. They also told us most of the time the affected walls are just repainted, but only after they are dry.The ceiling and walls in bathroom below the flooded bathroom has been been slow to dry out because of the latex enamel paint, so that is where the holes were drilled the other day.Other rooms seem to have dried completely.
*ALan:> Luckily this happened during one of the most cold and dry months in recent memory, so mold growth is not a major concern at this point. Er, well, yes, it's been cold i outside,but how cold has it been between the 1st & 2nd floor bathrooms?Mold is just as likely in cold weather as warm: if there's enough humidity in the air, it'll condense on cool/cold surfaces and support mold growth.A few weeks ago (in the coldest spell recently) I got called out for a complaint on a home inspection I did a few months ago: they were complaining that I must have missed something really serious because of all the mold growing on the inside of the exterior walls. Bozos had the humidifier at its highest setting (outdoor temps were ranging around 0-5 degrees) and the indoor temp at 78! (It was lime walking into a steam bath!)Yeah, there was mold growing all over the place. I wanted to tell them the only thing I'd missed was their stupidity, but that wouldn't have been accurate; they didn't even bother to attend the home inspection (where I always explain how to use a humidifier.)Mold often appears in bathrooms this time of year, as well, along the wall/ceiling intersection on outside walls becaue of condensation.
*Hi, Bob -Thanks for your comments.First thing we did after the flood was discovered and initial mess was cleaned up:1. Turned off the furnace humidifier.2. Stopped using the bathrooms that were affected, especially the downstairs one that took the hardest hit. Luckily there is another full bath that can be used.3. House thermostat has always been kept in the mid 60's. There is very little condensation that collects on windows even on the coldest days. But you should have seen the windows the day the flooding was discovered ! Yikes.4. The humidity gauge is reading in the low 20's and I can feel my lips drying up when in the house.We hope they can get the rest of the wetness out from behind the walls in the bathroom. especially the one facing outside.The local Paul Davis franchise will not work up a quote until they feel everything's dried out sufficiently.We'll see what they have to say when they come back on Monday morning, four weeks after the flooding.To quote one of their 'more knowledgeable' guys - "We can dry out most floodings in less then a week."
*Alan,I used to work for an insurance restoration company (local). The adjuster and contractor can work some great deals. Make sure you receive an itemized estimate from them, and use it as a check list to ensure the work to be done is being done (i.e. mold removed either physically or chemically, etc.). Insurance company's pay good money (at least around here), but I do not care for the "business" side of it. I got out, and now work for myself. Good luck.Dave O
*Thanks, Dave -After drilling the holes into the walls to get the rest of the moisture out, I believe they sprayed some sort of chemical into the wall cavities to prevent mold growth.The itemized list is a good idea and thanks again,Alan
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Hello -
My parents are dealing with a indoor flood damage mitigation specialists going by the name Paul Davis Restoration...We got a call from them after reporting to the insurance company a main floor bathroom flooding that soaked floors, walls and ceilings below.
They are a nationally franchised company based in Florida with the parent company in Canada.
So far they have run a bunch of "Turbo" fans and dehumidifiers for about two weeks and coming by with moisture sensing meters that look like stud finders.
Not sure what to make of them and would like to hear from anyone who have dealt with this company.
I would like to get the mess taken care of pronto but they're going the route of "let's try to dry out everything before we give you an estimate on what it would take to make things right."
They seem to be well trained by the headquarters to say just the right thing so they can hold on to the job instead of getting right down to the repair figures and allowing us to decide who to hire for the repair work or do it ourseleves, which at this point is mostly re-priming and painting the walls and ceilings.
There would be a few sections of drywall replacements.
But with them involved and representing the insurance company to work up the figures I haven't been able to touch anything.
They just came by again and drilled some holes in the downstairs bathroom (which was under the flooded bathroom) and brought back the fans and dehumidifiers - ("Uh, this room isn't completely dry yet.")
To give you and idea how long they've been at this, the flooding occured on Christmas day and they showed up the next day.
We had everything wet vac'd and mopped up by the time they showed up - they've been trying to dry out the walls and ceilings.
Appreciate your help if you have any feedback.