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Bad Luck Strikes Hard Friday the 13th

3K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  bigblockragtop 
#1 ·
My garage burned to the ground on January 13, 2012. My project was not in this bldg, but my Harley Davidson FLHTC was. I was in the process of doing a good old Minnesota winter rebuild on the old girl 1994 model and the fire got her. Also all of my tools, special fixtures etc. I have been both a machinist and a Harley mechanic, they are called technicians now. I had an extremely large collection of machinist tools with Gerstner Oak boxes snuggled around them. Also had a Mac 50th anniversary tool box with matching bottom roller. Of course filled to the brim with tools. Insurance man is going to wonder why would 1 person own 6- 1/2 inch wrenches, on and on. I'm sure you all get me you all most likely have the same. Snap on, Craftsman, Starrett, you name it.
All top shelf American Made tools. Even burned my compressor to a melted gob. Now I have to inventory each and every piece, photograph it and put it all on their "special" form. Some of this stuff is gone, might have been on the bench and got tossed with the burned wood.
Carpe Diem
believe in God and pray :confused:
 

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#5 ·
latech said:
I have photos of my tools, just open the drawers and shoot.I can write a list from that if needed, also I can show the police what the stuff looks like if it comes up missin.
kinda hard to argue with photos.
x2
my insurance company asked why I wanted x dollars of coverage for belongings inside the garage, as they said the auto coverage would cover the vehicle.. I shot photo's of the tools, and extra car parts, and they said ok.. we understand now..
good luck with the insurance.. at least it was only the garage..

my wife jokes if the house caught fire I'd be telling the firemen to aim the water at the garage and let the house burn.. thats not true, but funny anyways..
good luck
 
#6 ·
Friday 13th

Amen and thank you.
Do an inventory on your tools including photos and cost now. Keep any and all receipts in a fireproof place. I am doing this after the fact and it is time consuming and of course after a fire, messy. I got some latex gloves to wear as I handle the tools so my hands don't get black. Didn't do this at first and that soot takes a few days to get off no matter how hard you scrub. The fire captain told me they add a chemical now to the water to help put the fire out faster and completly. That is what makes the mess. Odd thing, I had some papers and photos in the box and some of these did not even burn while others did. We go on and pray things get better.
 
#7 ·
Ouch, man I feel for you. I went through exactly the same thing. Lost all my tools in a total loss business fire, replacement value around 80 - 90K. Best advice, document everything, and talk to a lawyer. The insurance company will try to screw you in any way they can, so having legal representation will go a long way. I didn't, and go a big zippo from the insurance, and had to start over from scratch.
 
#8 ·
Fire

I know the insurance company will attempt to put it to me so an attorney will be involved. I was a machinist over 30 years ago but my tools and Oak tool boxes were like new. I am very picky you might say about my tools. I even waxed my mechanics tool boxes on a monthly basis. Might sound odd to some but my stuff was always clean and in new like condition. If a socket got greasy inside I used brake cleaner on it before I put it away. A bit anal but I don't like going to my box and grabbing a greasy tool.
 
#13 ·
Many of us who own the best and have made a living with them wouldn't think your discipline at all anal. I still have the first SK socket set I started with 43 years ago when I was 15. All my snap on and mac tools are 20-30 years old and like new, each in it's own place and clean.
 
#14 ·
Sorry to hear of your loss too. Just my 2 cents worht: Years back I had a fire in a rental property. only fire I ever had thank God. I used a Public Adjuster to fight for me with great success. They meet the insurance Company head on. Less expensive than an attorney as they are legal experts not usually tool experts. try the yellow pages. Just a thought. Best of luck with it all. Sorry you have to go thr.ough this.
 
#15 ·
Things worked out well with the insurance company. The actually had brand new Snap On, and Craftsman Tools delivered to my home and sent me a check for a tidy amount to replace tools they could not send. I have purchased most everything and will be sending them receipts to get the balance of the money sent. All in all not a horrendous experience. Still have to redo the cement floor and can't quite figure out how to go about it. I have to clean the burn marks first, then level the spots that popped up, then I think I will paint it. Any ideas?
 
#16 ·
Replacement coverage

Besure you have replacement coverage, and make sure to have your agent check you are covered for more than normal home owner allowance, most policies have a limit on what they will pay unless you declare more than normal items, tools, art work, guns , jewlery, etc.. You have to pay a few dollars more for the extra coverage. I had a fire in 2001 in the old Barn and shop when in the process of moving, I already had the zoning approval for a new 40 x 120 ft metal building to be built. .I had full coverage replacement , I started doing the inventory and most companies only pay you the depreciated value until you buy the new replacement item. The adjuster asked how much I was going to replace. I said I just hauled this stuff 900 miles , everything, He said lets stop doing all this paperwork, and we worked out a cash settlement agreeable to both of us.
 
#17 ·
reread

I reread the posts, From experience the Photos, and papers will deteriate over time from the chemicals in the smoke and retardant. so get copies made asap. also in a house fire Mirrors will go bad after a couple years, have the insurance Co guaarantee that if you follow their recommendaations they will guarantee your stuff won't go bad later that only had "smoke damage". , electronics guns,etc.
 
#18 ·
google up concrete restoration products and services..redoing a fire damaged floor is one job I would like to farm out as the materials and technique is a special deal.. just an aside in my working years we did a lot of buildings and that particular thing we had a sub-contractor do..

Sam
 
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