Best Of

Petite, gorgeous cabin! Enjoy it as the perfect escape.

Betrayal et al, I am beyond furious but it's partly my fault because I relied on our "public adjuster" (who swooped in even as the CFD was still on-site, but I didn't sign the contract with them until I checked out their stellar reviews on BBB). The public adjuster runs interference between insured and insurance company, as well as works with the restoration project mgr. and hires the contractor. I didn't know any better, and now I may have to sue (of course, I have no shortage of colleagues who do this kind of litigation and do it well).

I am indebted to Carrie, our ex-HK, who flew up to help with the pack-in—guiding the restoration guys as to what goes where. We still have two days (and truckloads) to go on that. I wish she hadn't retired and moved south a month before the fire, as she is extremely experienced with this sort of thing: in 2012, her house caught fire when the crack house next door did and the flames jumped the gangway, destroying that side of her house (structurally). She had to have a "gut job" done, but was back in only 9 months. She, like we, had State Farm—and her "public adjuster" was also on-site while the CFD was still working. BUT her public adjuster was on the North Side (ours is in Hinsdale, out in the west 'burbs) and her restoration company is up here in Glenview (ours is in the far south 'burbs). Her public adjuster & project mgr. kept her apprised constantly, having her meet with the contractor and architect. She & her DH were able to drop in unannounced to monitor progress. State Farm used direct-deposit to reimburse them, but our idiot State Farm adjuster insisted on paper checks (sometimes sent to the wrong address—we couldn't access our home over the winter—and one was even stolen and so had to be stopped, reissued and sent here to Lincolnwood). By contrast, our project mgr seemed AWOL and every time I asked him & the public adjuster for progress reports, all they could say was that city permit process was very slow (true) and they were "on it." As I mentioned earlier, the city inspector finally OK'ed the house and issued the Certificate of Occupancy in June—turns out, the house was still not habitable except as perhaps for "indoor camping." The paint job (even before I learned this week it was with the wrong type of paint) and some electrical work was, respectively, sloppy and incorrect.

The biggest mistake Carrie pointed out is the worst and likely to make us wait till mid-Sept to move back: they used flat paint for the walls & ceilings throughout—even in the kitchen and baths. I did not know this, as the last time we painted our decorator (who has since moved away after a dispute and gone under) knew exactly what type to use and who to apply it (the "Jesus People" who were far more competent than I expected)—and it lasted perfectly for 37 years until the fire. She had chosen Benjamin Moore inside & out, eggshell for kitchen, satin for bathrooms, which is why it held up so well for so long. The 3 Stooges (old Polish guys, not disparaging ethnicity or age but just inexperience and language barrier) apparently bought the cheapest contractor-grade flat paint in bulk. We were given the ability to choose paint color, carpeting, cabinet style ("white Shaker") and countertop (black granite)—but were not informed as to brand or type of paint, as it wasn't on our dime (like it had been 37 years ago) but on State Farm's. I was just so relieved that work was finally proceeding that I didn't think to question.

Flat paint is disastrous for kitchens & baths, especially baths w/o exterior ventilation like ours. It can't be wiped clean, and due to high-humidity environments like baths is prone to bubbling & mildew. Bob wants to know why we just can't move in, travel for a couple of years and then repaint—but we explained the damage would have occurred early on and maybe required re-drywalling (and mold remediation) before repainting (and the house would be unsaleable). Alternatively, he thinks we should sell & downsize—but with Chicago area prices still sky-high (and a shortage of available houses) we'd be paying as much as or more than we'd get for the sale, for a smaller home. Not to mention having to winnow down our stuff even more. Rents are also through the roof in Chicago, and I'm not willing to relocate.

I pointed all of this out via texts to our public adjuster (who, during the delays kept telling me I was worrying too much and that we "wouldn't be homeless," as well as not understanding what we deemed unsatisfactory); he replied "you should have complained earlier but I'm working on it." He said he will meet with us this coming week, and I elaborated further exactly what's unsatisfactory; he replied "what is your deal today? I said I'll meet with you this week." When I asked for a date & time, he replied "I don't know yet."

Now I know things are very different now than they were in 2012—exponentially more flooding, wind/hail/tornado damage in northern IL, and fewer available workmen (especially immigrant). But still, it shouldn't have taken this long. When I pleaded with our State Farm adjuster to extend our rental coverage (at the rate they pay, which is a $2K/mo "insurer discount" over what we're charged), he pointed to the policy language which states SF is not responsible for the costs of delays caused by us or the contractor, and said we should go after our public adjuster & contractor. It's my fault for not demanding to see the name of the contractor and its licensure (which I now know are nonexistent), but all of this was on me—managing the progress, dealing with all sorts of administrative shit including utilities, changes of address, and of course my own health challenges starting with my broken foot & ankle last fall. No help from Bob, who just takes out the garbage & recycling and knows even less about household stuff and construction than I do (and I had to educate myself over this past year). His folks, parsimonious as hell, were DIYers but knew squat about how to do it properly, which is why their house was such a pit by the time his mom had died and his dad moved from NY to here to live his final 2 years with us (another horror story I won't get into).

So I will have to insist on the right type of paint and the right brand—and refuse to pony up for it. At least with brand-new flat paint as the surface, no sanding or priming will be necessary before applying satin or semigloss; but latex paint (can't use oil based due to VOCs), even if it dries in 24 hrs, takes 30 days to cure properly (which is why I could still smell it after 6 weeks, likely because it was such cheap stuff). So even if we move back, we'd have to go to the gym to shower and continue dining out for at least a month.

And I never thought about stuff like doorknobs (which were not replaced).

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?