I had to learn how insurance companies work as well as how to check qualifications of persons claiming to be in the business of repairing hurricane damage. The operative word was PATIENCE, and I was forced to practice it.
I telephoned the Better Business Bureau of southeast Texas for a list of contractors working in the area. They also gave me a detailed list of things to check before signing a contract with any person advertising such repairs. First on the list was the requirement for a ‘bond’ and checking to make certain the person was actually bonded by phoning the city hall where the work was to be done and requesting a copy of the registered bond with the amount of insurance carried. The next step was to check with the surrounding county courthouses for any liens or law suits against any of the contractors being considered and contacting at least two referrals.
I added names from the internet and newspapers to the BBB list and started telephoning them, but I soon had so many scraps of paper with notes, and pertinent information the clutter became too much to cope with. My son’s suggestion of using manila folders for each contractor was so practical I had a mini filing system up and running in short order.
From my apartment in Houston, I started a routine of phoning, leaving messages, waiting for return calls with bids contingent on seeing inside of the house, and talking to references. My insurance adjuster in Florida was my security blanket, giving me tips on how contractors work and what questions to ask.
Before meeting with individuals at the house for final bids, I phoned my brother, a retired contractor who lives in the Dallas area, and asked if he would take the time to help me choose a contractor and supervise repairs. When he said yes, I was delighted! Motel Six had only one room with two king size beds with cable TV coming available the next afternoon so we reserved it for a week with the possibility of continuing for as many days as needed.
I stuffed my contractor files in a briefcase, packed a cooler with water and lots of munchies, clothes to last a week and waited for my brother to pick me up in Houston and head for Rita territory. I scheduled 4 interviews and every thing was on track!
After checking into the motel, we drove to the house so my brother could see the damage. While we discussed what had to be done, we saw a crew putting new shingles on the house across the street. They were going 90 to nothing and my brother said that was the kind of workers we needed.
As we watched the work being done, a woman and a man were picking up junk as soon as the roofers tossed it on the ground and put it in the back of a pickup truck. The woman waved to us and I walked over to talk to her while my brother went inside the house. The woman said her husband was doing the work. His name was Scot and I asked if he could talk to us when took a work break.
In the meantime, the owner of the house came by and told us he hired Scot after seeing what a great job he had done for a friend of his. After my brother interviewed him, we hired him on the spot. Scot was from San Antonio and did not have a registered bond, but my brother said it wasn’t necessary. We had found the right person to repair my house.
We chose the option of buying the material and Scot went to the lumber yard with us to make certain the materials were the best and delivery would be when needed. Because the structural damage was not as extensive as originally thought, the length of time to complete the repairs was lessened by three days. My brother was extremely pleased and gave a substantial bonus for a job well done. Fortune truly smiled on us when our chance encounter with Scot ended my Rita saga so happily.
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