Water Damage Prevention- What You Need to Know about Hiring Contractors
May 18, 2010
As a means to prevent water damage from happening to your home again, you would probably consider hiring a contractor to make sure all the needed repairs will be done. If you have insurance, your claims adjuster would most likely arrange the whole thing for you; however, in some cases, you will have the freedom to choose your contractor, so it is very important that you know how to find the most qualified individuals or repair company.
Types of Contractors
1. General Contractors. They are skilled in managing all aspects of renovation and often hire subcontractors to take care of certain jobs that they are not skilled enough to handle. General contractors are usually required for a new construction or a major repair.
2. Specialty Contractors. They are the subcontractors who are skilled at specific jobs needed in home repair, such as a plumber and an electrician. The qualified specialty contractors are licensed workers, and have earned sufficient experience to handle the job efficiently.
3. Freelance Contractors. They are generally classified as unskilled workers because they lack the expertise needed to repair complex construction. These are unlicensed contractors who are better off doing simple jobs such as carpet installation instead of fixing drainage systems.
Basic Considerations When Hiring Contractors
1. License
The very first thing to check before you hire a contractor is their license. Although not all states require contractors to be licensed, this is something you need to seriously consider because in case things go wrong with the repair, you can protect yourself by filing a complaint with local licensing agencies.
2. Track Record
Check the contractor’s reputation. Don’t make the mistake of hiring one with a long list of complaints lodged against them because you are bound for problems with this contractor. You might want to consider checking with the Better Business Bureau or request for referrals to get more information.
3. Contracts
You must read every detail stated in the contract and make sure they are all in proper order. A good contract states every step the contractor will do for your home, and if you cannot find these in the agreement paper handed to you, do not sign it.
4. Payments
A professional contractor will not demand for big upfront payments or require full payment prior to completion of work. Usually, professional contractors get the job done before seeking payment.
Hiring contractors is a tough job. You have to make sure you find the right one so that all the needed repairs will be done properly and according to your specifications. Note that if you do not have insurance, you would need to shell out a big amount of money to get it done. But, if you want to avoid water damage from affecting your home and your family again, this is something you have to do.
Heavy flooding hits the Nashville Tennessee areas
May 4, 2010
Authorities in Tennessee are fearing that there may be many more bodies discovered once all remote areas have been checked following the disastrous rains that struck the state. Now that the Cumberland River has crested, there is a bit more calm in the Nashville area, although the fear and questions remain over just how many people actually were killed.
Central Tennessee was overcome quickly by flash flooding caused by the swelling river, so quickly in fact that many people barely made it to dry land before being swept away by the raging, muddy water. The death toll stands at 28 now across three states, but hope is fading that the number will stand, as recovery slowly is taking place following the record-breaking rainfalls. Authorities are certain that there will be widespread damage in inundated areas and dread the thought of discovering more fatalities in the coming days.
Tennessee was hit very hard by the flood damage, with Nashville receiving the brunt of water damage disaster. Thousands of people fled rapidly rising water and hundreds were rescued-many by boat, with some having to be plucked off their roof tops. Tennessee’s death count stands at seventeen today (May 4) with ten of the deaths occurring in Nashville alone. Six people were killed by the same rainstorms in Mississippi and four in the state of Kentucky.
Nashville is home to the iconic Grand Ole Opry House, which is a main source of income and pride for the city and its residents. One thousand, five hundred visitors to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center were evacuated over the weekend and taken to a shelter as the heart of country music was submerged in several feet of muddy river water. It is thought that it will be months before the hotel is able to re-open.
Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen already has declared fifty-two of the state’s ninety-five counties disaster areas after flying overhead to assess the damage. On Saturday and Sunday alone, 13.5 inches of rain fell on the Nashville area, breaking the old record set decades earlier and sending panic-stricken residents fleeing from their homes. Nearly every single lake, river, creek, stream and drainage system in the area was flooded over. The flood water were so powerful that it washed out bridges and knocked down buildings.
Highways in the area have been closed indefinitely and now look like raging rivers instead of roadways. At least fifty Nashville schools were damaged by the water and for now, the schools are closed. Residents are urged not to venture out onto streets and roads as most coming into and leaving the city are submerged and may be compromised.
Photo courtesy AP
