Every home has a story

Every home has a story. Part of our home’s story is the devastating fire that occurred and the restoration that followed. Twenty-five years ago, our little family fell in love with the 1913 house, 1905 barn, and 10 ½ acres of property that comprise what remains of a larger farm – Walnut Hill Farms. I have a hard time explaining to people the connection and love I feel for this home. To understand me is to know that I am a home person. I am content at home. My home grounds me. I find joy here.

On January 5, 2016, we lost approximately 95% of everything we owned. While I have come to learn that our belongings were just stuff, it did not feel that way for a very long time. Stuff contains memories. Stuff is how we keep track of where we have been in life. We were incredibly fortunate that many of our photographs survived. Somehow photographs are not stuff. Photographs are truly how we remember special people and moments in our lives.

Right after the fire, I searched for blogs and articles about the fire restoration process from a homeowner’s perspective. I found almost nothing. Traveling this journey, I understand why. Rebuilding your life is not only physically draining, but an emotional roller coaster. There are a million decisions to consider. Whether you, or someone you know, suffered a fire, flood, or other unfortunate disaster to your home, I hope you find my journey helpful. My wish is that my journey brings others hope. When I posted on Facebook about the fire, I used three different hashtags to describe how I was feeling at times; #realitiesofafire, #blessingsofafire, and #gocavs. There were moments of absolute despair. There were moments I was exhausted to the point I was afraid that if I stopped moving, I would crumble. There were wonderful unexpected moments of strength brought to me through the kindness of those that love me, and from people I never met. I held on to those moments of strength with a feeling of awe, determination, and gratitude. I had a family and a home to rebuild.

Although the fire took away the feeling of control in our lives, I realized quickly I was still in control – of me. I was in control of being patient with myself and my family. I was in control of saying please and thank you to the restoration workers. I was in control of saying no when I needed to say no. When I was exhausted, I leaned on my sister, my best friend, good neighbors, and later and often my restoration team. I asked questions. I had a million of them. A coworker thought ahead and brought me a notebook to write thoughts and answers down. Here are the questions that swirled in my brain that first evening as the flames were extinguished and the following day when the sun rose again.

What is my top priority at this exact moment?

The word moment is important, because living in the moment is all I could expect of myself, not just at the time of the fire, but for many months afterwards. Overwhelmingly, the top priority was making sure my family was safe, and that anyone who needed medical attention received medical attention. My cell phone rang at work and I was told the house was on fire. My husband and I worked together and had over an hour drive to arrive home. The entire way home, all I could think of was embracing the family that was waiting. The immense love, along with the urge to hold them and hug them, was overwhelming. While I would love to describe to readers even more how I felt at this moment, the emotions still feel raw, sacred, and private. Healing takes time.

Who is going to contact our insurance company? When will the adjuster show up? What does the adjuster do when he does arrive?

My husband contacted our agent on the drive to the fire. I was driving, and I don’t even remember him making the call. Our agent, John, met us at the house, policy in hand, assuring us of our coverages and making sure we were alright. He contacted the insurance company for us. While you may contact the insurance company on your own, we sincerely appreciated John taking care of this for us so we could focus on our family and home.

We were fortunate to have our barn/winery as a home base, and the insurance adjuster arrived early the next morning. His first questions were to ensure everyone was safe and not in need of medical attention. He reviewed our policy and coverages with us and conducted interviews concerning the cause of the fire. Due to the size of the loss, he informed us there would be further investigations as part of the process. He wrote a check so that we could purchase clothing and other necessities. It was January in Ohio, and while friends were on hand with coats and hot cocoa, we needed pants, shirts, socks, boots, and shoes.

When can we go into the house?

Fire officials let us know when the house was safe to enter. A house fire is also a flood. Water from hoses causes a lot of damage. Electric, gas, and water lines need to be secured. A home needs to be safe before entry. By the time the fire was out, it was too dark to go inside. We had to wait until the next day.

Who is going to board up our house?

Included in almost every insurance policy is language that the insured is responsible for securing their property after a fire, or any other loss to their home. In many communities, the fire department has a rotating list of companies they will automatically call to complete the board up. We had to ask and were given a name. Often the board up company is a cleaning/restoration company. Homeowners should not sign anything the day or night of the loss committing to that company as the cleaning and/or restoration company. I can almost guarantee that they are in no state of mind to make such a decision. The priority was making sure the house was boarded up. Period. The cleaning and restoration decisions needed to wait.

Where are we going to stay tonight? Tomorrow night? The next 300 nights?

We stayed at the Strongsville Holiday Inn. They were wonderful. I called in advance and they were waiting for us as we arrived with our Drug Mart pajamas, underwear, and socks that the neighbors ran out and purchased for us. The bartenders made sure we ate a little. There may have been whisky involved to calm my nerves. Remember that part of living in the moment? We did not even consider where we were staying the second night. We knew we had an appointment with the insurance adjuster the next morning and that is as far ahead as we thought.

Luckily our adjuster was thinking for us. One of the most fascinating aspects of disaster I learned is how many systems are in place to help people. Arranging for our housing system is one of THE most impressive aspects of our insurance company I will remember. The adjuster asked where we wanted to stay until temporary permanent housing was established. We preferred a hotel that had a suite. We chose a Residence Inn by Marriott as it was perfect for our family, we could cook, the location was convenient, and there was daily free breakfast. We stayed there about 10 days. I remember taking our clothes back and forth to do laundry in the winery in laundry bags. We had become “bag” people. By the time the adjuster left that first day, the housing company had the charges for the Holiday Inn the night before taken off of our credit card and assigned to them, and they had the hotel arrangements made for the next 10 days. They were also starting the search for our temporary permanent housing.

I paid my insurance bill on time, right?

This is a natural question to ask yourself while your house is in flames, even if you know you paid. The loss you are in the midst of suffering is overwhelming. My recommendation is to have your premium payments paid automatically. This will save you so much stress in the event the unthinkable should happen. I switched to this method of payment after our fire. The payment is withdrawn from our bank account automatically. I never want to worry about making sure my premiums are paid again, not even for a split second.

Who is going to fix our house?

“Fix” was an understatement, but I did not know that the first night. In the light of day, the extent of damage became an overwhelming reality. The weather was cold and our beautiful home was a black box of charred wood and distorted memories. Those burned out scenes of homes and buildings in movies? Yep, that is what we were walking through the next day. Looking back, I was in physical and mental shock. This was my dad’s profession for all of those years? A friend told me she walked through the house at the same time as me. I don’t remember her there. And you know what? That is okay. Who would fix this house? The realization hit that elbow grease was not enough for this job. We needed the A Team. We were given the name of a restoration company from the board up company. We interviewed them but decided on a company recommended by a friend. The company we selected was also on the approved list of our insurance company. Not all restoration companies are reputable. Some are on an insurance company’s approved list and some are not associated with an insurance company. There is no right or wrong in the choice, as long recommendations are sought, due diligence is performed, and the insured feels comfortable.

Where in the world will I get the strength to fix this mess?

From places and from people I never expected. Some I had not even met yet. One day I walked down the steps while working in the house and someone had written “Strength” in the soot on the wall. The gesture of kindness was just what my soul needed at that moment, and many moments going forward. I have a picture of those words hanging over my desk now.

What is covered by insurance? How does any of that even work?

This will be covered in my next blog. I do believe in having the best insurance you can afford. What I will tell you now? If you are fortunate, it will be the best investment you never use. If you are not so fortunate, it may just be the best investment you will ever use. And that will make you feel fortunate!

How involved do I need to be in rebuilding our home?

This depends on the owners. Project management and facing a challenge are my strengths. I have heard where people are so devastated they walk away from the fire and don’t come back until it is complete. There is nothing wrong in that approach if that is who you are, or your life demands do not allow for much involvement. Our insurance policy requires the insured to provide an inventory of lost and destroyed items. We could have hired someone to inventory the items, but that was not what we chose to do. We had no idea what that would cost and if they would do the job the way I wanted it done. Although I was devastated, I needed to feel a measure of control over my life and the rebuild process. I felt grounded working in the house every day. I worked alongside the pack out crew, and I inventoried every item in our home for a month straight, except for the days a sinus infection did not allow me to get out of bed, and a brief work trip. On an inventory list, there is a difference between Walmart and WHBM. Who makes sure the correct store is listed? Who will go over discrepancies with the adjuster? There is a difference in making sure the insurance company knows you had a marble bathroom floor and not linoleum. I was involved every minute possible. Exhausting? Yes. Worth it? You bet.

Will I/We ever get through this?

Yes, yes we did. One moment at a time.

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