BURST GEYSER AND RESULTANT DAMAGES CLAIM

ASSESSMENT

Black Bird Construction was contacted by the client’s insurance company to assess and conduct repair work. An assessment took place at the client’s property in Strandfontein, where various items were inspected and a quotation was then generated and accepted by the insurer and client. Below is a breakdown of what transpired during the claim and excerpts of the assessor’s findings have been included as a means to explain the various building work required to repair the damages. The scope of work has also been included along with photos of the damages before and after the repairs were completed. We hope you enjoy the post and if you would like to learn more about Black Bird Construction please feel free to contact us.

 

 

REPORT

 

Damage Report:

  • Our building team assessed the affected property and submitted their findings. The client’s geyser suffered a burst and subsequently emitted an immense amount of water throughout the home. This water flooded the area where the geyser is positioned and bled over the laminate boards making up the passageway, the bedrooms, as well as the lounge/dining room.
  • There are no replacement boards available at the client’s property and we are not able to match the board.
  • We have therefore provided a quotation for the replacement of the full affected areas.
  • Further damages to the skirting boards, walls and doors making up the passageway and bedroom doors will need to be attended to as well.

Resultant Damages:

Flooring:

  • The flooring in the affected property has warped, peeled and gaps of varying sizes have developed between the joins due to contraction and expansion taking place.
  • We will need to replace the damaged flooring boards as we have not been able to find a matching board.
  • Once the flooring has been lifted, we will need to allow the screed to dry properly using dehumidifiers.
  • Drying equipment will be necessary to help dry the affected area properly. This is necessary in order to speed up the repair work needed at the home.
  • All of the trims making up the floor’s edging, covers trips, reducers all need to be replaced.
  • All of these repairs have been included in the below SOW.
  • NOTE: The area that was affected by the water is tied into the bedrooms, lounge and dining room. The same flooring board has been used throughout the property and trying to repair the affected area only could prove to be problematic. A solution to this would be to lift up the entirety of the passageway and utilize any of the undamaged boards in these areas to repair the affected bedrooms flooring and just replace the flooring boards in the passageway and lounge/dining room areas. A neat cover strip could be used to cover the ‘split’ in flooring types.

Skirting boards

  • Due to the sheer quantity of water that emitted from the damaged geyser the skirting boards have also pulled away from the walls.
  • We will need to remove the skirting boards in order to fit the new flooring boards. Once this is done, we will prime, paint and re-fit the skirting boards as per the existing.

Doors and doorframes:

  • The internal doors inside the property have also been very badly damaged due to the water that flooded the affected area.
  • One of the doors will need to be replaced while the others will need to be planed at the base, painted, and refitted.

Walls:

  • Due to the amount of water and the fact that the skirting boards have to be removed, we will need to repaint the walls to restore the home to its original condition.
  • There is a concern that the paint on the walls may peel away due to the moisture causing rising damp.

Note: Unforseeable & Latent Damages

  • I feel we may come across unforeseeable issues. An amount for contingencies will need to be made available for any issues that we may not have identified.
  • Due to the nature of the damages, we will take a very careful and paced approach to repairing the damages at the property. Unfortunately, the moisture that is absorbed by masonry work often takes an immense amount of time to dry. We will be certain to allow the affected areas to dry thoroughly before commencing with the installation of the new floor.

 

 

SCOPE OF WORKS

BELOW IS A BREAKDOWN OF THE REPAIR WORK CONDUCTED TO THE RESULTANT DAMAGES AT THE AFFECTED PROPERTY:

Flooring | Laminate board:

  • Remove all skirting boards carefully.
  • Allow for dehumidifier/dryer to run for 2 days.
  • Remove all flooring, trims and affected materials.
  • Supply new laminate boards as per client’s selection.
  • Supply new underlay.
  • Price includes all trims – cover-strips, reducer-strip, quadrants, etc.
  • Price includes cuttings and all required labour.
Re-fit old flooring boards to affected bedrooms:

  • Source the best conditioned boards from the old flooring boards lifted in the dining room and lounge and re-use at the bedroom entrances.
  • Bedroom 1: 4M x 3M = 12M²  6M²
  • Bedroom 2: 5.5M x 3.M = 16.5M²  5M²
  • Bedroom 3: 4.5M x 3.2M = 14M²  6M²
  • Fit cover-strips at joins.
Skirting boards:

  • Remove all affected/existing skirting boards.
  • Ensure no skirting boards are broken during the removal/stripping process.
  • Repair, fill, sand and prime skirting boards.
  • Re-fit and prep for painting.
  • Fill all fitment incisions with wood filler.
  • Apply white enamel as per the existing to the skirting boards.
  • NOTE: We have included the purchase of 4 lengths of skirting boards.
Paintwork to skirting boards (Ground floor living room and entranceway):

  • Remove skirting boards where necessary.
  • Re-fit skirting boards where necessary.
  • Repair, fill, sand and prime skirting boards.
  • Fill all fitment incisions with wood filler.
  • Apply 1 to 2 coats of white enamel as per the existing skirting boards.
Replacement of affected door:

  • 1 x door to be replaced.
  • Supply and fit new semi-solid door as per existing.
  • Fit lock and handle from old, affected door.
  • Supply and apply matching varnish to newly installed door.
Rubble removal | site clearance:

  • Remove all rubble from site and ensure that the client’s property is left in a clean and orderly manner before departing from site indefinitely.

 

 

 

PHOTOS

 

 

CONTACT US

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