Disaster Strikes!

In early December of 2011 Utah received one of the worst wind storms in its history. Wind speeds up to 120 mph rushed through Davis County which received the worst of the winds in Utah. Those wind speeds were classified as a category 2 hurricane! Needless to say, the area was ripped to shreds, and our yard and home were no exception.

This disaster was not without some entertainment, however. We watched the fences bow down to the ground one direction, then completely bow to the other side without snapping immediately!

Eventually, most fences were broken and strewn across the yards. Eliza really wanted to go outside and play. John tried to explain that the wind was so strong that it would pick her up and throw her down the street. That only peaked her curiosity and she wanted to verify that claim! Well, we kept the girls in the basement all day just in case a fence went through a window. No windows were broken, but the home and windows were continually pummeled with shingles and other flying debris.

A couple days later the bishop canceled the last two hours of church and requested that all healthy males spend the rest of Sunday cleaning up the debris around the neighborhood. Our yard was not as bad as others due to not having any big trees. Our little peach tree survived without any real damage due to its small profile and little surface area. John spend all day in the cold with the other ward members loading trailers with felled trees, shingles and siding. The local landfill was allowing free dumping of trees and shrubs. The line was about two hours long to just get int! A two mile line backed through the neighborhoods near the dump.
At the time we had State Farm insurance. It was really discouraging not hearing back from them for 72 hours! John called the broker during the storm wanting to get a jump on the inevitable line. After 24 hours he called the national disaster line and was able to make a claim. Two days later the local broker called back - not exactly timely. They had to send out a natural disaster team to help assess the damage. State Farm proved to be crooks and made a silly offer to only cover part of the roof replacement and replace only 1 side of the house where the siding was torn off! There was no chance to find replacement siding of the same type or color! Luckily John reached out to an exterior company who's unethical tactics exceeded those of the insurance company. They went to bat for us and through relentless pressure convinced the insurance company to pay for a whole new roof and all new siding! Their prices were outlandish and tread into the dishonest category, but it didn't cost us any money, as they directly billed the insurance company. Had we been able to successfully negotiate those repairs we could have saved thousands by contracting the repairs ourselves, but in the end we are just happy to have our house restored to the way it was before the storms, and that is all that matters. As a bonus, we have a brand new roof and all new siding that is void of dings and fade like the siding before.

 Here the crew completely striped the existing roof and added a new one with upgraded attic vents!

 The new roof is on but notice the fading and discoloration on the original siding.

 Our home looked like it was a new construction. Yet we continued to live there. Just watch out for the nails! We did get a couple nails in the Yukon. Fortunately Discount tire company has a fantastic warranty and fixed the two holes without any hassle or out of pocket expense.

What a transformation! We are very excited to have a "new" home out of the process. It looks great and with the upgraded exterior we have a better insulated and more efficient home!