Flooded House? Here's what you can do to save your home.
Below is the post that I sent to the hurricane section of http://www.craigslist.com/ It is what I learned from having my house flooded. If your house is flooded use this as a guide to saving your house. Don't wait for someone else to clean up your place, get busy! You will save yourself a lot of further damage if you can follow these steps right away.
House Flooded? Here's how to help yourself! < DanielLee > 09/13 14:31:58
I found that after returning to my flooded home in 2005 I didn't quite know what to do. Here is a list that I made up and followed. Feel free add to it. If you have a friend who was flooded please, please print this out and give it to them.
Turn off the power at the breaker box.
If you can locate a camera take lots of pictures. Be sure to take pictures of the outside of the house as well.
Wear rubber boots, playtex type gloves, and eye protection, if needed.
Clean out the fridge right away!
Get all of the ruined furniture to the road or in the front yard. Store good stuff elsewhere. Remove valuables!
Find a Squeegy or wide shovel.
Cut the drywall above the high water mark. Remove any drywall or paneling at least a foot above the high water mark.
Remove any wet insulation.
Get all of the wet stuff (insulation, drywall, and carpet) out of the house.
If you can find a butane heater open the windows and fire it up.
You should be able to drive a lot of moisture out of the windows before mold takes over.
Go to Sam's Club and buy something called Odo-Ban (a little goes a long way). It will kill the smell. Use only as directed! The sooner you do it the better!
These are all immediate repairs. Most can do it themselves.
Here's a few more tips: If your photos are all wet, keep them wet (for now) store them in water until you can dry them properly. Drying photos (behind glass or plastic photo album covers) will stick to anything that they dry to, which will ruin them.
Watch all contractors! Only deal with those who are reputible and established. There will be a lot of fly by night contractors fleeing to your area. If they can't afford to start without your money, chances are high that they will rip you off. Do not pay up front, like I did. My contractor came recommended by a friend. Now, I am tens of thousands of dollars over budget and don't even have the sheetrock up. It has been a year since my rebuild started. Don't get screwed....like I did!
And here is what I added to the post:
Generator Safety Tips < DanielLee > 09/14 07:06:05
Please remember that if you are running a generator or using a butane or propane heater to dry your house out follow these precautions: Operate any generator outside, in a well ventilated area. Well ventilated does not mean in the garage. If you are drying your house out with a butane or propane heater get it working that then get out of the house. Both devices give off poisonous carbon monoxide gas, that will kill you, if breathed in over a period of time. You cannot smell carbon monoxide gas. It will put you to sleep and then you will die.
Please be careful!
Good Luck to all!
House Flooded? Here's how to help yourself! < DanielLee > 09/13 14:31:58
I found that after returning to my flooded home in 2005 I didn't quite know what to do. Here is a list that I made up and followed. Feel free add to it. If you have a friend who was flooded please, please print this out and give it to them.
Turn off the power at the breaker box.
If you can locate a camera take lots of pictures. Be sure to take pictures of the outside of the house as well.
Wear rubber boots, playtex type gloves, and eye protection, if needed.
Clean out the fridge right away!
Get all of the ruined furniture to the road or in the front yard. Store good stuff elsewhere. Remove valuables!
Find a Squeegy or wide shovel.
Cut the drywall above the high water mark. Remove any drywall or paneling at least a foot above the high water mark.
Remove any wet insulation.
Get all of the wet stuff (insulation, drywall, and carpet) out of the house.
If you can find a butane heater open the windows and fire it up.
You should be able to drive a lot of moisture out of the windows before mold takes over.
Go to Sam's Club and buy something called Odo-Ban (a little goes a long way). It will kill the smell. Use only as directed! The sooner you do it the better!
These are all immediate repairs. Most can do it themselves.
Here's a few more tips: If your photos are all wet, keep them wet (for now) store them in water until you can dry them properly. Drying photos (behind glass or plastic photo album covers) will stick to anything that they dry to, which will ruin them.
Watch all contractors! Only deal with those who are reputible and established. There will be a lot of fly by night contractors fleeing to your area. If they can't afford to start without your money, chances are high that they will rip you off. Do not pay up front, like I did. My contractor came recommended by a friend. Now, I am tens of thousands of dollars over budget and don't even have the sheetrock up. It has been a year since my rebuild started. Don't get screwed....like I did!
And here is what I added to the post:
Generator Safety Tips < DanielLee > 09/14 07:06:05
Please remember that if you are running a generator or using a butane or propane heater to dry your house out follow these precautions: Operate any generator outside, in a well ventilated area. Well ventilated does not mean in the garage. If you are drying your house out with a butane or propane heater get it working that then get out of the house. Both devices give off poisonous carbon monoxide gas, that will kill you, if breathed in over a period of time. You cannot smell carbon monoxide gas. It will put you to sleep and then you will die.
Please be careful!
Good Luck to all!
Labels: clean up, contractors, daniel lee, daniellee, house, hurricane damage, hurricane gustav, hurricane Ike, hurricane rita, ideas, nevada dan, restoration, save your home, wet sheetrock
posted by nevadadan | 6:41 AM
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