If it works, fix it anyway?


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Old 06-18-18, 12:05 PM
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If it works, fix it anyway?

Sorry - long - but after typing half of it, I decided to come back here to the beginning and give you a heads-up. I also came back to say, I guess this is a question more about insurance companies. I was just going to ask about 4x8 panel siding for a 200 square foot shed. I am new to this. My insurance company is canceling my insurance unless I remove the aluminum flashing I placed along the bottom of the flimsy LP Smartside panel siding for the shed. They want to only see the LP Smartsiding. I put the aluminum flashing along the bottom where the siding meets the concrete (what do you call it, little foot high wall around the perimeter of the shed - haven't done it since adding onto our cow barn back in 1950's.). Before putting the Al.flashing, anytime it rained, the floor of the shed would get covered with water. The Al.flashing stopped that from happening. Hurricane Bud just passed and not a bit of rain made it to the shed floor.

Why would the ins.co. want me to remove that Al.flashing? Besides, is it really that big of a deal? I mean it truly amazes me how housing design has evolved - needing all kinds of little fixes for this, for that, for everything! I mean, when the housing industry first started, probably no one really had molding, soffits, gutters, etc., etc., etc. Now, even though those all seem on the level of temporary fixes for design flaws started years ago, there are actually big companies that produce such things. Oh, here is one! Another thing is look at shingles for example. They seem like one idea that kept getting updated. Now so many people have shingles! At my sister's house (another state where I was house-sitting) termites were getting in. Orkin said they could get in through any tiny holes - even spaces under shingles. So Home Depot said a lot of people were finding great success with that (please excuse spelling) "elastomeric siliconizer" coating that can be painted on. So I put on 5 coats. The roof is now bright white, the interior of the house is cooler and the coating has no holes - like a solid sheet of plastic on the roof. I put is right over the shingles as per the directions and it is supposed to last 10-12 years - even longer than a lot of shingles! But the insurance company refused to insure the place because I put that on! My sister had to find different insurance! Who are these people?

Getting back to my question that I planned to ask: I hate to take off that Al.flashing because it works so cheap and yet is solid and efficient - if a problem easy to repair with more Al.flashing with some of the new tripolymer sealants that seal to multi surfaces including itself. I wonder, to satisfy the insurance and to probably strengthen the wall rather than weaken it, I am thinking to buy new LP.SmartSiding panels and put them right over top of the existing LP.SmartSiding panels and over the aluminum. Of course then I might not be able to repair the AL.flashing, but I want to satisfy the insurance company and I really hate taking off something that works! And again, getting back to my soap-box (sorry), but it seems like repair companies cost so much for their expert experience in fixes that seem so unnecessary but make up for the original poor design. Who designed houses like most are today? Who were those people? In many cases it seems like there was so much waste - sort of like the muscle car industry when money could be thrown away because of cheap gas and oil. And sorry, but after a lengthy discussion with the insurance company today, it almost seemed like they might be wanting me call someone to do the fix as if they were going to get money for it! Sorry, but when things just don't make sense, it is easy to wonder about people and businesses - well yeah, I guess everyone wonders about insurance companies.
 
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Old 06-18-18, 02:02 PM
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Me, DIYdONJ to add some more. Well I took the Al.flashing off as dictated by the insurance company. I failed to say (above) that the shed seems to have been built wrong in my opinion. The roof and wall go to the inside of the concrete foundation. So outside one could sit on the foundation! Shouldn't it be the other way? I recall back in the 1950's that is how we added on to our barn - we put the siding outside the concrete foundation. This shed allows water to run down the side of the wall and right into the shed floor.

But surely the insurance company saw this flaw when they instated our insurance policy, right? Here is a question you might answer. Does anyone think I could have the insurance company pay for someone to extend the roof about 6-8 inches on three sides and move the walls outwards (well somehow move at least the siding outward)?
 
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Old 06-18-18, 03:29 PM
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Insurance pays damage that can be traced to a one time incedent, such as storm damage... not usually damage due to poor construction, negligence or cumulative damage due to age or repeated wetting.
 
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Old 06-18-18, 09:14 PM
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Thanks. I would say insurance companies are just as bad as builders - in not worse. I would hope to somehow have the insurance pay for tricking us into choosing them for our insurance - well for something like that, and also basically for not being totally CLEAR, and for not making sense. Hopefully all insurance companies will change. It seems deceitful that they would take our house on even with faulty construction and it seems unfair they would cancel our insurance when I did something simple to fix it. But for now we have learned another thing about insurance companies. The list is growing.
 
 

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