Sewage Water Damage Fallout-Advice Needed

Heritage

Hey folks, I've been away for a while selling my soul to a design/reno show. Some of you may remember that they offered me a job as an on-air General Contractor...well I sold out, but fuggit...it pays the bills son!

Anyways, got a problem need some advice. I rented an office uptown back in June. The space is actually a 2 storey home but zoned residential/commercial, it resides amongst a row of other homes converted into offices. I got a great price for it, because it was run down. Rented the space "As-is". Got to fixing it, but juggling a full time job and running the bus tied my hands and I've been knocking off "do-dos" on the place (with my own money as I didn't offer a Tenant Improvement clause in the lease). Long story short, month and a half ago the basement flooded due to continuous rainfall, which backed up the sewage and we got 2" of sewage backup everywhere in the basement. There was literally floating pieces of...yaknow! Called landlord, he called drain guy, drain guy snaked the cleanout...went 40' onto city property, couldn't free the clog, threw in the towel. Another drain guy came, snaked INSIDE the basemenet floor drain, got her free.

I was using the basement as storage while busy trying to set up the house, my insurance covered my belongings and all is fine with that. It's the owner and HIS insurance that I'm having a problem with. Owner brought in a pro resto company and got a quote. You should know that this property is owned by one of Canada's wealthiest families, #1 condo developer in Ontario and they own over 6k residential homes. So I'm really dealing with a "manager". Manager then brings in one of his handymen to remove the carpeting from floors. Install dehumidifier, leave it for a few days. The manager says they will install new linoleum flooring and call it a day.

I have a problem with this and need some advice. From what I understand, a level 3 "black water" sewage flood calls for MIN. 2' of walls to be removed. There is mold in the basement all along the perimeter, never mind the fact that hey...this was feces!

I'm kinda stuck, seems like the manager is pocketing cash from the deal and boning us. I've gotten sick from mold in the past, it wasn't fun.

What do you guys think I should do? How would you approach this? Any resto pros out there with 2 cents to spare?

Any feedback is appreciated, holla at your boy!

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Toronto General Contractor-Renovation Blog-Contractor on Facebook-Renovation on twitter-Contractor Youtube

HSConstruction

Call the health dept and ask them what the proper fix is and talk to the city. I the owner is not playing by the rules then report'em.

I bet you will use less paper next time, huh.

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Heritage

This isn't a health dept. or City problem, it's a private contract between 2 individuals. If anything, the Landlord and Tenant Act and Tribunal probably have guidelines for Lanlords to ensure they provide safe and healthy living environments for their tenants.

But short of having to take it to court and going through the loop dance, I wanted to touch base with some of you experienced in the restoration bus who can tell me what the protocol is and what should be done in remediation. Min. 2' up the walls, etc etc. and whether under any circumstance it's okay to leave it as is...as is the case here.

BTW, the backup was due to continuous rainfall.

Sheesh.

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Toronto General Contractor-Renovation Blog-Contractor on Facebook-Renovation on twitter-Contractor Youtube

HSConstruction

Not implying that is was anyones fault but the city and/or health dept must have some rules about raw sewage being left, for the most part, in all the nooks and crannies.

A customer of mine left on vacation and the dishwasher line burst and flooded the finished basement with 2-3 inches of water. The remediation company came in and cut 4' off the walls and had fans running for a week before I was allowed to start.

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Insuranceclaims

Okay, Heritage:

Fly me to Toronto and I will kick their *#!!. I can help you will all of this tonight or in the morning. I am up all night...24/7....nature of the business.

I have been a restorer/adjuster for the last 16 years.

You are right.....this is a Category 3, Black water loss. Before getting into detail, here are some quick thoughts:

---HAVE THEM STOP ALL WORK OR DEMO AND QUIT WALKING THROUGH YOUR HOUSE/OFFICE.

---everything in the basement is contaminated and should be disposed of......boxes, etc.....contents to be kept would have to be properly cleaned before being taken to another part of the house.

---from the basement to the front door, any flooring with foot traffic, without floor protection is now contaminated.

---if you have pets or kids, they should not be walking on this flooring.

---Did you get a copy of the estimate for repair from the restorer; who were they? Again, their restorer, if qualified, should know what to do.

Can you e-mail me a copy of their estimate?

---Since this was a Category 3 loss, the restorer should have called in an independent Hygienist or IEP. They would do air quality and or hard surface samples for testing of microorganisms. They would then right a protocol for mitigation. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO DO THIS.

---I also have concerns about the handyman (what a mistake) dragging this flooring through your home/office and contaminating other areas. This area also need to be cleaned.

---After a protocol is written, a qualified restorer needs to do this work....not a handyman. I bet the handyman didn't take moisture readings before, during and after.

---The floor, framing, etc, at least, 2-4 foot high will need to be scrubbed and cleaned with the proper chemicals.

---The slab will also have to be properly dried (moisture and humidity).

---If the new carpet is down, it will have to come up and be thrown away....slab must be properly cleaned.

---I also have questions concerns about your carrier and theirs.

---I could go on and on.

Seriously, all work should stop until we talk. You can call tonight; I can be reached 24/7.......What city are you in?

If you can call and e-mail the estimate of repair, if you have it, it would help. Can you e-mail any photos of the loss at the time or of the room....take pics where I can see the entire room and what is the length x width x height....any offsets?

Mark
(210) 823-3864
markk@propertydamagesa.net

Insuranceclaims

It's Mark, again.

I am trying to locate someone now....just in case...so you can get a 2nd opinion. What is your zip code?


Again, don't let them install the flooring or demo/repair drywall with mold.

Mark (Currently in SW Fl)
(210) 823-3864
markk@propertydamagesa.net