10 critical lessons most homeowners learn only after a claim
With something as complicated as homeowners insurance, there’s nothing better than having an insider tell you what’s what. We recently met an expert who’s spent half his life working with insurance claims—as a contractor for homeowners, and later as a claims adjuster.
What he told us has changed the way we look at our policies. And even more important, we now understand the limitations of our coverage.
1. Your garage may not be fully covered
Policies are set up to insure your main structure and whatever is physically attached to it. This would include an attached garage but NOT a detached garage. Structures like stand-alone garages and sheds are typically covered at only 10 percent of your main dwelling coverage. So, if you carry $200,000 of coverage on your house, your detached garage would be protected only up to $20,000.
Our expert says this is a perfect situation for an “endorsement” to add coverage (see “Vocab,” below). Typically, the upcharge is nominal for the increased coverage.
2. Terms frequently change
Occasionally, letters arrive from your insurance company. If you’re like most people, you don’t read them. But understand this: Insurance companies are constantly fiddling with your contract. And those letters legally inform you of changes—usually new exclusions. In the fine print, the company puts the onus on you to call if you want to restore the coverage through an endorsement. Often, that’s a call worth making.
3. Beware of storm chasers
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2018 من The Family Handyman.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2018 من The Family Handyman.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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Any fence builder knows you need strong posts for a strong fence, and that means backfilling the postholes with a dense, hard material other than dirt.
PEBBLE MOSAIC STEPPING STONES
COLLECT SOME RIVER ROCK AND MAKE YOUR OWN UNIQUE STEPPINGSTONE PATH
EARTH-FRIENDLY WEED KILLERS
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DIY! HYDROPONIC GARDEN
FRESH VEGETABLES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
GROW MINI VEGETABLES
GROW A GARDEN IN A TINY SPACE!
BUILD A VERTICAL GARDEN
TIME TO GROW UP!
MODERN WATER FOUNTAINS
A SPLASH OF PEACE FOR YOUR PATIO
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Every fully stocked wood shop has a table saw. You can usually find a pile of sawdust under it, even if it's used only occasionally. If a shop has a belt sander or band saw, there's probably another pile of finer sawdust under that. Even people without stationary tools have sawdust accumulation on their workbenches.
INSULATE WITH FOAM
IT'S A GREAT ALTERNATIVE TO FIBERGLASS