Stahlke Adoption

Silver Lining

The insurance adjuster finally made it to our house a few days ago. The storm that felled half of our oak tree had damaged many homes in the Chicago area, so the insurance companies have been very busy.

The loss of our tree resulted in very little money for repairs or removal. And the part of the tree that is still standing, but unstable, warrants no funds because it hasn't created any damage (yet!). We don't have a solid estimate at this time, but we've been told it will be many thousands of dollars.

The adjuster took a look at our roof after he finished with the tree, and he noticed that a few shingles were missing. "Looks like you had roof damage from the wind, unrelated to the tree." To repair these few shingles seems like a small job to this layperson--just add a few shingles in those places.

BUT, the original layer of shingles (original to the house, from 1903) is made of wood shakes, and it is against code to install composition shingles on top of wood ones. We also have three layers of shingles, and a fourth layer is against code.

So the end result is that the drama of the fallen tree, for which we are barely receiving any insurance money, is leading to a complete tear-off and new roof, paid for by insurance. What a turn of events!

posted by Stahlkes @ 4:26 PM