update. March 23rd, 2 weeks exactly after my dishwasher exploded, I received an estimate in the mail. I am quite plased at how little depreciation there was. The letter says that a check has been mailed, for the actual value of my loss. The amount of the check is value, minus my deductible. I am thrilled that the adjuster counted *everything*, so I don't have to skimp. Each item is broken down, line by line, and they have accounted for painting my walls that have water damage, and even replacing the insulation in the floors, which I was afraid wouldn't be covered. What I do think is silly, is that the cabinets are being replaced, but not the uppers. My home is a 1978, so the cabinets are old. No chance of matching them, so I'm supposed to have old cabinets on the top, and new on the bottom? A bit silly. We are thinking of replacing the floors ourselves, and are really happy to see that the first check will be enough to cover the materials. It's only $450 or so in depreciation for the floors and cabinets. Not too bad, considering. I still don't understand how I would go about getting the 2nd check for replacement. Do I call and ask? Send them pictures or the completed repair? Have the adjuster come back out and look again?

Beverly, et al: What is "lightweight potting soil"? I'd like to know so I can order some from Amazon before I start digging up hostas. I have no idea when my place will sell so I can complete my purchase of the Baltimore condo, but I think I should start potting up the hostas and heuchies I intend to take with me. I intended to dig up all my hostas, like I said, before the ground freezes and snow covers the ground, so the I.D. tags would not get separated and I don't have to freeze my behind off out there digging. For one of my largest hostas, Paradise Island, could I get away with a 12" plastic growers pot? My huge Paisley Print is already in a pot. Right next to it is a very big Blue Jay. Also a 12" pot? Some of the teeniest minis, like Pure Heart, are already in groups in an 18" ceramic pot. I guess Marilyn Monroe, a big girl, should also be put into a 12" pot? Ripple Effect is a bit smaller, but still biggish---a 10" pot? Now, I have Virginia Reel, High Society, Hyura Urijiro, and a couple of other small hostas---should they be put into a BIG plastic pot as a group? Then I have Raspberry Sundae, got very big this year--10" pot? THANKS to all, very much, for your advice in this. I don't want to lose my 36 lovingly selected and cared for hostababies!

Lascatx, sounds like you had the same type of leak/flood we experienced, except in my case there was nobody home so the water gushed unimpeded through the house for 18 hours! And Bonnie, our situation is very similar to yours; we also called ServPro immediately and they were at the house within an hour or so--on a Sunday afternoon! They did an amazing job drying things out and actually had all the flooring off within about 36 hours of the flood to completely dry out the underfloor and avoid mold which is a HUGE issue as you can imagine in Miami FL. Like your MIL's house they placed large fans, dehumidifiers etc. and checked on a daily basis to ensure the moisture levels were low. We also reported the damage immediately on Monday morning and the insurance adjuster told us the same thing, that ServPro was exactly the right choice. As for an update, the day before Thanksgiving after almost daily email inquiries for weeks I finally got the paperwork saying the claim was approved, along with a statement of loss I had to sign and notarize to process the payment. I sent that in earlier this week and was notified yesterday the payment will be processed (hopefully meaning a check issued!) within 10-14 business days. Based on that I told my contractor we can get started. I picked up floor tile samples yesterday, focusing on in stock materials because his floor guys will start work December 10th. Even if I don't have payment in hand, everything seems legally in order so I am comfortable moving forward. Once the work is done I can get the house on the rental market again although I hope things aren't too slow during the holidays.

One of my dear friends has had two similar leaks in her home. She had to battle with insurance, but both times they've paid for furnished, short-term housing in a 3 bedroom apartment. She has 3 kids and they really wanted to put her in a hotel (well, insurance really wanted them to stay at the house), but it just wasn't practical with a family (or safe). Repairs took much longer than expected (I think one was 4 months and the other has been 6 months so far). Supplies are taking longer with COVID and every step just took a really long time. She has had to advocate to get everything covered, but if other flooring was damaged and can't be repaired, that needs to be replaced. You need to be living in a place with a working kitchen, if possible.