Hi all,
We have an Edwardian house with panel moulded original plaster ceilings. There was a hairline crack along one of the mouldings which widened to about 6mm during the time we were away over half term. As soon as we got back we asked a builder to come and check, and he was very concerned and came and propped it up the next day. (We had a second opinion too). Basically the whole bay section was loose - we moved all the furniture, books etc out. Called the insurance company who said they need to know a cause, but we don't know the cause until we remove the loose section.
So the builder agrees to take down the loose part - he just touches the loose section (crack has widened to about 1.5cm) and that whole section crashes down (rrom had been protected with plastic boards etc) but it is clear the rest of the ceiling is also loose and unsafe so about 3/4 of the ceiling has been removed.
Although there was no water marks on the ceiling pasterwork, there is evidence of water staining on the joists, which is possibly from lead flashings on the bay roof. They could also be historic marks from when the flat roof was last replaced before we owned the house. (This roof was checked in the summer as we were considering having it replaced with fibreglass but both companies said it was fine for another 5 years.)
Are we going to be able to claim for any of this cost under our insurance. My husband has been through the detailed policy, but it is still unclear. We have a surveyor coming to assess it, but it's already cost £1k+ just for protection / labour/ waste removal not to mention the new ceiling, coving plasterwork, redecoration, floor damage etc to come. I'm trying not to get upset but this is going to be a huge amount of money we just don't have at the moment. Do they really expect us to live with a boarded up room we can't use?
Is this really wear and tear?? Has anyone else had similar situation?
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Ceiling down and insurance - anyone else managed a claim?
7 replies
betterwhenthesunshines · 13/12/2013 15:53
OP posts:
CallMeNancy ·
13/12/2013 16:46
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CallMeNancy ·
17/12/2013 14:31
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