Water leak downstairs - has it happened to you?

[iloveyoubutilovememore]

Last week we noticed our water wasn't getting very hot for baths/washing up etc, so called a plumber in to check everything out. He very quickly informs us that we are losing roughly 60L of water per hour and have a major leak.

OH gets on the phone to our insurance (it's a pretty decent one luckily) who suggest we get someone out to find and repair the leak, then a surveyor is coming round this Friday to determine what needs to be done, how much roughly it will cost etc etc.

We've had the plumber back today who has pretty much ripped off half our kitchen floor (tiles) and found the issue, one of the mains water pipes has broken and it has destroyed some of the foundations under the tile. He suggests we remove the floor in the kitchen including units and the floor in the next door utility as we won't know fully how bad it is unless we check everything out.

I'm panicking a bit as I can't see how we will manage without a kitchen? And how long it's going to take for the insurance company to help us. We have two young kids and two dogs so no doubt the next few days will be tricky with them walking around that area.

Has anyone else been in this situation before?

My OH seems to have this ideal outcome that the insurance company will assess on Friday and agree to whatever we ask for in terms of paying out, I believe we have up to £20k for the actual repair of leak and pipes and up to £20k for replacing flooring, units etc. Surely it can't be that easy, I'm guessing they will want to keep costs down as low as possible...

You can hire a kitchen in a a big van a bit like a caravan. Would your insurance stretch to that?

In my case, the assessor came round after the immediate urgent repair was completed. They looked at what actually needed doing. The flooring was removed down to the screed and dehumidifiers installed for about six weeks. When sub base was deemed dry, the insurers had their approved contractors make good or replace any damaged units. Then we were given a figure to replace the flooring and could choose our own supplier.

I had two separate leaks within weeks of each other. The main blew in the kitchen and a heating pipe joint failed in the conservatory. The conservatory was a similar process except all the contents were removed to a specialist for drying. Anything damaged beyond recovery was replaced. It was a challenging few months.

We had this. Ate cold food, take-aways and used a hired camping/caravan gas stove in the garage. Bit of a pain but we survived.

It was when the water had to be turned off that we really noticed. Thankfully that was not for long.

We set up a mini kitchen in the spare room, but would have used the living room if we had no extra space.

Set up a table with toaster, George Foreman grill, air fryer, microwave, kettle, whatever you have and our fridge was plugged in in the living room.

Meals were anything that didn't involve boiling - so no pasta for a bit, but still able to have everything else really. If it had been warmer I could have set up the old camping stove outside to boil pasta / fry off meat / make a spag bol, but we managed without.

+1 for the mini kitchen.

You can get a multi oven that does all manner of different cooking methods
all in one.

A small fridge/freezer as well.

Just be careful how you plug them in as the demand of them can be quite large and non kitchen sockets aren't always set up for high demand.

paper cups and plates can help cut down on the washing up.

Hi @iloveyoubutilovememore - we can help you. This is my husband's line of work and he gives his advice freely if you need it. He works in property restoration and home insurance claims, acting for the insured (not your insurer). Happy to share his details, if you want to give him a call, if only to chat things through for a bit of guidance?

I've managed many times without a kitchen, including with young children.

A fridge, microwave, toaster and an instant pot in one room and you can cook almost anything.

The washing up was done in a bowl with water from the bathroom.

I don't know how big the hole in your floor will be, but it is possible to put a sheet of 18 or 22mm ply over it, and walk on that.