Boulder County Fire: Quick Insurance Questions and Answers

Will insurance completely replace my home after a fire?

Fortunately, insurance can be a great resource for homeowners experiencing such a life-changing event. If a homeowner is properly ensured there is a good chance that the cost to rebuild a home and temporary living expenses are covered by homeowners insurance. 

However, that is the caveat. If a homeowner is properly insured. If a homeowner is under-insured then there is a possibility that the insurance company will not fully cover the costs to rebuild a home after a fire.

Victims of the Boulder County fire should immediately start taking the initiative and contacting their insurance provider immediately. Homeowners should investigate their ‘payout language’ in their current policy.

Should you file a claim now or wait?

Filing an initial claim right now with your insurance company is a good idea. You can start the process and also ensure you are entered into an emergency help division. These emergency divisions are teams in your insurance company that are organized solely to handle disasters. Also, since these teams are dedicated to natural disasters they are more inclined to follow processes that help out with immediate relief, like releasing checks to cover loss of possessions, cars, clothing and essentials earlier.  

Who Should I Hire First to Rebuild my Home?

Rebuilding a home is a complex process and one that will have many different trades of construction involved. Victims of the fires should focus on gathering as much information they can about their proposed new build. First, if your home is a part of a covenant or HOA be sure to check in with those organizations to see if there is any joint operation set to rebuild your neighborhood. If you are on your own, make sure to be in close contact with your insurance company. While waiting for more information with your insurance provider, go ahead and contact your local builders. Get quotes from companies, general contractors, and even independent trades. 

If homeowners want to rebuild the same structure, you can ask for your old homes to build sets with your city construction and development services. If you are planning to build a brand new home, do not start developing a set of plans with an architect until after you have a general contractor or builder. Many homeowners fall into this problem regularly, where they have planks for a new home drawn out that cost upwards of thousands of dollars. But when they finally get a builder hired and try to start construction they learn that the plans are zoned correctly, or not following certain municipality guidelines. 

For more information please visit these resources or feel free to contact us. While Sustainable Design Build will not be able to take on any jobs to rebuild homes in Boulder or Superior; we will be more than happy to lend our knowledge and experience to help victims of the fires navigate this difficult time.