OT: ServPro

[Conndog]

Anyone have experience with using ServPro for home repairs? We had some water leaking from roof into insulation that caused a little mold, and their bid was very high. Insurance said to use them. We thought we were set and now learn they are planning to take out only some of the old insulation and spray only limited areas (we had discussed removing all old insulation and spraying a much larger area). I'd just as soon have the guys who will put in the new insulation also tackle removing the old stuff, they probably can spray the mold and surely would be cheaper too. Or, is ServPro worth the cost?

 

[Yardigan]

When we bought our house here last fall, there was mold in the attic found on inspection. The owner went with ServPro and our Agent said that was the only thing we should accept.
Am just thinking that with mold and recovery...makes sense for the long term to go with an outfit that specializes in that kind of stuff. You could probably get whoever is replacing your insulation to do it, probably cheaper, but, I'd lean towards laying out the extra cash for peace of mind of having an outfit do it that handles that work as a primary function instead of an 'also', to never have to worry about it again.... Good luck, I know it ain't cheap....

 

[UconnU]

I used them after some flooding. I had a positive experience with them. Friendly, fast, efficient. I think they're a franchise though so they could all be different.

 

[intlzncster]

Anyone have experience with using ServPro for home repairs? We had some water leaking from roof into insulation that caused a little mold, and their bid was very high. Insurance said to use them. We thought we were set and now learn they are planning to take out only some of the old insulation and spray only limited areas (we had discussed removing all old insulation and spraying a much larger area). I'd just as soon have the guys who will put in the new insulation also tackle removing the old stuff, they probably can spray the mold and surely would be cheaper too. Or, is ServPro worth the cost?

I personally think you're better off going with local guys who do the same thing.

This is not like Anderson Windows or somebody who sells a great product at an (overpriced) premium; yeah, you pay too much but you do get high quality for that. Servpro doesn't necessarily offer a superior product; They're just a big name franchise. Insurance probably recommends them because they are a name, well certified/insured, worked with them before etc etc....they know what they are getting.

But you'll get better value going for a local company that does the same thing.

And mold from water damage that hasn't been there too long is easy to address. Anybody with experience in the business will be able to handle that. Get recos from friends, church, homeowners associations, community facebook pages, yelp, the usual places. Just do your homework.

Importantly, have you taken care of the source of the water damage? eg repaired the roof that's had water damage caused by ice dams.

 

[Conndog]

Yes, the problem started, ironically, when we put on a new roof (metal). We didn't have adequate ventilation- no fan in main bathroom, the other one has a fan that terminates in attic so moisture doesn't get outside well. The older roof was drafty enough, I guess, now with tighter roof, the freeze/thaw of last winter caused moisture damage in attic and upstairs ceilings.
We start in one week to remove old insulation and put in much more insulation, venting both bathrooms properly, and since we've gone this far, we are addressing a few other needs such as adding dishwasher to kitchen and moving laundry upstairs from basement.

 

[CL82]

Anyone have experience with using ServPro for home repairs? We had some water leaking from roof into insulation that caused a little mold, and their bid was very high. Insurance said to use them. We thought we were set and now learn they are planning to take out only some of the old insulation and spray only limited areas (we had discussed removing all old insulation and spraying a much larger area). I'd just as soon have the guys who will put in the new insulation also tackle removing the old stuff, they probably can spray the mold and surely would be cheaper too. Or, is ServPro worth the cost?

ServPro is excellent at remediation, repair is another thing entirely. I'd have ServPro come in remove and remediate the mold and water damage and then pick your own contractor for the repair.

FWIW, my insurance company will not let the remediation company do the repair work.

Venting a fan in the attic is a big mistake.

 

[B1GEast]

I personally think you're better off going with local guys who do the same thing.

This is not like Anderson Windows or somebody who sells a great product at an (overpriced) premium; yeah, you pay too much but you do get high quality for that. Servpro doesn't necessarily offer a superior product; They're just a big name franchise. Insurance probably recommends them because they are a name, well certified/insured, worked with them before etc etc....they know what they are getting.

But you'll get better value going for a local company that does the same thing.

And mold from water damage that hasn't been there too long is easy to address. Anybody with experience in the business will be able to handle that. Get recos from friends, church, homeowners associations, community facebook pages, yelp, the usual places. Just do your homework.

Importantly, have you taken care of the source of the water damage? eg repaired the roof that's had water damage caused by ice dams.

This

 

[MadDogRevival]

We didn't have adequate ventilation- no fan in main bathroom,

This is not as big a deal as it seems, if the bathroom is built correctly. All of the 60s and 70s raised ranch houses in the neighborhood in which I grew up have bathrooms with ZERO fans. Never had a bit of a problem with moisture. Maybe the oil-based paints back in the day were just much better at keeping the moisture in.

the other one has a fan that terminates in attic

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Noooooooooooooooooooooo! The absolute worst.

Good thought on adding more and better insulation. When I built the house we're in, I put 3" of polysty in the walls and 5" in the attic (the 5" is excessive and unneeded, but the fiberglass people control the codes).
Heat almost 4,000 sf on about 7-8 cords of wood a winter in northwestern PA.

Our country is behind the times when it comes to building energy-efficient buildings.

Mark it down - energy prices are going to continue to go up. Insulation investments made now in a home in which you will live for 20 years will pay substantial dividends down the road. And the best part? The savings are guaranteed and permanent. Not finding that on etrade.

 

[sledog]

I'm thnking of spraying open or closed cell insulation into the roof eves. Saw it on This Old House years ago. Supposedly keeps the attic cooler in summer, and warmer in winter - usually not more / less than 10 degrees house temp. So keeps heat / cool costs down as heat cold eventually hits the attick.

Advised to do the a/c converion first, however.

 

[uconnfan68]

This is not as big a deal as it seems, if the bathroom is built correctly. All of the 60s and 70s raised ranch houses in the neighborhood in which I grew up have bathrooms with ZERO fans. Never had a bit of a problem with moisture. Maybe the oil-based paints back in the day were just much better at keeping the moisture in.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Noooooooooooooooooooooo! The absolute worst.

Good thought on adding more and better insulation. When I built the house we're in, I put 3" of polysty in the walls and 5" in the attic (the 5" is excessive and unneeded, but the fiberglass people control the codes).
Heat almost 4,000 sf on about 7-8 cords of wood a winter in northwestern PA.

Our country is behind the times when it comes to building energy-efficient buildings.

Mark it down - energy prices are going to continue to go up. Insulation investments made now in a home in which you will live for 20 years will pay substantial dividends down the road. And the best part? The savings are guaranteed and permanent. Not finding that on etrade.

The problem was with a vent fan that only vented to the attic if I read it correctly.

 

[Conndog]

The problem was with a vent fan that only vented to the attic if I read it correctly.

Yes, the vent fan stopped inside attic, we are going to vent it outside as part of remodel.

We did have ServPro do the insulation removal/mold remediation, and we are having problems with them. They are telling us that their initial bid only included part of the full job needed, and they are making excuses for why the other needed parts aren't included. We have a local guy available who only does insulation, he said we should have called him, for one thing instead of a 10 gallon shop vac that ServPro uses, he uses a 25 gallon vacuum with much larger hose, and he would cost half as much and do it faster. Well, our insurance person after a couple of calls said they would pay to have ServPro finish the job, and much as I'd like to tell ServPro to take a hike, since insurance will cover cost, they'll finish job as best as they can. We definitely will use the local guy to install the new insulation later, but not selecting him initially means we have to get in line and then this part of project will be delayed two weeks which is the soonest he can help us.

 

[Yardigan]

Yes, the vent fan stopped inside attic, we are going to vent it outside as part of remodel.

We did have ServPro do the insulation removal/mold remediation, and we are having problems with them. They are telling us that their initial bid only included part of the full job needed, and they are making excuses for why the other needed parts aren't included. We have a local guy available who only does insulation, he said we should have called him, for one thing instead of a 10 gallon shop vac that ServPro uses, he uses a 25 gallon vacuum with much larger hose, and he would cost half as much and do it faster. Well, our insurance person after a couple of calls said they would pay to have ServPro finish the job, and much as I'd like to tell ServPro to take a hike, since insurance will cover cost, they'll finish job as best as they can. We definitely will use the local guy to install the new insulation later, but not selecting him initially means we have to get in line and then this part of project will be delayed two weeks which is the soonest he can help us.

Sorry to hear...What a drag. Our experience with ServPro was great.
An earlier poster referenced they were franchised and some locales may be better than others...