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The Good, the Bad and Ugly of “Free Estimates”
The Good, the Bad and Ugly of “Free Estimates” At Lindstrom Restoration, we are sometimes asked to provide free estimates for projects. After all, isn’t that what most experts recommend? Even the State of Minnesota in their Department of Labor website recommends that homeowners get multiple estimates when contemplating projects. The idea is that competition…
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Don’t Neglect Water/Sewage Backup Coverage!
Don’t Neglect Water/Sewage Backup Coverage! Photo by Eliobed Suarez on Unsplash Most homeowners are familiar with standard homeowner’s insurance policies that cover damages from events like fire, water losses, and storms, but several aren’t aware of certain exclusions that deny coverage for events like flood and water/sewage back-up from sources such as sewers and failed…
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Ensuring Adequate Coverage with Home Insurance Reviews
Ensuring Adequate Coverage with Home Insurance Reviews: Your Home is Damaged or Destroyed by Fire, Do You Have Enough Insurance Coverage to Replace What You Currently Have? If the question above gives you pause, stop reading, call your agent, and ask the same question. Now. They’ll love hearing from you. After all, disaster can occur…
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Do’s and Don’ts to Reduce Fire Risk in Summer
Do’s and Don’ts to Reduce Fire Risk in Summer Summer is a nontraditional and unlikely time to take steps to reduce fire risk. Usually, we talk about fires in the fall, especially October which is the traditional fire prevention month here in Minnesota. However, more people are working from home now, and fire chiefs and…
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Unveiling the Reasons Behind Delays in Insurance Claims: Why is My Insurance Claim Taking So Long?
Unveiling the Reasons Behind Delays in Insurance Claims: Why is My Insurance Claim Taking So Long? At Lindstrom Restoration, we are hearing home and business owners voice that question more frequently in recent years. It all started with the pandemic and the economy shutdown back in 2020. You remember it well. Work in many homes…
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Lightning Property Damage: How to “Lighten” Your Risk
Lightning Property Damage: How to “Lighten” Your Risk Minnesotans know that despite the rather cold and stormless April, we are now entering into prime thunderstorm season, and that means lightning strikes. Lightning displays can be both beautiful and dangerous. Many are enthralled with highly active nighttime storms. While they cost us sleep, people enjoy them,…
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Building and Zoning Permit Guide for Home Projects: It’s the Law!
Building and Zoning Permit Guide for Home Projects: It’s the Law! Is this the year you’re considering a significant home remodel? Perhaps you are planning a less ambitious project, like a new deck you’ve dreamed about. Maybe your insurance adjuster authorized a new roof for the hail damage you suffered in last May’s epic storm. …
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Leaking Water: Detective Work?
Leaking Water: Detective Work? Detective stories have always stirred the imagination of America’s entertainment-seeking public. Usually, the plots involve murder and money to make things more exciting. Yet any real-life private investigator will tell you that 99% of their work is very boring and tedious, hardly the suspenseful and mysterious dramatics we see on TV…
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Seepage: An Awful Word in the English Language
Seepage: An Awful Word in the English Language Perhaps you have read those light-hearted research studies that indicate that as much as 20% of the population dislike the word moist. At Lindstrom Restoration, we think the word seepage can give moist a “run” (yes pun intended) for its money. Is there any context where seepage…
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The Value of Proactive Home and Building Maintenance
The Value of Proactive Home and Building Maintenance You don’t have to tell insurance adjusters or fire and water restoration contractors about the merits of proactive home and building maintenance. They often see the lack thereof when they show up at losses. Sadly, many home and building owners put off needed maintenance and replacement of…
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The Ice Dam Cometh
The Ice Dam Cometh Our apologies to the late Eugene O’Neil, author of the great classic “The Ice Man Cometh,” but it is December, and the ice dams are coming. Maybe. Some years we are spared, and others are hellacious. What’s the worst recipe for ice dam formation? Heavy fall and/or early winter wet snow…
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Why Choosing a Contractor is Such an Important Decision
Why is choosing a contractor such an important decision? Nearly all insurance agents and CSRs have heard contractor horror stories from their policyholders. Here is a classic example. The insured wasn’t home at the time, but his neighbors tell him the next day some large hail came down the prior evening. Concerned, the homeowner decides…
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“Post Graduate” Fire Prevention Tips for Homeowners
Fire Prevention Tips for Homeowners One of the most traumatic things that can happen to a home or business owner is a fire unless you live in hurricane territory. Witness what just happened in SW Florida. In either case, people can be out of their houses and commercial buildings for a lengthy time. Meanwhile, things…
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You’ve Had a Home Fire. Now, What Happens?
You’ve Had a Home Fire. Now, What Happens? You’ve suffered a home fire. Hopefully, no one was hurt. You wonder why this happened to your family and then recall the advice you gave a friend who also suffered a fire: “Stuff can be replaced but lives cannot.” You’re thankful because it could have been worse.…
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August 2022: Top Ten Things Homeowners Should Know About Hail Damage
Top Ten Things Homeowners Should Know About Hail Damage At Lindstrom Restoration, we’ve observed that many homeowners are poorly informed about what hail damage is, and how they should go about determining whether they have it or not. They’re also confused about the insurance process and often approach it with an adversarial attitude thanks to…
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July 2022: Contents Restoration
Contents Restoration: Will Your Possessions Survive a Fire or Major Water Loss? It might be something you have never thought about before, maybe because we all think it won’t happen to us. Imagine what would happen to your acquired possessions if you suffered a fire or major water loss? We call them “contents” in the…
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June: How To Prevent Water Damage from Spring Storms & Other Common Problems
How To Prevent Water Damage from Spring Storms & Other Common Problems They say April showers bring May flowers, but according to local weather statistics, June is the wettest month of the year with an average of 4.3 inches. The two stormiest months of the year are June and July. Remember 2014? We set a…
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May: Underinsurance
Coverage Gaps & Underinsurance A Restoration Company’s Observation? Many Policyholders Are Underinsured or Have No Coverage! Do I have enough insurance coverage? This is a question many people should be asking. Here’s a statistic that may shock you: About 60% of all homes in the U.S. are underinsured—by an average of 20%—according to a report…
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April: DIY
DIY Home Damage; Yes or No? Some things are better left to the professionals. ‘Do It Yourselfers’ have been in full gear since the pandemic has hit. Tackling projects like painting your home, updating old lighting fixtures, and changing up your landscaping are all achievable DIY projects that will save homeowners a lot of money…
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March: Top Spring Advice
How to Prepare your House for Spring! After a cold and long winter, the first day of spring, March 20th, is long-awaited by most of Minnesota’s residents. With the longer days and chirping birds, the rising temperatures of spring start to melt our seasonal white groundcover creating an excess of water. There are a few…
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Special Edition Newsletter: Attic Condensation
What Does Attic Condensation Look Like? If you see water stains on your ceiling, but your roof is void of snow, you might have an attic condensation problem.
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February: Ice Dams
How To Prevent Ice Dams In Minnesota Living in a state like Minnesota ensures that we see our fair share of snow for at least part of the year. Whether you are a fan of the winter season or not, snow can really wreak havoc on our homes, specifically our roofs.
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January: Home Heating
Heating Your Home During Minnesota Winters Curling up with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book in front of the fireplace, or space heater, is a wonderful feeling.
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December: Holiday Fire Prevention Tips
Top 3 Holiday Fire Prevention Tips Cold weather, snowflakes and the Holiday Season is officially upon us. We know that the kitchen is bustling, the furnace is turned up and things get a little more hectic around this time of year.
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November: Frozen Pipes
Preventing Frozen Pipes During Winter In Minnesota Understanding the ins and outs of your home insurance policy really makes a difference when you are finding signs that you need sewer line repairs or replacements and dealing with frozen pipes and the disaster that follows.