We had flooding situation in the basement. A professional mold remover came and cut most of the studs. Can I repair this by adding a baseplate and then lengthen the studs by using a plate and structural screws? Do I need sister studs in this situation? What do you recommend? Thanks in advance.
I had some flooding issues in my basement. I called a company for a consultation. I simultaneously contacted insurance. The company helped with the estimate to be submitted to the insurance company. The insurance company approved everything within days. I called the construction company and asked the them when the work would start (especially since it’s an emergency situation). They claimed there are issues they are trying to sort out with the insurance and stated call back next week for an update. I called the insurance and they said there is no issues and they can pay us the amount directly and hire someone else if we want to. The insurance employee was surprised that none of the work has started since it was an emergency situation. I called the construction company and said since you have not started any work and since your availability does not align with the timeline of our work we are proceeding to hire someone else. The construction company got very mad and said you need to pay 20% of the project as the cancellation fee. The day of the consultation I was not home and my wife (co-owner of the house) signed a paper without reading it and the construction company never shared that document with us. How should I proceed in this situation and what resources do I have? Thank you.
This is the wall outside of my kitchen. Sometimes I see ants in my kitchen. I went outside and saw there is a lot of them near the wall. Is this something to be worried about?