I need a two car garage!! Back in Sept last year destroyed my one car garage. Insurance wont cover all of it. Help!!

Tonya H
by Tonya H
  13 answers
  • Tonya, will the insurance cover enough to have a 1 car garage put back in? It may end up costing you many thousands of dollars out of your own pocket if you want to expand it to a 2-car garage. If you can't afford that, you might have to go with one of those temporary car port tent looking things for the second vehicle to be parked under. Just curious, what was it that destroyed your garage in the first place?
  • Tonya H Tonya H on Feb 20, 2012
    It was a huge tree. That was bigger than our house. The insurance never told us we could up the anty on the coverage.. I would of. I am looking into a kit from Menards and finding a affordable contractor or church member with experience to help us. The insurance put our mortgage banks name on the check so we can not cash the chech till its ALL approved. Which is being really stressful!!
  • How much is the check for? Before you settle with insurance, you should always make sure you have bids from contractors to do what you need to do. If it's a really large claim, you should hire an outside expert who will work on a percentage basis to make sure you get all you are entitled to.
  • You could have added all sorts of insurance to the coverage that you currently have, but the bottom line is the insurance company will only pay you back for what was damaged. Not their job to build you something bigger then what you already have. Before you cash that check, you need to contact a professional insurance adjuster. These people work for you, not like the insurance adjuster works for the insurance company. Once you cash the check you could be possibly out of luck getting any more money out of the insurance company. They take a look at your loss and go to bat for you against your insurance company. They get paid a % of the difference of what you get above and beyond what the insurance company has offered. Look up Public Insurance Adjusters in the yellow pages or on line. They may help take some of the bite out of the loss.
  • Charlene S Charlene S on Feb 21, 2012
    Good advise Woodbridge..thanks for the info.
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Feb 21, 2012
    I wouldn't mind a 1 car garage....I have had zero car garage for nearly 20 years. and this morning I need to shovel a 2 foot deep hard pack drift from behind my truck... I'm assuming your old garage was a stick built free standing?...a quality "pole-barn" type 2 car may run about the same price as a stick built single. Not quite as fancy but if your after quantity vs quality this may be an option.
  • Rhona D Rhona D on Feb 22, 2012
    @ Woodbridge....that is good information. I wish I had known about that after Hurricane Katrina. I had excellent coverage and paid a lot for it. When the time came, of course, they did not pay.....For over $55.000 damages and 3 ,months time evacuated I received $2500.......and did not qualify for grants etc. Out of pocket repairs for roof and replacement and lots more....from my savings. As a disabled widow I would have surely loved to have known about that Professional Insurance Adjuster. Glad I read this. Thanks again for the good information that will be very helpful if we have to endure anything like that again.....
  • Tonya H Tonya H on Feb 26, 2012
    I checked the checks, before i gave it to my bank it was all good. But on the check is the banks name where we have our mortgage thru as well. Now we cannot touch the check til we have everything approved by one bank to build. I spent the day calling around for some grants or community help. Nothing but good advice,, Menards. So I looked up garages on the site, found one plain but workable what we need and called my contractor to see if he will work with us,, he returned our call the next day and agreed! so this spring I can get my garage up! My 60 yr old house is the second one on the block with only a one car garage. Modern times need a two car garage for the property value of the house to rise and gain interest if ever selling. The adjusters said that we should get more money back from the insurance because of the great deal of damage. But the insurance is insurance. Thank you for all the advices and help.
  • Glad to hear you have a projected path to move along. Keep us updated as things progress!
  • Tonya H Tonya H on Mar 31, 2012
    We saw the contractor and he can work with it and now getting us his budget for it. I am getting so excited!
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Mar 31, 2012
    cool...keep us informed as it progresses
  • Tonya H Tonya H on May 14, 2012
    I just ,, finally had word from the hubby, that the bank approved the garage kit and the insurance!! now i have to wait for the paper work to finish up!
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on May 15, 2012
    Woo hoo...sounds like your back in business.