mystory

Our beloved lost home!

June 1990, Move into our dream home. Two story on an acre lot with a country setting in the middle of the big city. Lost world of Mother Nature not touched by humans. We had the only left gravel road, in this world of tar and cement. Long 10 years we built and groomed our home to be ours. Every room touched with our hands. Many foster neighborhood children and friends lived with us over the years.
I worked in our gardens and added three man made pond, water falls and mesh lands for the wild life to come in and live.   I wake to a rescue in a crate on my doorstep with a note, "please find me a home. May it be a turtle, duck, cat or dog? We always had room. No one was turned away..... Much laughter came from around the campfire while potatoes cook. {They were cheep and feed plenty} Friend would come a play there music as we sign till day brake came....... IT was a fun and very happy place... Now only horror and fear lurks there........
Sept. 27th, 2001   Fire in upstairs 3rd bedroom ceiling/wall and hallway ceiling. Started by Electrical wiring behind wall plug and traveled to ceiling wires, causing the wire to burn and smolder. Russell attempted to put out fire from roof vent. As Sherri called fire dept. Firemen came to our house They used their ladder to climb up on back part of homes roof and climbed to upper roofs air vent with fire hose and started to put out the fire through the roof vent. This could not put out all the fire. Firemen came in front and back doors and went up stairs to 3rd bedroom and brought the fire hose through the bedroom window. Them they broke holes in the ceiling. First hole was in the ceiling of the 3rd. bedroom, under where the roofs air vent is. Still could not reach all the fire. Little hole in front room of 3rd. bedroom. They could see more flame in ceiling in the hallway. Broke one more hole there in hallway. And the fire was out.
   At this time, our homeowners insurance had laps, due to money from work had been low. During that time our mortgage company: placed an enforced insurance policy on our home through a Insurance Company for us. We paid $500.00 for the year plan through Mortgage co.     Plan Dated: July 7, 2001 to July 7, 2002
   I called my Mortgage co to find out what this policy was the next morning. I was told this plan was for; if my house burnt down, it would pay off our mortgage. I had no coverage for replacement on this fire. Ok and we let that be that.
   We started to build our house back. Staring with the roof vent. Then to my son’s bedroom, it was a mess and the house was flooded with water. Water leaked from upstairs to the downstairs. Firemen left blk. ash everywhere. We tore out our carpets, up and down stairs. And started to replace all the fire damage with what money we had or made over the next 8 months. We made over $2000.00 of repairs. {Carpet, paint, ect.} We had to stop the work on our upper floor breezeway to fix fire damage. Which we had started this before fire happened.
*Note: in April 2002 we were going to re-mortgage our home to finish repairs. I have sent a copy of what the appraisal on our home went. Appraised for $107,000.00.
Then on July 20, 2001 we received a letter in the mail from insurance company. It had ins. Co. number on this letter. I tried to get the number from my Mortgage co. before this, but had no luck. I called this number at my insurance co. and they put me through to a man. I told the man what happened while they covered us for that time that our fire happened. This man told me he would send an adjuster out right away and could not believe this happened to us.
Aug. 2002: I heard from an adjuster from ins. co. He was coming out to look at our fire damage. And set a date with us. He met with a repair/mold co., here at our home. They went through our house, top to bottom. They found $19,000 of repairs from fire. {Paint, carpet in 4 rooms, patch down stairs ceiling cracks where water came through, ect.} They would not replace the roof on back house that the firemen walked around on with the hose and it has leaked ever since. Or they would not replace our new drywall in our breezeway that is badly blk. Molded from roof leaks. Our tarps wore out or blew off a lot up there, which water would leak in.
That day we moved out to a tent into our back yard. Cats and other pets into our shed.
Sept. 28, 2002 we found out that a Factory had a boiler leak close to our home. This put blk. smoke/ash and carbon monoxide into our outside air and it came into our home. When we found out what the factory was doing, we felt that was had to be making us ill. I went to hosp. and found 29% CO in my hemoglobin. I thought I knew now it was the CO. doing this to my family and pets. {My cats and a dog had c-sections and one deformed birth litter that month in tent.} So we move out to a dear friends home in Detroit until we had a clean air test done outside Sept. 28, 2002 we found out that a Factory had a boiler leak close to our home. This put blk. smoke/ash and carbon monoxide into our outside air and it came into our home. Which had made us al ill for many years.   When we found out what the factory was doing to my family, pets, plus me. Our lawyer told us to move out until we had a clean air test done outside. {3 months later EPA came and tested. All was fine on there meters so we returned to our home. We spent Christmas in our home. Dec. 26th, 2002.}
I was told by ins. co. that was had no coverage for our belongings. That was fine as long as we could get our house done. The contractor company we were going to use; told us the mold in our upstairs was not enough for make us ill. But it should be removed and replaced, soon. And that they were booked up for months and that we would be better for us to take a cash out and hire smaller company’s and we could get more for our money done in our home. {We suffer from headaches, coughs, flues, IBS, all over body aches, could not stay awake that long, runny noses, bloody noses and eye infections or white scum/slime for almost a year now. I was crippled in a hosp. Bed in my room. I dragged my right side as I walked, my arm curled up to my shoulder and I stuttered my words very badly. I have lost my motor skills and numbers give me a problem. Also my pets were affected. I ran a rescue and a small cattery/kennel out of our home. We had a lot of unknown pet deaths, illnesses, deformed kittens and c-section in a dog and two cats.}
We contacted a few contractors. They told us if we removed all our stuff {furniture, carpet, knick-knacks, pictures, just get every thing out and we could move into one room while work was being done.} we could get the work done faster. So we started to empty out or home into the dinning room and one bedroom. Started with my kitchen, this room was to be fixed ceiling and painted by insurance co. Since the firewater came from the upstairs bedroom on the other side of home and ran across the upstairs floor and run into my kitchen ceiling and wall. The water cracked the ceiling in a line to outside wall and water ran out the ceiling fan.
I started to empty out my cupboards. Starting with the bottom ones. As I was cleaning out my bottom cupboard under the sink, I found my paint was chipping on back wall. {I showed the adjuster that my cupboards were falling from ceiling and that my counter top was warped a little. He said there must be another problem there or an old one. This just happened not long after the fire. So I looked for leaks under the sink and found none. I pushed on the cracks and my hand went right through the rotted wall.   I pulled my hand out and a blk cloud of dust came out with it. My hand, up to my wrist was blk. I pulled out a piece of the inside wall and it was covered in blk. Mold. {Photo’s can be seen on my web’s first mold home photo page}
    The adjuster called and he was sending out a mold test co., to run test in our house. They came out on Aug. 28th, and ran clean mold test. Test showed they found high levels of mold spores in upper breezeway and in our kitchen and dinning room. But I was never told. This testing company told me my levels were not high enough to harm us.
My adjuster started a new claim at this time with my insurance company. They would not cover this mold with the fire claim; they say the fire didn’t cause this mold to grow. They put in a claim for mold.
Sept. 2002: My insurance company replies later that we had no mold coverage in our plan. “Sorry, they could not help you but we will look into mold report to make sure of this.”
A check for the fire damage was sent to our mortgage in Russ, Sherri and Mortgage co. name.
Nov. 2002 Mortgage man came out to my home. I was there getting some cloths for my son. Him and I walked around the home and I showed him what was wrong and what still needed to be done. At that time I had our belonging from my home piled up into the front room to have room for the worker to work. He asked me if we a banded our home. No I said. We been ill and are in recovery at a friends home. Man from mortgage comp. jumped at me with hatefulness.
12-23-2002 We started to move back to our home. All mold testers was said to be little amounts in few rooms air. Not to worry, mold illnesses was all in people heads we were told, so we moved back home. So for sure the factory was to blame.
1-02-2003, I received a letter from Mortgage co. stated they received the check. I called Mortgage co. to see what was going to happen next. A man from my Mortgage co. told me; one the phone, that they were keeping our check for our fire replacement and putting it towards our Mortgage principle. Telling me the reason was; that we are not keeping our home up to code and they feel, we will not put this money towards repairs. And he still does not know if they will help with the mold claim.
I received a letter, 1-04-2003 from my Mortgage co. telling me that they took the amount off my mortgage principal, on 12-31-02.
   2-3-2003, my insurance has not settled this claim for mold or gave us copies of our mold report. All my ins. co. can tell me about this claim is that it is at head quarters being looked over.
2-23-2003 All back ill like we never left the home. Sherri was back in bed very ill. Coughs and nose bleeds started again, hurting pains in body parts. We moved back out finding mold growing on our foods left out on counter all night. Tomatoes that cracked from over ripping grew blk bumps on it as they sat only few days on window ledge. We moved back into Detroit with our friend.

2-07-2003 I receive a letter from solutions. It stated that we are being paid only for the supplemental payment; due to damages, for the mold repair. And that was it at first home! We still have not been home yet. Other people had been there. Stealing stuff, breaking my things, and pouring paint on what ever was left. Even a few windows are missing.

Now this is what has happened since

Oct. 12, 2003: My wife’s parents bought us a home to live in and rent from them. Tiny 2 bedroom for 5 of us. We moved out of Friends home in Detroit and is now paying *$675.00 a month for rent. We still own our moldy home and continue to pay the mortgage on that home also.   New rental home is in Roseville, Michigan 48066.
Dec. 15, 2003: Began to become ill again. Just like we never left the old mold home.
Dec. 25, 2003: We all spent Christmas in bed. We are so ill we could not get up for 4 weeks.
Jan. 15,2004: We deiced to have a mold inspection and test.
Feb.2, 2004: Test results came in. They came back poss. for three types of Mytoxin molds.
Feb. 3, 2004: Moved into garage to get my family safe from the mold.
Feb. 20, 2004: My parents took out a home repair loan and gave us the money to fix there home for them. We were only given enough to do all the work ourselves. We paid some friends to gut the inside of home to rid it of mold. All the floors had to come out and all drywall halfway up the walls. Once they removed all the old rotted wood and replaced. My husband and I began to build it back together with that money we had left.
March 15, 2004: We had a little money left to put a doorwall in our tiny kitchen looking out the back of our home. When tore off a few pieces of the vinyl siding we found more mold!!
March 17, 2004: Removed all the outside siding and found asbestos siding hiding under the new siding. The antic vents were covered over and water leaked in all down both side of the home rotting all the wood. So we had to strip the home of all it moldy wood and replace.
April 10, 2004: 21 year old son broke his hand and no longer help to finish our home.
April 13, 2004: 21 year old moved back home. He can’t work for 12- 15 weeks so he will not be able to make his rent payment on his apt.
April 29, 2004: Still in garage. Hope to be all back in May 10, 2004….
May 9, 2004: Found more mold hiding under our basement steps. Removed all stairways and now we hope to move back into home.
May 13, 2004: We did an air test and found mold spore still in our homes air. We will never move back into it…
May 24, 2004: Still living in our garage. But I am putting in a nice, big pond in the yard. Keeps me mind busy, while the house is being done.

We still have two homes and now a repair credit line bill to pay. Total in mold repairs on a 550 sq ft home with basement. $21,000.00. So far….

Aug. 2004: Moved back into new home. This tiny little homes. The city would not let us put bedroom for the two older boys down stairs in the basement. They said we have to have fire windows installed, so my sons can get out in case of a fire.

Everyone is doing great again. Kids all healthy, Cats are making nice healthy babies and the rats are getting fat again.

Sept. 10, 2004: Jesse came home from school with a bad headache. This went on for a week.
Sept. 2004: Jesse started to take meds. Just to go to school for his head aches. After my mold testing of the school last year and the way he is acting again this year. I know now mold plays a big roll in my son’s life.
Oct. 8th, 2004: Our mortgage company had sold our home at a sheriff’s sale today. Last month they went to our bankruptcy court and removed it from our stay. Since we went to the city for a voluntary city teardown grant. Our mortgage company stated they would loose their equity in the home and they would be at a lost if we did such a thing like this. And now we lost our home!!
Oct. 13, 2004: New home is almost done. We still need a few moldings and trim work done. But it is coming out to be a cute little home. I find it easy to clean and filled with all new things. I know nothing will replace what we lost but we will survive this horror that attacked our life with warning!

Our home was made for us live in comfortable, with a little extra money. We need a family room added off back and a dormer with two bedrooms going up.

        We hope to get back the years we lost running around, home less! As a strong family,
                                                       we did!

Thank you,

Mom
&
Dad

Thanks to my parents finially believing us that mold had taken over our lifes. They help to save us. Being very support of us.

Please, Don't turn your back on a friend or family member when they are in need. Listen to them. Hear their cries for help.

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