Thread: Sad day for my Dad

Good luck thats a real bugger or 1 day of ranting to calm down if that happend to me there are alot of very helpfull pepole here so get your photos up ASAP then let the help flow sorry to here the bad news but least no one got hurt in the fire & good luck with the new shed Dan.

Hi Peter

What does your dad want to do?

1) Rebuild his shed?
2) replace all his lost tools?
3) get back to working (spending time ) in his shed

I ask because of your dad's age and the emotional investment he will have had in the contents of his shed and possibly more importantly with what he has built and experienced in the shed.

Perhaps after the clean-up you should arrange a GTG -- bring your own hammer and nail bag -- to start on the shed rebuild.

If your dad's primary objective is to get back to where he can spend his days pottering in the shed, perhaps only a few of his tools really need to be replaced and the replacements don't need to be sourced from ebay or the local markets. Perhaps once the insurance company has finished, part of any payout could be used to buy some quality new tools for your dad.

Originally Posted by ian

If your dad's primary objective is to get back to where he can spend his days pottering in the shed, perhaps only a few of his tools really need to be replaced and the replacements don't need to be sourced from ebay or the local markets. Perhaps once the insurance company has finished, part of any payout could be used to buy some quality new tools for your dad.

I was thinking that too. Then I thought - if you replace his old 1.1kg No.4 with a beautiful 2kg Clifton/Lie-Nielsen No.4, the extra weight may be too much for him.

Just my tuppence worth.

Cheers, Vann

My primary objective is to get the mess cleaned as quickly as possible and start on a new shed. Refitting the shed and personalising the space will keep him busy for ever.

I'll sort the insurance guys out and once the space is ready I have a couple of brothers in law who along with a few of my friends should be able to knock up a shed in a weekend (it was only 15X30 feet).

I'm mostly trying to get his few favorite hand tools back into user shape. He's had that 4 1/2 since forever, and it's always at his right hand side on the bench. Chisels are kept sharp, regularly given a quick touch up just in case he needs them.

On a lighter side, I remember when I was about 7 that I had a huge splinter in my finger. So how did he get it out? Easy - grab a sharp 1/2" berg and carefully slice away the skin above it. Until I fainted that is

Cheers,
Peter

I might have a spare No 5 somewhere if the insurance coy is as stingy as they usually are

Took a few photos - mostly to document the scene. Here's the general mayhem.
IMG_2194.JPG

IMG_2024.JPG

My photos are purely technical, my sister (the artist) took some amazing shots that somehow brought out the beauty in the destruction - amazing what people can see.

cheers,
Peter

Peter thanks for the links of the car and I can just see it in the photo's yes it can be saved a lot of work maybe but a sand blast and start from scratch.

I agree the photos show the way the fire has gone and melted some stuff yet just blackened other things.

Things like the record vice a clean and respray
Drill press unless warped etc a lot can be saved
BS hard to tell but a good clean maybe all it requires.

I say this only from seeing the photos.

New stuff of course for such as benches scorched and chared.

Ray

Just an idea, Peter but ..

Contact your local suburban newspaper & tell them your story. Get some local publicity and then go to your local recycled timber outlet &/or your local hardware store, tell them your story and ask if they can dontate anything. These stores often have old stock or are prepared to write off stock as a donation.

Sadly there's no way the insurance company if going to cover your Dad's losses so anything to make up the shortfall would be good.

We went to our local tile store looking for a donation or a discounted supply of pavers as I was building an outdoor garden for my wife's year 2 class. They gave us a whole pallet of pavers without batting an eyelid.

Human nature can be selfish & hard, but it also be generous & kind. Ask around, you might be surprised.

Good luck. Scott

Suggest you round up any and all photos you might have taken inside and outside the shed.

Doesn't matter if they dont "feature" the precious tools, they can still be relevant

Useful for proving claims to insurance company and for jogging your memory regarding all the stuff that was in the shed that you may not have listed on your claim.

If you go through these photos yourself prior to discussions with insurance company you will know what you've got and can produce it at the relevant time.

Could be photos from a past barbecue that accidentally catches something critical on the inside of the shed.

Credit card records may be useful as proof of purchase ....

Go for a walk around a big tool shop to further jog memory regarding what was in the shed.

You don't have to accept first offer insurance company makes - you can bargain and negotiate. In a similar situation there was a significant difference between insurance companies first offer and what we finally settled on.

Make sure they give you a decent specification for the new shed - if they are rebuilding it with their contractors don't allow them to start replacing it until you have a written specification defining that what they propose to build is acceptable to you.

I believe that there is a financial ombudsman who can be contacted if you have concerns about how the insurance company treats you.

Regards

Bill

Hi Peter,

Sorry to hear the news. Lost my old man 4 weeks ago. Had to clean out his workshop.

I've got a few planes (4, 4 1/2 and possibly 5 1/2). Got a few bits and pieces as well.

If you need any (planes or parts) just give me a PM.

bearing in mind the comments regarding insurance reminds me of an instance a friend of mine went through - and what I now do as a result.

he was robbed - and the assessor did not believe anyone could own more than 30 CDs in a music collection - what saved him was a computerised inventory list of his CDs (from when he was offering to loan them for someone for a DJ mix for a party) and a photo of his wife modelling some jewellry, and the loaded CD rack was in the background

As a result of this, everything I buy is photographed when it comes into the house, and the details saved in a spreadsheet.
A copy of the digital photos, plus the constantly updated spreadsheet is saved in several locations within the house, plus a few outside the house (relatives houses, etc)
This means I can always prove what I own -model numbers, serial numbers, photo description, etc.
I know a few people who walk a video camera through their house just before holidays for the same reason - a visual record of what is there.

Once my shed is built, I will rephotograph everything coming into it, then a walk around as well as part of the record for my policy. With USB keys being so cheap these days, I can have copies of the inventory scattered between my work desk, my parents place, my house, shed and other places... worst case one may be out of date by a month, but that is way better than no records at all.

Tips like these don't prevent fire or theft, but do help with the recovery - and should reduce frustration and disappointment when dealing with assessors.

Des

Bleeder,

sorry to hear abut your dad mate. It must be gut wrenching. I know when I received the call about the fire my heart stopped until I heard that dad was OK. That's way more important than stuff.

Des,

I'm hoping that building an inventory after the fire will be a little easier than a theft. We'll have have the remains of most bits of equipment both as a reminder of what it may have been and proof that it existed. I'm sure the insurance company will still try to stick it to us some way.

Thanks for the advice and offers of help guys.

Peter

Originally Posted by desbromilow

bearing in mind the comments regarding insurance reminds me of an instance a friend of mine went through - and what I now do as a result.

he was robbed - and the assessor did not believe anyone could own more than 30 CDs in a music collection - what saved him was a computerised inventory list of his CDs (from when he was offering to loan them for someone for a DJ mix for a party) and a photo of his wife modelling some jewellry, and the loaded CD rack was in the background

As a result of this, everything I buy is photographed when it comes into the house, and the details saved in a spreadsheet.
A copy of the digital photos, plus the constantly updated spreadsheet is saved in several locations within the house, plus a few outside the house (relatives houses, etc)
This means I can always prove what I own -model numbers, serial numbers, photo description, etc.
I know a few people who walk a video camera through their house just before holidays for the same reason - a visual record of what is there.

Once my shed is built, I will rephotograph everything coming into it, then a walk around as well as part of the record for my policy. With USB keys being so cheap these days, I can have copies of the inventory scattered between my work desk, my parents place, my house, shed and other places... worst case one may be out of date by a month, but that is way better than no records at all.

Tips like these don't prevent fire or theft, but do help with the recovery - and should reduce frustration and disappointment when dealing with assessors.

Des

That assessor must have been a Mushroom 30 CD's wouldn't even be a mates general use collection. I wonder what his mind would do if he walked into say Glen A Bakers place or Molly Meldrum.

30 CD's 10 of say The Who, 10 of Beatles nah forget it guys a wally

It is such a shame that your Dad's shed was destroyed, along with the precious tools.

For the non-recoverable tools that were your grandfathers, and perhaps for your father's non-recoverable favourite tools as well, can I suggest that you clean them up and keep them anyway, even if they can't be restored? The reason that I suggest this is for sentimental value, to your children and their children. I have a plane that was my great-grandfathers (I never knew him), and one from my grandfather that my father passed to me. Every time I pick them up I think of the other hands that have held and used them. Even if the old heirlooms are not recoverable, your grandkids will treasure that warped old plane body that was ruined in the fire of 2013 that destroyed their great-grandfather's shed, especially if it was their great-great-grandfather's plane.

Just a thought. I know that anything I have that came from my family is treasured beyond any intrinsic value or usefullness.