# A fire in Shangri-La....Macspectrum survives a scare



## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I'm sure he will be on shortly to the eye witness account once he finds a motel with internet access.

He just called a bit on the breathless side. Fire out - no personal harm - tho smoke and water damage to his home.

Sure can happen quick.


----------



## MaxPower (Jan 30, 2003)

Especially considering where he lives. Not really close access to the Fire Department.

I'm glad he is OK though.


----------



## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Michael, sorry to hear of the fire in your home. Gratefully, you are OK. Paix, mon ami.


----------



## Ottawaman (Jan 16, 2005)

Things can be replaced, people can not.
Glad you're OK,
Staying tuned for details.


----------



## RevMatt (Sep 10, 2005)

Yes, glad that all are OK. Certainly a crappy way to start one's wek, nonetheless.


----------



## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Wow, very sorry to hear that! Glad he wasn't injured - that's the most important thing.


----------



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Glad to hear you are OK Michael. Sorry to hear of your loss. Let us know if we can be of any help.


----------



## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

I'm sure I saw Stephen Harper sneaking around his place...

Condolences on the shock and awe and damage! I hope your computer is intact.


----------



## modsuperstar (Nov 23, 2004)

I can sympathize. We had a grease fire start up in the kitchen last year and that gave my girlfriend and I quite a scare. We managed to get it under control, but it was very close to becoming a real problem. Good luck with getting everything back to normal. Getting those smoke stains off the wall is a bitch.


----------



## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

*


----------



## gastonbuffet (Sep 23, 2004)

Raccons 1 - Macspectrum 1

It's crunch time , baby!!!! 



seriously, hope everything works out for the better!


----------



## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

:clap: - y'know he said there was a shady character in a mask with bellows in hand he caught a glimpse of.


----------



## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

Glad to hear he's okay. 

_Hope the Macs are fine._


----------



## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Yes he grabbed critical items - his Mac being one.


----------



## lcsim (Apr 16, 2005)

MacDoc said:


> Yes he grabbed critical items - his Mac being one.


Well done! But glad the most important thing is being out safe and sound, other material things can be replaced in time.


----------



## Snapple Quaffer (Sep 2, 2003)

A nightmare. Even if you're quick and the flames are suppressed so as not to present a danger, the fumes from all the synthetic materials we have in our homes these days can be very harmful. Then there's the smoke and water damage ... 

You have my greatest sympathies and best wishes Macspectrum.


----------



## sheamusj (Sep 21, 2006)

Really sorry to hear about the fire, and very glad that everyone is safe. My family will be thinking of you.


----------



## Beej (Sep 10, 2005)

Bad news and quite a hassel for some time to get things back in order.

Is his cat ok?


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

cat is pissed, but ok
my insurance will pay to have her kenneled...


----------



## MBD (Sep 1, 2003)

Glad you and cat are okay. I'm creating an offsite backup as we speak!


----------



## Vandave (Feb 26, 2005)

MACSPECTRUM said:


> cat is pissed, but ok
> my insurance will pay to have her kenneled...


Check out my avatar. Send him to Harper.  

Seriously though... some people are willing to take pets into their home for short periods of time. Most of those people love animals, so your critter will be better off than in a cage.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

sitting in hotel room, can't sleep
never was good in hotels the first night

looking for short term rental / sub lease rental while my place is being worked on
probably in toronto as clients are there and most friends
:-( 

of course looking for places that allow a cat
poor kitty, i feel bad for her 

thanks again to all the thoughts and well wishes of ehmacers


----------



## medic03 (Aug 2, 2005)

What area of the city are you looking at renting?


----------



## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Yeah - he chatted my ear off until 1 am  ....needs a home quick......the cat of course


----------



## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I'm helping Michael out a bit as he handles all the details .....anyone know of a "green" contractor who understands low cost energy saving techniques.
The place is small and I understand doing it "green" is only a small premium over standard construction - he has to refit anyways so a green refit makes a lot of sense.

Haas to be quick tho and in in the S Ontario region for contacts.


----------



## SilverMaple (Apr 22, 2006)

I am so sorry to hear about the fire MACSPECTRUM. Hope you can find a place very soon for you and your cat. 
I have trouble sleeping in hotels too.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

medic03 said:


> What area of the city are you looking at renting?


etobicoke or north end like richmond hill or thornill close to 400 so i can easily go back and forth to watch re-build work

i may end up renting up here if insurance will cover


----------



## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Michael, my home insurance policy has a 90-day rental clause built in to the policy in the case of extensive damage, and I included a "rebuilding clause" of up to a year for only about $25. So, check your policy closely. If we had to rebuild, we could rent a similar sized home for up to a year while our house was being rebuilt. 

Bon chance, mon ami.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

i have some sort of clause to cover my expenses living away from home, but since my policy is in the, now water soaked house, i am going to request a copy of my policy to review

every home owner should review their policies and make sure they have REPLACEMENT value for their home and living expenses as does dr. g.

ounce of prevention and all that


----------



## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Any idea yet as to what caused the fire?


----------



## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

"... REPLACEMENT value for their home and living expenses". Yes, Michael, that is the key. Hopefully, you have it in your policy. Good luck.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

so i'm out of that god awful motel (best western - i highly advise AGAINST staying there)

cat and i now are in rental home about 1/2 km from house so i can watch over construction

i actually got 5 hours sleep last night
cat is now not unhappy

i now have groceries in the fridge and cat has her cat food

i hope to get a good night's sleep soon


----------



## Ottawaman (Jan 16, 2005)

Well, that sounds better, keep your chin up.


----------



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Great to hear you're making progress Michael. Good luck with it.


----------



## martman (May 5, 2005)

Sweet you are in a house already! 
In the end this may be almost a blessing in disguise. I hope the construction goes well. Good luck.


----------



## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I'll ask for Michael - anyone know a general contractor who has green building knowledge??

S Ontario of course.


----------



## Deep Blue (Sep 16, 2005)

Being in Lotusland on the other side of the country (the large lestover bit to the left of most everyone else, ie. BC) I don't know of any green contractors. BUT, my advice is to avoid the restoration company that your insurance outfit will most likely recommend (=insist) you go with. Resoration co.'s have a fairly quick turnaround time (so they get you back in to your house pretty quickly which is really only of benefit to the insurance co.) but that's because they offer the lowest quality. Find your own contractor, someone you feel happy with and confident about. Don't be bullied into being hasty. And get what YOU need, not what the insurance company says you're allowed to have.


----------



## RevMatt (Sep 10, 2005)

Good stuff, MS. Glad to hear that you have found a place.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

got my winter tires put on my car as we are bracing for snow squalls and summer rubber on a rear wheel drive beamer with snow on the ground means my car doesn't go anywhere

also met with contractors trying to nail down (pun intended) pricing on my re-build seeing as winter is approaching and that makes repairing the roof much more difficult

this sort of "blog" is a catharsis for me


----------



## RevMatt (Sep 10, 2005)

Well, "cathar" away. 

Were you able to find a green contractor?


----------



## Deep Blue (Sep 16, 2005)

how much leeway is your insurance co. giving you on which company can and should repair your home?


----------



## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

Hey there, MacSpectrum. Sorry to hear of your plight. I'm glad you -- and your Mac'nCat -- are safe and sound.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

Deep Blue said:


> how much leeway is your insurance co. giving you on which company can and should repair your home?



we haven't discussed hard numbers yet, but they are getting 2 quotes and I will be getting a few quotes and then we can compare

i am already distrusting the current contractor who is removing contents and removing the water / humidity to stave off mould
they seem to be very high in their pricing and very nebulous with pricing
i've put the clamp down so that they don't do anything without a price estimate

macahoolic
thanks for your sentiments


----------



## miguelsanchez (Feb 1, 2005)

Sounds like a job for Mike Holmes!  

Wishing you well,

Miguel


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

i hope to firm up quotes to re-build this week so i can get approval from insurance company
hope to be back home by Christmas

would be a very nice present for me


----------



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Yes indeed Michael, back home by Christmas would be great. From my experience with rebuilding after fires, and I have handled two major fires in commercial buildings, that target does seem a tiny bit optimistic, but much luck with it anyway.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

SINC, since i celebrate Ukrainian Christmas as well as the 25th, I might have some wiggle room


----------



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Forgot about that MS, that might just hedge the bet a wee bit.


----------



## RevMatt (Sep 10, 2005)

To completely and totally derail for a moment, when is Ukranian Christmas? Same as Russian (the one I celebrate)?


----------



## MLeh (Dec 23, 2005)

The more common term is 'Orthodox' Christmas rather than 'Russian' or 'Ukranian', and it is the same for people in those religions which follow the Julian calendar. 

Weren't you paying attention in your Comparative Religions course?


----------



## RevMatt (Sep 10, 2005)

MLeh said:


> The more common term is 'Orthodox' Christmas rather than 'Russian' or 'Ukranian', and it is the same for people in those religions which follow the Julian calendar.
> 
> Weren't you paying attention in your Comparative Religions course?


Only sort of. I wasn't totally clear on which parts of the Orthodox tradition did what .

Besides, having gone to good, liberal schools, I spent FAR more time studying non-Christian religions than I did other denominations.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

actually the Christmas being celebrated on Jan. 7 is due to the Julian calendar that the different sects follow as opposed to the more modern Gregorian

Ukrainians in Canada are mostly Ukrainian Catholics while they are Orthodox in Ukraine
Almost all Russians are Orthodox


----------



## sheamusj (Sep 21, 2006)

Early night, will catch up on the Shang news of today in the moring. Sweet dreams to all!


----------



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

sheamusj said:


> Early night, will catch up on the Shang news of today in the moring. Sweet dreams to all!


Confused which thread we're in, are we Sheamus?


----------



## sheamusj (Sep 21, 2006)

Oops... Don you are sooo right!


----------



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

sheamusj said:


> Oops... Don you are sooo right!


I thought that might just be the case.


----------



## Deep Blue (Sep 16, 2005)

Can you take a photo (s) of the damage MS to give us an idea of what you are facing?


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

Deep Blue said:


> Can you take a photo (s) of the damage MS to give us an idea of what you are facing?



neighbours have a very good camera and took pix
waiting for them to email me pix and i will post


----------



## MasterBlaster (Jan 12, 2003)

.


----------



## PosterBoy (Jan 22, 2002)

Glad you and the cats are ok.

Any idea yet what started the fire?


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

pic of bogey the cat that saved my life and pix of current status of gutted house

my apologies for the large files 
i just got the digital camera and had it set on 5 meg pixels
will take new photos soon and re-submit


----------



## mrjimmy (Nov 8, 2003)

That's a cute cat.  

Is that toilet always in your office? We call that room something else.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

ha ha, that's funny
yeah they removed the toilet from the washroom and put it in my office


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

here's the latest

the contractor (who specializes in fire, water damage) recommended by the adjuster has decided to quit the job, forcing me to move my contents into storage

adjuster refused to authorize me to get storage, so i did it anyway and am now dealing directly with insurance company

got an interim cheque from insurance company to handle my, now growing, list of expenses
adjuster told me cheques takes "weeks" to get, but i got mine in one day

i just got the quote from the adjuster recommended contractor and he made my house 4 feet narrower than it used to be with extra closets and closets in the wrong place

this same contractor has left my house unlocked twice and once his crew came to my site and asked me for a key
i asked them where the key was that i gave them
crew leader shrugged his shoulders and said; "I dunno"

i am now trying to find out if this "emergency contractor" has drained my water system so my pipes don't freeze - no reply so far

my advice to anyone that files a claim with their insurance; buy a video camera and record EVERYTHING that anyone from insurance company and their contractors tell you

just found out that contractors made holes in my outer walls letting in cold outside air and didn't seem concerned about doing so
note: it wasn't for any technical reason, just because....

went to my dr. and my BP is up 40 points above normal
i'm now on heavy meds and scheduled for a barrage of blood tests, chest x-ray, EKG, etc....
my doc was close to admitting me to hospital...

the fire was bad enough, but these dealing with insurance company is more stressful

again, check your insurance on your house and make sure you have someone tell you what your real replacement value would be in case of something horrible happened

also, don't trust ANYONE as stories change - get a video camera
ask for communication in writing or via email and get a telephone recorder to record everything

protect yourself !!!


----------



## Vandave (Feb 26, 2005)

MACSPECTRUM said:


> pic of bogey the cat that saved my life and pix of current status of gutted house
> 
> my apologies for the large files
> i just got the digital camera and had it set on 5 meg pixels
> will take new photos soon and re-submit


He looks like one of those hitler cats with the black mark on his nose.

http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

Vandave said:


> He looks like one of those hitler cats with the black mark on his nose.
> 
> http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/


say what u will, she's a cutie and gets all the treats she wants
surprisingly she's adjusted to the rental home faster than i
lesson i could learn from the cat

insurance company has made their first offer albeit forgetting to pay for some major items
it's not over yet, but i can sort of see light at the end of the tunnel
i only hope it's not a freight train coming the other way..


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

so here's the latest

i had to call police (local OPP) to get a return call from a contractor who "borrowed" my key 2 weeks ago draw up a quote for me
i had been calling him for 2 weeks with no return phone call
but amazingly 2 minutes after i hung up with the OPP i got a nasty call from contractor to come get my f-ing key and he said he was glad he didn't take my f-ing job
he has been dumping his trash on my property and parking his vehicles in my driveway
i have now lodged a formal complaint with the by-law official so that the contractor stops such activities
i asked him nicely to "remove his garbage from my property" and got told to 'f' myself

i called the OPP officer and thanked her personally for her help

amazing what a call from a police officer can do, eh?


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

as for my insurance claim, it's now in the hands of lawyers
that can't be a good thing


----------



## winwintoo (Nov 9, 2004)

There is nothing more stressful than dealing with contractors and lawyers especially at Christmas.

I had a really bad experience many years ago with the contractor that was building a house for me and the lawyers involved - I won't relate it to you, but knowing what you're going through, you can fill in the blanks on your own.

Please know that even though we don't all post about your troubles, I'm sure I speak for everyone in ehMacLand when I say that you are in all our thoughts during this horrible time.

Take care, Margaret


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

oh, is it Christmas time?
i could hardly tell by all the bad will towards me

thanks for your thoughts Margaret and I hope other ehmacers don't mind if I vent and share online

it's somewhat of a catharsis


----------



## Sonal (Oct 2, 2003)

Thanks for the update--was wondering. Glad to hear that there is a faint light at the end of the long and twisty tunnel.

Vent away. That's what the internet is for.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

Sonal said:


> Thanks for the update--was wondering. Glad to hear that there is a faint light at the end of the long and twisty tunnel.
> 
> Vent away. That's what the internet is for.



my only worry is that faint light is a train coming the other way


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

i wonder if i should start a blog

i'm open for titles

melochemonnex and me
i paid and i paid and then i got screwed
insurance claims for dummies


----------



## ErnstNL (Apr 12, 2003)

It's time to call Mike Holmes:
http://www.holmesonhomes.com/

It's the most popular show on HGTV.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

or better yet "Irving on Insurance"


----------

