For my work as an art conservator (painting restoration), I?m in Utah working on murals for the LDS Church, connecting with the International Pioneer Museum of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and meeting with private collectors. I don?t know if disasters are attracted to me or what (I?ve been in the middle of 9!)? but while we are here numerous and deadly fires have broke out burning homes and smoking up the valleys along the Wasatch Front. My heart really goes out to the badly affected!
Fire and Smoke Damage in Utah Valley
Alpine Utah a blaze. Other fires where in Carbon County that burned a whole tract of homes and also in the direction of Park City (but I don?t know exactly where)
Smoke damage is something I deal with often as an art conservator. We treat it in the conservation lab (for a quick video tour go Click Here) and I often consult with insurance companies who are handling claims. Here are a two examples of claims that will definitely teach you something? hopefully, how to be better prepared, especially if you have nice furnishings, collectibles, antiques and artwork that you are protecting with a fine arts policy. But this information is especially and maybe more important for irreplaceable family history, heirlooms etc:
Smoke Damage? from 40 miles away?!
Chubb Insurance Company (now Chartis) asked me to evaluate a claim. I was hired to look over an estate in the Los Angeles area to determine smoke?damage to fine art, sculpture, frames, decorated and gilt surfaces and murals that resulted from brush fires 2 years previously, 40 miles away!
Smoke Damaged Vaulted Ceiling?
In the entry, there were 5 vaulted ceilings similar to this one, except the crown moldings were gold
Obviously, there is probably more dust from the last two years than there are deposits from smoke. It might have been possible to analyze the ?dust? with sophisticated analytical means to determine the difference between dust and smoke but that option would have cost $1,000?s and was rejected.
In the end, there are actually two questions: 1. Are there smoke deposits and 2. Do they cause damage? Since the analysis option was rejected, the presence of deposits from smoke was impossible for me to see with the naked eye. So, that question is unanswerable. So, my visit was to confirm or reject the claim of damage as a result of smoke deposits.
I carefully went through 10 pages of itemized objects that were represented in the $500,000.00 claim for repairs.?The client accompanied me through the property explaining what he saw as the damages and concerns. He showed me gilt finishes that he thought had altered in color because of exposure to the smoke.
It is my opinion that the ?alterations? that the client points out are actually diverse colors of original finishes that perhaps he no longer remembers or was aware of? but is noticing now that he is looking closely. And that?s where many home owners who are making claims fall short: the damage happened some time ago, the situation was not well documented (photos, video etc) and there are no historical records of conditions or value (receipts or appraisals) so it boils down to the opinion of the insured vs. the insurance company. That?s a tough fight to win.
This particular owner got no support from me. After my careful inspection of all the individual items/objects (paintings, frames, etc) and finishes, my opinion in my report was that there were no alterations. In this case, the result of my visit was good for Chubb. .. it saved them having to pay out the $500,000.00 claim. But then again, I inspected a single painting once for Chubb that was a claim for just shy of $1/2 million and they paid out even though they didn?t have to because they wanted to keep the client who had a massive collection, boats and other toys, houses etc all insured with them. So, in the end, what motivates the business decision of how an insurance company settles a claim? Business.
Well, all that is not really my problem. I?m an advocate for the artwork. I tell ?it? straight regardless of who is paying my bill. That makes me a credible expert witness and legal testimony.
Next Example? Insurance Company: Allstate
As with all fires raging through neighborhoods, the fire takes one house here and leaves the other house next door. Such was the case with this Mediterranean style family home. The fire burned right up to the house, the heat cracking the patio cement but ?only? filling the house with smoke and ash.
The client?s insurance company, Allstate Insurance was terrific in handling the major damage but the ??emotional complications? of the insured kept them from addressing the family history items, collectibles and keepsakes right away. The claim was kept open for this reason. In fact, they put off working with the insurance company about the claim for these items for a year, although the smell was still present!
Smoke damaged collectibles
FACL worked between the insurance company and the insured to:
1. move the client along to complete the claim
2. provided a detailed inventory list, with photos
3. proposed treatments for the delicate items that were not to be handled by industrial cleaners (artwork, rare books, sculpture, drawings, photos etc)
4. provided customer service on behalf of the insurance company to keep the client happy and conclude the claim process (which had been dragging on before we came aboard).
The number of items was roughly 550 items ranging from various types of paintings, paper items, photos, books, antiques, furniture, statues and assorted dishes. All were afflicted with strong smoke smell and residue.
FACL, Inc. provided the evaluations and reports to move the claim along and then, did the conservation work to help remove the odors and smoke deposits once the agreements were made between the insurance and the insurance (http://www.fineartconservationlab.com)
FACL Appraisals provided the valuations / appraisals of the items when it was required by the insurance company (http://www.personalpropertyappraisal.com)
From our experience in many, many claims for smoke damage, here are 5 essential tips for you:
- 1. Keep a copy of your important family records (receipts, owner slips and documents, historical info, certificates, appraisals) in a separate location, preferable in a different state! On line back up storage can be good but be sure of the safety of sensitive personal information.
- 2. Take action sooner than later. Ash and smoke corrode metals (frames, sculpture, furniture parts)
- 3. Communicate with your insurance agent well and in a timely manner.
- 4. Get professional help. But don?t let commercial cleaners handle your collectibles, antiques, artwork etc.
- 5. Don?t assume you ?know? if something is destroyed or damaged and to what extent. Let an expert help you get the right info. I see people make HUGE, sad, costly mistakes all the time.
Here is a short very telling video of an interview
with a woman who suffered a house fire:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lCx-xg4BMY
For other insurance claims examples, go to:
http://www.insurancepersonalpropertyassessments.com/
Have questions? Give our office a call for free chat: 805 564 3438
Art appraisal questions? Call Richard Holgate 805 895 5121
Even though the heirloom painting was a throw away because of the extensive smoke damage, according to the owner, he was elated that the cleaning brought it back to its original condition.
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July 10th, 2012 in Smoke Damageradio shack bethany hamilton bethany hamilton after christmas sales macys stratfor bears vs packers
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