Case Files — Field Notes on Property Insurance
What actually happens after a major house fire.
First-person accounts of a gas-water-heater fire, 18 months of reconstruction, a burglary mid-recovery, asbestos abatement, a public adjuster, and two years of insurance claims — with real numbers and real documents. Written to help the next homeowner make one fewer expensive mistake.
Start Here — Cornerstone Article
The FireComplete Timeline of My House Fire and Insurance Claim: May 2024–Present
A gas water heater exploded on May 24, 2024. What followed was 18 months of claims, asbestos abatement, a mid-recovery burglary, a public adjuster, cabinet disputes, and over $130,000 in reconstruction. This is the full timeline.
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My Insurance Company Paid Almost $20,000 for Personal Property: Here's How the Math Worked
My insurer valued about 50 personal-property items at nearly $30,000 at replacement cost, then deducted about $13,000 for depreciation, leaving almost $20,000 — paid in two installments. Here's what that math means and why tracking it item by item matters.
What a Public Adjuster Actually Does — and What It Costs
I hired a public adjuster three months after my Atlanta home burned. I understood the pitch but not the mechanics: what they do day to day, how the fee works, and how the money actually moves. Here's what I wish someone had explained before I signed.
The Contents Packout: Over $40,000 to Clean and Store One House
Four days after my Atlanta home burned, a restoration company packed out everything inside. The cleaning invoice came in around $22,000. Storage came in around $21,000. Combined: over $40,000 — and the inventory they produced wouldn't arrive for nearly 20 months.
What Happens When You Have Three Homeowners Insurance Claims in Four Years?
A hail claim in 2022. A major house fire in May 2024. A burglary three months later. By 2026, my homeowners premium had gone from roughly $1,400 to nearly $8,500 a year — about a 500% increase. Here's how that happens and what to expect.
The First 24 Hours After a House Fire: What to Do and What Not to Do
The decisions you make in the first 24 hours after a house fire have a direct impact on your insurance claim. Here's what actually matters — and what can wait.
What Asbestos in Your Walls Means for a Fire Insurance Claim in Georgia
Chrysotile asbestos in wall and ceiling joint compound is common in pre-1980 Georgia homes. When a fire triggers abatement, insurers frequently dispute whether it's covered. Here's what happened in my claim and what homeowners need to know.
Burglary During Home Reconstruction: How a Vacant Property Became a Second Insurance Claim
Three months after my house fire, while the property was vacant and in active recovery, it was burglarized. That opened a second claim. Here's what the process looked like and what I'd do differently to protect a vacant property.
ACV vs. Replacement Cost: The Insurance Payout Gap Most Homeowners Don't See Coming
Your policy probably covers replacement cost. The check you receive is probably actual cash value. Understanding the difference — and how to recover the withheld depreciation — can be worth thousands.
How to Read an Insurance Adjuster's Estimate (And What to Dispute)
The insurer's adjuster sends you a line-item estimate. Most policyholders sign off without understanding what they're looking at. Here's how to read it, what to question, and where the gaps usually are.
What Is Xactimate? The Software That Prices Your Property Insurance Claim
Both the insurer's adjuster and your public adjuster use the same software to build repair estimates. Understanding how Xactimate works — and where it can be argued — is the key to understanding why estimates differ.
Recoverable Depreciation: What It Is and How to Actually Collect It
If your policy covers replacement cost, the insurer withholds a portion of your payout as 'depreciation' until you replace the item. That withheld money is recoverable — but only if you know how to claim it.
When Does It Make Sense to Hire a Public Adjuster? An Honest Assessment
Public adjusters aren't the right move for every claim. Here's an honest breakdown of when hiring one adds value, when the math doesn't work, and what to look for if you decide to move forward.
Georgia Public Adjuster Licensing: What to Verify Before You Sign Anything
Georgia requires public adjusters to be licensed by the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. Here's what that means, how to verify it, and what the license does — and doesn't — guarantee.
How Storm and Hail Damage Claims Get Undervalued in Georgia
Hail claims can turn on disputed impact counts, repair scope, policy terms, and whether documented damage supports partial repair or replacement. Here's what Georgia homeowners should examine.
Water Damage Insurance Claims: What's Covered, What Isn't, and Why It Matters
Water damage is the most common homeowners insurance claim in Georgia — and one of the most disputed. The difference between covered and excluded water damage often comes down to how the damage is characterized.
Your Homeowners Insurance Claim Was Denied. Now What?
A denial letter from your insurer is not the end of the road. Here's what a claim denial actually means, what your options are, and how to build a case for reopening it.
How to Document Personal Property for an Insurance Claim (Before and After a Loss)
The single most useful thing you can do for a future contents claim is document what you own now. Here's a practical approach — what to capture, how to store it, and how to use it if you ever need it.
Your Contractor's Estimate Is Higher Than What Insurance Approved. What Now?
The insurer approved $55,000. Your contractor says it'll cost $90,000. This gap is one of the most common — and most stressful — situations in property insurance claims. Here's what creates it and how to close it.
Ordinance or Law Coverage: The Code Upgrade Gap Most Georgia Homeowners Miss
When a fire triggers code-required upgrades — new electrical, asbestos abatement, updated plumbing — your standard policy may not cover the cost. Ordinance or law coverage is the protection most homeowners don't know they're missing.
Why Fire Reconstruction Can Cost More Than the Insurance Estimate
My early reconstruction estimate was $55,000. The final cost was over $130,000. The gap wasn't fraud or waste — it was how insurance estimates work versus how reconstruction actually works. Here's the anatomy of that gap.
Georgia Homeowners Insurance: 10 Things to Review Before You Ever File a Claim
Most Georgia homeowners don't read their policy until they need it. By then, it's too late to change it. Here are 10 specific things to check now — coverage limits, exclusions, and riders that determine what you actually get paid.
How to File a Property Insurance Claim in Georgia: Step by Step
Filing a property insurance claim in Georgia has a specific sequence that matters. Here's what to do, in order, from the moment damage happens through the first insurer contact — with notes on what to document and what not to say.
Additional Living Expense Coverage: What It Pays For and How to Use It
If a covered loss makes your home uninhabitable, ALE coverage pays for temporary housing, meals, and other increased living costs. But it has limits, conditions, and a documentation requirement most homeowners underestimate.
The Cabinet Dispute: When the Insurance Estimate and Reality Are $7,000 Apart
During my reconstruction, the cabinetry estimate came in over $17,000. The insurance settlement landed at $10,000. That $7,000 gap is a specific, common type of claim dispute — and the way it plays out is instructive.
What These Case Files Cover
Every stage of a major Atlanta house fire claim — in the order it actually happened.
Most insurance content is written by people who haven't filed a major claim. These posts are drawn from a real fire claim filed in May 2024: the initial fire, 18 months of reconstruction, asbestos abatement, a mid-recovery burglary, a public adjuster engagement, a cabinet dispute, and a contents settlement that took nearly two years to arrive. The topics below are what this blog covers — published in stages as each post is completed.
What happened on May 24, 2024. The explosion, the first 24 hours, what the insurer did and didn't do immediately.
ACV vs. RCV, depreciation schedules, how personal property is valued, and why an initial check may be lower than expected.
Why I hired one, what they actually did, how the fee and disbursement structure worked, what I'd do differently.
The packout, the $40,000+ cleaning and storage invoice, the 20-month wait for a signed inventory, and how to protect yourself.
How a vacant fire-damaged property becomes a target. The second claim, the police report, and what insurance actually covered.
The contractor, the cabinet dispute, asbestos abatement, the gap between the working estimate and actual cost.
CLUE reports, premium increases, how three claims in four years affects your insurability and what you can do about it.
Checklists, templates, and reference guides — what to document, what to request, and what questions to ask before signing anything.
Coming to the Case Files
Posts in progress
- —How to Document Your Personal Property Before a Loss
- —The Cabinet Dispute: When the Estimate and the Contractor Don't Match
- —Asbestos in Older Atlanta Homes: What It Means for Your Claim
- —Why I Got Burglarized During Fire Recovery — and What It Cost
- —How to Read a Xactimate Estimate
- —What Is a CLUE Report and How Do You Get One?
- —Recoverable Depreciation: How to Claim It After Settlement
- —The Certificate of Occupancy Is Not the Finish Line
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Resurgens Public Adjusting represents Georgia policyholders after fire, storm, water, and wind losses. No recovery, no fee.