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TreeDimensional · 19th February 2008, 04:29 PM

Arizona Kenn, I feel for ya, our house burnt on Boxing day 1995. We were on our way home when a friend of my wife's called to inform us that it was on fire. The roof, Attached garage, whirlpool room, and one bedroom were gone. It is humbling to realize that family of 5 only has the contents of an overnight bag, to their name.

The largest obstacle to overcome was the business and personal records. The tax man is the biggest problem to deal with especially when you are at year end.

In regards to your question about gear, ONLY you know your company. Every operation has its strengths and weaknesses, at this moment, you are probably best to capitalize on your strengths. Sit down and put together a list of all the different things your Company did pre-fire. Now comes the hard part, you have to determine what generated the most cost effective revenue. Be honest to yourself and don't let your emotions over-ride logic.

Once the determination of profitability is clear, take your new business plan to your banker. If you have a decent track record (credit rating), and a factual plan, they should be willing to help you out.

The other thing you may have to consider is working for someone else, for a while. It will be difficult to go from owner/operator to a labourer, but it will put groceries on the table, and clothes on your back, both of which are in short supply to you at this time. More importantly, getting back into a working routine will keep you from being swallowed up by the shock and despair of the life altering event.

We live in a rural comminity, and we mostly considered ourselves outsiders, none of my aunts, uncles or siblings married locals. But to our amazement the comminity held a benefit for us, and it was very emotional to see that we were indeed considered part of the community.

While I don't understand why you didn't have insurance, you are not alone. Most people think it is a burden on the disposable income, I (and now you) can attest to the value of having some help rebuilding your life.

We had insurance, and I will never go without it, We are way ahead of where we would have ever been without it. It saddens me to know that you will never know the third emotion in overcoming a fire. In your post you mentioned that "No life was lost" this is the first emotion, and trust me it could have always been worse. the second emotion is one of shock, you mentioned " starting all over again. You will come to realize that it was JUST stuff, the important thing is the most valuable stufff is still alive. Finally the third emotion is "are we done shopping yet"? This is a guy thing, I hate everyday shopping, but when you have to buy a house (or build), and fill it with the nessesities of life, it is tiring.

Take your time, figure out what is important, and set a goal to look forward to.

The one thing that people who have gone through a house fire always do is TELL EVERYONE TO BUY INSURANCE.

Good luck to you.

19th February 2008, 04:29 PM	#5 (permalink)
TreeDimensional Banned Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 385	Re: Fire Damaged Gear Arizona Kenn, I feel for ya, our house burnt on Boxing day 1995. We were on our way home when a friend of my wife's called to inform us that it was on fire. The roof, Attached garage, whirlpool room, and one bedroom were gone. It is humbling to realize that family of 5 only has the contents of an overnight bag, to their name. The largest obstacle to overcome was the business and personal records. The tax man is the biggest problem to deal with especially when you are at year end. In regards to your question about gear, ONLY you know your company. Every operation has its strengths and weaknesses, at this moment, you are probably best to capitalize on your strengths. Sit down and put together a list of all the different things your Company did pre-fire. Now comes the hard part, you have to determine what generated the most cost effective revenue. Be honest to yourself and don't let your emotions over-ride logic. Once the determination of profitability is clear, take your new business plan to your banker. If you have a decent track record (credit rating), and a factual plan, they should be willing to help you out. The other thing you may have to consider is working for someone else, for a while. It will be difficult to go from owner/operator to a labourer, but it will put groceries on the table, and clothes on your back, both of which are in short supply to you at this time. More importantly, getting back into a working routine will keep you from being swallowed up by the shock and despair of the life altering event. We live in a rural comminity, and we mostly considered ourselves outsiders, none of my aunts, uncles or siblings married locals. But to our amazement the comminity held a benefit for us, and it was very emotional to see that we were indeed considered part of the community. While I don't understand why you didn't have insurance, you are not alone. Most people think it is a burden on the disposable income, I (and now you) can attest to the value of having some help rebuilding your life. We had insurance, and I will never go without it, We are way ahead of where we would have ever been without it. It saddens me to know that you will never know the third emotion in overcoming a fire. In your post you mentioned that "No life was lost" this is the first emotion, and trust me it could have always been worse. the second emotion is one of shock, you mentioned " starting all over again. You will come to realize that it was JUST stuff, the important thing is the most valuable stufff is still alive. Finally the third emotion is "are we done shopping yet"? This is a guy thing, I hate everyday shopping, but when you have to buy a house (or build), and fill it with the nessesities of life, it is tiring. Take your time, figure out what is important, and set a goal to look forward to. The one thing that people who have gone through a house fire always do is TELL EVERYONE TO BUY INSURANCE. Good luck to you.