Palace in ruin...

A woman came to the showroom this week asking if we could provide replacement cabinets for her house that was damaged by a water leak. My answer was yes and scheduled an appointment to measure to see what is needed.
She's an older woman with a very outgoing personality. Her taste is contemporary and she selected our display with gloss white cabinets... because everything in her house is white. Retired years ago, she told me she was in the design business and hand-crafted floral arrangements that included faux palm trees.

I made it to my appointment today and found a disaster in the making. All the furniture was gone, most of the walls were cut from 3 feet and below the drywall was stripped off the studs. Anything that was exposed to mold/mildew had been painted with a white sealer, probably something with the ability to stop the growth of mold.

The place appeared to have been decorated like the lobby of a casino. Mirrored walls, sculptured glass ornaments, artsy-fartsy murals, drapes and huge vases of palm trees. Forced to live in an extended-stay hotel, no one was allowed to be living at the house.
The drying fans had been removed and she was waiting for the drywall crew to return to close the walls so they can continue the restoration process. I measured what was in my scope. Looking around I see her house is on a lake and the back yard was complete with statues and artwork. Probably a place for parties, the barbecue had a canopy and the covered bar area had lounge chairs and outdoor furniture. Certainly a palace for this woman... complete with a hand-painted ceiling of blue sky and clouds!

It appeared the water seeped under some floor tiles and that would be a huge issue to re-tile the entire floor. She's in the stage of negotiating with the insurance company and working with a public adjuster. Something like that could hold up the project for weeks. Hopefully her insurance coverage is sufficient to get her back into her home. From experience, unless she wants to pull from her pocket, many of the custom design pieces will only be a memory.

Her once upon a time palace is in ruin...