That's rough... and honestly, it's something I worried about a lot when we built our first custom home. We had a similar scare—not water damage, thankfully—but an electrician who accidentally drilled through some HVAC ductwork. He was super apologetic and covered the fix himself, but afterward I started wondering: what if it had been something bigger? Would his insurance have stepped in, or would it have landed on us?
I think you're spot-on about awareness. Most tradespeople I've dealt with are great at their craft but maybe not so great at navigating insurance details (can't blame them—insurance policies are like reading another language sometimes). And as homeowners, especially first-timers like me, we're often just trusting that the pros have everything covered. But clearly that's not always the case.
After our little incident, I made a point of double-checking coverage before anyone started work. Felt awkward at first—like I was questioning their professionalism—but most of them understood once I explained why. A few even thanked me later because they realized their own policies weren't as comprehensive as they'd thought.
Anyway, your plumber sounds like he handled it well despite the mess-up. Mistakes happen to everyone... good tradespeople own up and learn from them. Glad you shared this—it's reassuring to know I'm not just being paranoid when I ask these questions upfront.
Good call on double-checking coverage upfront. We had a similar wake-up call when our painter accidentally spilled paint all over our new hardwood floors. Thankfully, he took responsibility and sorted it out, but it made me realize how easily things can go sideways. Now I always ask for proof of insurance—feels awkward, sure, but I'd rather have a few uncomfortable conversations than a huge bill later on... lessons learned the hard way, right?
- Glad it worked out for you in the end... but your story makes me wonder about something else.
- What happens if the contractor's insurance doesn't fully cover the damage? Like, is there a gap between their coverage and your homeowner's insurance?
- I'm new to all this, so trying to wrap my head around potential blind spots. Curious if anyone's had experience dealing with overlapping or conflicting policies.
Had a client a few years back whose contractor accidentally damaged some custom cabinetry during installation. Contractor's insurance covered most of it, but there was still a small gap left over. Thankfully, the homeowner's policy stepped in to cover the difference after some back-and-forth between insurers. It wasn't seamless, but it worked out eventually. Definitely smart to think about these overlaps ahead of time—knowing your policies inside-out can save you headaches down the road...
"Definitely smart to think about these overlaps ahead of time—knowing your policies inside-out can save you headaches down the road..."
Wish I'd read this earlier... we had a similar issue with our countertops. Contractor's insurance said it wasn't their fault, homeowner's policy wasn't sure either. Took weeks to sort out. How'd you manage to speed things up?
