[Scuba Steve]

It's been a while so there is a little to update.

The lawyer on my end is doing whatever it is that they do. It seems to be mostly demand letters and whatnot. I do know that the roofer's insurance finally got involved once the attorney sent their first round of letters.

The city will not allow the place to be demolished, which I actually appreciate. It's considered historic since it is officially a contributing property in a nationally-designated historic neighborhood.

I met with the attorney and another engineer and builder on site to figure out what it would take to further stabilize the place and make it so it could be completely dried in and this is where it gets a bit complicated. The house was built by balloon framing and the joists for both floors are hung on a ledger board and side nailed to the studs. The ledger board is a 1x4 notched into the stud. Each stud is broken where the ledger board is. This must be addressed before new ceiling joists and rafters may be put in.

I have two quotes now, both excluding dealing with additional unknown issues, the Board of Architecture and FEMA (something else that must be addressed due to % damage). Repair of structural damage (crushed walls and ceiling/roof) is over $60K, and fixing all known damage they caused is just under $250K. I am very glad that I have an attorney on my side even though this is taking longer than I ever could have imagined.