Posted On: April 11, 2007, 8:29 am CDT

Posted By: Dawn

I sustained major damage in my home from Wilma. Then a main sewage pipe burst in my yard and flooded my home. (I still really believe that it was due to the lift station being down for a month with no power and backing up in my house, but I can't prove it)
My house is 50 years old, so my insurance company did have to spend a bit on code upgrades. But I spent the extra $50K or so to upgrade my home. I didn't hold my hand out to the company, I took out a loan against my home to do it. And now I'm redoing the kitchen at my own expense. (and yes, I am putting in real wood cabinets) No, I couldn't have remodeled most of my home without insurance. But the damage was done, the rooms had to be repaired, so I went with what I wanted instead of what was there. So now I want my home insured for the value of all the upgrades I installed. But Citizens has their precious LCE and they are fighting me. Since I only had a certain amount for the last 7 years it appears on paper that I am trying to upgrade my house at their expense. I didn't. I'm trying to insure my home for the upgrades I put in with my own money.
(and no, I have not upgraded beyond the market value of the home)