Hardwood Floors December 2017/January 2018

Stock

In the midst of recovery e orts starting fromHurricane Harvey damage a few states over, Hall was doing what he could to get ready before Hurricane Irma came through. “Before the hurricane, I ordered additional stock in most-used items: plywood, nails, sandpaper, and nish,” says Hall. “We shut down operations that Wednesday a er fueling all of our trucks, allowing our guys to get their homes and families ready. e Tuesday a er the storm hit, I visited two building suppliers and bought all the circular saw blades on the shelf. It took more than a week to nd electric cords, cables, plug ends, and plywood.”

later, the moisture content and relative humidity still do not meet recommendations for installation.” Another challenge Navon faces has been nding a reliable general contractor with a reasonable quote. “One guy came in and said it would cost $175,000 to replace and repair the damage done. Another was asking for $2,500 just to come out and give an estimate. A third was already booked until February 2018 and not taking any new clients,” adds Navon. “I’ve seen and heard of so many out-of-state guys coming in to get extra work but don’t really have the quali cations to do so, and on top of that, they are price

gouging because of the obvious demand. In one situation, an out-of-state contractor came in trying to sand and nish cupped oors when they clearly needed to be torn out.” Unfortunately, that seems to be a common occurrence – Moss, Hollis, and Lenny Hall, owner and operator of Endurance Floor Co. inWest Park, Florida, are seeing a similar trend. “ ere’s a huge shortage in drywall and drywall hangers, and guys are coming in and ripping that stu out and ge ing ready to put new oors over a wet sub oor and within walls that haven’t been allowed enough time to dry or be treated,” says Moss. “A huge di culty we’re seeing in our area is that the already short labor pool is now evaporated,” adds Hall. “Any warm body willing to work has been hired by companies that can work with low skill level personnel.” “In homes that saw a few feet of water, mold is already starting to show through the ceiling,” adds

Photos courtesy of Neil Moss

“Operationally, the di culty comes with the in-progress work, the work in the pipeline, and then dealing with the amount of work heading our way. We have a policy in place where we only take previous clients during times of high demand, such as this,” adds Hall. “We’ve worked that way since Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992 and our clients are very appreciative, exceptionally loyal, and our greatest source of goodwill.” “Most jobs are a total replacement,” says Hall. “We expect to be working on Irma related work for the next four to six months.” Amid so much devastation and heartbreak, it is important to nd someone you trust to help make repairs to your home when your home is ready. e NWFA is happy to help o er recommendations for issues our members and consumers may be facing.

Moss. “It will take months, and in some cases, more than a year, to treat the homes and get them to a place where they’ll be ready for newmaterials to come in.” “ e Houston Remodeling Association is predicting six to seven years to rebuild due to the shortage of skilled workers,” adds Hollis. In all of this havoc, Moss has noticed a positive trend with the hardwood oors in many homes. “Of the 21 oors I’ve been trying to save, all of the engineered hardwood, rotary or sawn, were saved, at least structurally, and not a single oated oor could be saved. Unfortunately, many sat under sewage water for more than a week so they won’t be salvageable due to becoming a potential health hazard, but it’s still cool to see that a properly installed hardwood oor could withstand so much devastation.”

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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