Editor’s Notes: September 2018

It’s always best if we can save for and plan a remodeling project.

It’s always best if we can save for and plan a remodeling project.  

But sometimes, the need to remodel is out of our control. I remember when the pipes in my parents’ house burst unexpectedly while no one was home. We came back to a flooded house, wading through knee-deep water to see what looked like a waterfall in the kitchen. A portion of the ceiling had fallen in, allowing water to gush from the floor above, splash onto the stovetop and spill over onto the tile floor. It flowed into the living room, leaked through the hardwood floors and trickled out of the ceiling lights into the playroom on the floor below. 

Half of the house was destroyed due to water damage. My parents checked their insurance coverage and then looked on the bright side, seeing it as an opportunity to remodel rather than a devastating flood that ruined our family’s personal and material possessions. It was an opportunity to make upgrades and changes to the house after living in it for nearly a decade. We added a kitchen island, upgraded the countertops from Corian to granite and updated appliances.  

A flood, whether caused by pipes or Mother Nature, can happen to anyone’s home. Earlier this year, floods from rainstorms devastated homes on the North Shore of Kauai and east side of Oahu. In this issue, we take you inside a Hawaii Kai condo that was renovated after a water main break damaged the kitchen while the homeowners were out of town.  

But it’s not all bad news. If you have the right home insurance coverage, it can certainly help to find the silver lining in the event of a flood. Take this as a reminder to ensure your home insurance policy is updated. And never stop dreaming about your home remodel. Hopefully it’s something you can plan for on your own time, not Mother Nature’s or the old pipes’. 

Aloha,

Stephanie Silverstein, Editor

stephanies@hawaiihomemag.com