Working Toilets and Plumbing

Hello, my name is Michael L. Howard and I am hoping to raise enough money to replace the plumbing in my house since Farmers Home Insurance and American Home Shield (secondary home warranty coverage) will not cover the expenses to replace the old cast iron pipes, damaged wood flooring and outdated leaking water heater. Their response to my request for home warranty coverage was denied because the issues were pre-existing and not covered under my current warranty/insurance plans. My wife and I purchased our home after I returned from my third deployment and reassignment to the Sacramento area in May 2014. Our home was deemed move-in ready which is a requirement for all VA home loans. However, it only took 18 months for us to experience a total loss of plumbing.

As a result of Farmers Home Insurance and American Home Shield ignorance to help their customer, my family has been reduced to using a standalone potty chair for a toilet and limited showers due to water leaking under the house from a rusty pipe. The master bathroom is off limits because the water from the toilet and shower do not drain properly; this issue causes water and waste from the toilet to be backed up into the shower. The common bathroom toilet had a faulty wax ring that allowed toilet water to seep out and caused extensive damage to the floor and surrounding wall and cabinet. We stopped using this toilet approximately four-five months ago and had everyone use the master bathroom up until three weeks ago when that toilet finally went out. The common shower has a hole in the pipe that allows water to leak directly under the house. The only good news story that I can report right now is that we have a direct pipe to the household sewer line that we can use to dispose of our urine and human waste. My children have learned to dump their waste during the day and if needed we drive to local restaurants and stores to use their latrines (bathrooms) in the evening. Showers are spread out over the week and limited to five minutes which is difficult with teenagers.

I currently have 10 people living in my home, including myself. My family consists of my spouse, Cat and our children Austin, 19, (working two part-time jobs in the hopes of moving out in a couple of months), Hannah, 17 (teen mother working part-time after school to provide for her daughter, Brooklynn, 6 months), Sydney, 14 and Tron, 9. My extended family consists my mother-in-law, Debby, who is partially disabled and can no longer take care of herself and my niece, Alisha, 21, who is expecting her first child in February. She recently lost her mother (my sister) and needed help with a stable place to live while she attended school and raised her future son. I work full-time for the California Army National Guard and barely make enough money to make ends meet each month with the help of my wife's part-time job as a senior home care assistant. Our older children and niece contribute money/food towards our monthly bills as well. We recently took out a debt consolidation loan to pay off our credit cards and reduce the overall interest rate. However, we do not have the money to pay for such a large project ourselves.

We recently received a quote for $35,000.00 to replace all the old pipes, water heater, flooring and water damaged walls and cabinets. The money raised through our GoFundMe account will be used to pay for all cost associated with replacing our plumbing, water heater and structural damage. Your generosity will help my family during our time of need and alleviate the stress caused by our current situation. It is hard to place a deadline on how soon we need the funds but sooner rather than later is greatly appreciated. If there was a way to raise enough money to have this massive project completed by Christmas, then that is all I could ask for. We don't need shiny and expensive gadgets for Christmas this year, just working toilets and showers. I have battled this dilemma long enough and know that I need a little help. The stress it causes me can be felt by my children and has strained my relationship with my wife. We tried several avenues to fix the issues as they came up but did not have the money to pay for the costs. The issues kept compounded over time and increased the total cost of the project.

I am only asking for $20,000 to help off-set the cost of the bill and will use our credit cards to fund the remainder of the balance. It is too hard to ask for the entire project to be paid off and will gladly accept any donation even if we do not meet our stated goal. Your consideration and donations are greatly appreciated.