Support Brandon and his American Nightmare rebuild

Hi, my name is Brandon, and I am a new homeowner. I decided it was my time to invest and start my American Dream; however, it has quickly become a nightmare. I bought my first house in June of 2023 and started to make it my home after I moved my cats, Pegs and Carlton, and my belongings in. I started to invest in the house by having electrical upgrades done as well as plaster repair done on the older ceilings and walls. If I had known before buying that there was a disaster lurking in my basement, I may have never bought the house. If I had known after buying the house, I would have started my investment work there; however, I did not know that less than a year into owning my own home that dream would collapse.

While I was playing hockey at the BLPA Dex in Omaha, my sister, Jen, went to take care of my cats on Sunday, March 10, only to discover that the back foundation wall of my house had spontaneously collapsed, caving into the basement, hitting my hot water tank which caused a water leak as well as cracking support beams, destroying my sewer line and hitting my chimney. My sister had to cut off all the utilities to my house while rescuing my cats in case the house collapsed before I came home to inspect it.

After my initial shock, I contacted my insurance agency which sent adjustors and structural engineers out to inspect. My insurance covered relocation costs so thankfully I have been staying somewhere safe with my fur babies while we figure out the next steps. The insurance also paid for a foundation company to secure the support beams and secure the outside of the house while further investigations could occur. To my horror, the structural engineer reported that they believed this collapse was related to ‘uncovered causes’ in my policy, and they are refusing to assist me in the repair and rebuild of my foundation, supports, and utilities. They have given me until May 27 for housing, and then I will be homeless.

I worked with a public adjustor and hired a private structural engineer to conduct an investigation into the cause and determine if the insurance policy was worthless, and unfortunately, they agreed with the insurance report. This means that I am now responsible for removing the debris, rebuilding and repairing my home’s foundation, and fixing all the plumbing and utilities before May 27.

We found a reputable company through a good friend who is taking on much of the work for a discounted rate; however, the bill is going to be over $30,000 which is not even taking into account the plumbing work that needs to be completed.

My family is assisting me with a loan to cover some of the costs; however, I want to try to minimize the cost for them and myself as much as possible. Since I can’t rely on the insurance I paid into, I am pleading for the support of people I know and people who may understand this type of desperate situation and choose to help me.

Money will go towards repair costs of my basement, foundation, plumbing, relocation to the house, and to any repayments of loans given to me by my family.

Any amount, big or small, helps towards the cause and I appreciate you even reading this.