Protecting what matters the most

In February 2020, unusual winter weather conditions caused significant damage to three of five commercial suites we own. All suites are individual buildings on the same plot of land, each with separate slabs and utilities. Due to power outages and below-freezing temperatures, we experienced copper pipe failure in every suite. The buildings, all being dental suites at one time or another, each had water lines installed in the attic spaces spanning the length of the buildings. These water lines were installed above the blown-in insulation levels and not thermally insulated or wrapped. The water damage from the top down was extensive, and 98% of the sheetrock, insulation, and ductwork was rendered unsalvageable. The ceilings burst due to the weight of the water and wet installation. Water covered the floors in each building, saturating them, and all flooring was deemed unsalvageable. It was a total loss for us and our tenants. Being the property manager, I was now responsible for a project that neared half a million dollars and was totally out of my scope of expertise.

After the remediation company had done their work, to say I was overwhelmed by the state of the buildings would be an understatement. I interviewed three general contracting firms, including the company that performed the remediation/water extraction. All very experienced, each having at least 20 years of history in their field. My final interview was with Sergio from SLM. Sergio was referred to me by a colleague who had experience with his work. His professionalism, demeanor, appearance, and compassion set him miles apart from his competition. Sergio could see that I was in over my head, apprehensive and ignorant of the insurance and construction businesses. When the other contractors came in, took notes, and said, "yeah, we can handle it," Sergio gave me a wealth of critical information to begin the dialog with my insurance adjuster. Sergio walked me through what to expect in the initial stages of the claim and left me some resources to review to help me better understand the overall process. I left our first exchange saying to myself, "it's going to be ok... I can do this!'

It only took SLM a couple of days to provide me with a scope of work, and Sergio was very responsive to all of my redundant questions. In each of our many conversations, he never seemed agitated by my lack of understanding and confirmed I understood and was satisfied with his responses. When our insurance adjustor reviewed all three of SLM's estimates, he agreed and was pleased with what SLM had submitted for each of the suites. There was never any back and forth between SLM and our adjuster on price or scope of work. Everything was within spec and fair, with no bloated estimates.

Work commenced promptly and efficiently as funds were made available by our insurance company. I was impressed by the quality of the work done by the subcontractors. Anyone who has had to replace infrastructure down to the studs knows you will find unforeseen issues. Rather than ignoring the hidden issues or turning them into emergencies, Sergio helped me to address and navigate each of them solidly and cost-effectively. We did have some setbacks with the City of Rockwall, but because of the weather and the fact that Rockwall was declared a disaster area, I am sure the city had more than its fair share of problems to address.

Our organization made it to the other side of this disaster, and we could not be more grateful to SLM General Contractors. They walked with us through this, educated us on managing such a massive project, and provided excellent work at a fair price. Sergio is an honest contractor, who uses quality subcontractors, is knowledgeable in the insurance world, and is committed to getting the job done correctly and promptly.