Well...

I spoke with the insurance adjuster today, and they didn't receive the fax from the plumbers yet, but did receive the information from the Well guys. Here is the issue: Between the well, which was put in in 1973, and the house there is a road (with a bridge) and a usually dry creek. There is about 100 yards of lawn between the house and the road, which is probably where the break in the well line occurred, but the well guy is anticipating that the break is under the road.  The problem that I see is that the line doesn't just cross the road, it crosses the creek. It has to, unless it is embedded in the bridge, which doesn't seem likely. There are no records from the town or the company that drilled the well and installed the line in 1973 as to where the line goes, so nobody knows how it crosses the creek. The well guy said that he doubts that they dug the line under the creek, because they would have to go down about 14' to do that, but I can see no way that they could have run this line without going under the creek - unless it is inside the bridge. In any case, if they have to trace the line back from the house to the well to fix it, it will cost about $13,000, not including the road repair in the spring. The well guy gave me three scenarios; 1) the break is in under the lawn, in which case the cost would run about $3,000; 2) they have to dig up the road, in which case the costs would be about $13,000; 3) they drill a new well, in which case the cost would be about $10,000. When I spoke to the insurance adjuster, she had had a meeting with her supervisor to "decide" what to do to get this done - already agreeing that it is covered by my policy. I'm really concerned that the only thing they will be willing to cover is the digging up of my yard, which is the cheapest but might not get the job done, and then I will have to cover the cost of the new well myself.  I can do it - I have a home equity line of credit which will cover the costs, however, it is supposedly covered as the line broke due to the failure inside the house. But the more time that goes by before they "decide" which they will cover the longer I have to haul buckets of water for everything. i'm really tired of hauling buckets, boiling water, and waiting while more and more snow covers everything up so that it makes it harder. I've never been through anything this major before, and I'm confused, tired, and want it done with!  In the spring, provided that I have enough equity line left, I have some improvements that I want to make in order to have this house better. Those plans include opening up some of the walls, insulating the ceiling and making a proper ceiling out of it, placing some ceiling fans with lights into the open area to push the heat down during the winter, and having a bathtub put in to replace the shower stall I currently have (which opening up the area will create space for).  If I have to spend the $10,000 to get the new well drilled, I'll still have enough, however, it will be a near thing. If I max out on the equity line prior to finding a job to ensure repayment of that line I'll be much worse off than I am now, and I'm already in hell here. However, those improvements will create a much better living environment, but also raise the value of the house so I have a better chance of selling it, should that be the option I choose that option.