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Military move damage... dining table - brax71 - 08-05-2019
Super-short summary question:
How can I monetarily value a hand-made dining table which was damaged in a move?
Long-winded background explanation:
I just received my household goods shipment for my Air Force retirement move (stealth gloat) home to Tampa. Unfortunately, the movers mucked up the dining table I made for my wife a few years back. It's probably repairable, but I'm not sure whether it'll ever be as solid or as nice as before.
Our personal property is protected at "full replacement value," but I have no idea how to come up with that value. The materials cost for the wood, glue, and finish would only be a couple hundred bucks, but there are dozens of man-hours of labor (maybe more) in the project, and by-gum, my family values the piece pretty highly.
The top measures 77x44 inches (building it myself, I got to use oddball dimensions) & I built it out of SYP with the intent of using it as a prototype for an eventual walnut re-make... To my surprise the SYP one really made the wife happy, so the walnut one never got made. Crummy pic from years ago attached.
Looking online, there are similar examples in hardwoods that are "extremely" expensive. At the other end of the spectrum is the Ikea stuff... I'm at a loss. I've read lots of threads about pricing work for sale, but this seems like a different situation.
Can you suggest a reasonable method to come up with a dollar-value?
Andy
[attachment=19856]
RE: Military move damage... dining table - mr_skittle - 08-05-2019
Here's an idea, call around to some custom builders and get a quote for a similar table. Don't be modest. That's a beautiful table that's worth a lot.
We've got some friends that are a Navy family and they've moved quite a few times over the last 15 years and shipped everything through the Navy. Only on the last move did they have any trouble. They had the movers put a bunch of the stuff in storage for a few months and when they finally had it shipped, it arrived all moldy. I think they salvaged most of the big stuff but still lost plenty. Too bad too, there was some really beautiful furniture from Hawaii in it.
RE: Military move damage... dining table - BobW - 08-05-2019
You could get an estimate from a professional to repair it. If the mover or insurer pays full replacement value, they will own the damaged piece. They may or may not bother to take it.
RE: Military move damage... dining table - BrokenOlMarine - 08-05-2019
Ask the builders the cost to build a replacement...
You have replacement insurance.
I bet I moved a dozen times in the Corps, and after damage and thefts, I finally moved myself as much as possible.
The moves to and from Hawaii were the worst.
RE: Military move damage... dining table - EightFingers - 08-06-2019
Another thing. What if you have a house full of furniture you built and the house burns down? You wouldn’t have receipts, so how do you prove value in a claim?
RE: Military move damage... dining table - barryvabeach - 08-06-2019
Andy, have you looked online at vendors like Pottery Barn - I know there are others, but I can think of some right now. While this table says it is of hardwood, they don't say what type, so I doubt that added much to the cost of the table. https://www.potterybarn.com/products/benchwright-dining-table-gray-wash/?pkey=csquare-rectangular-tables&isx=0.0.2300
RE: Military move damage... dining table - R Clark - 08-06-2019
Been there, done that, got the big t-shirt, and several of them. One of my first woodworking pieces was a harvest table that the movers destroyed when moving away from Langley AFB.
Go out and price a replacement table of same/similar size and similar build. Present that as the replacement cost.
You can also have a fix estimated, if you want to claim the cost for the fix. Since you built it, I'd ask for replacement, and then after the claim is settled, you can figure out how you want to proceed.
The worst damage ever incurred in one of my moves was to a custom built grandfather clock we got in the Black Forest of Germany. We special ordered a crate for it when we ordered it in hopes of preventing move damage. Those a**hats in the warehouse in New Jersey managed to run a forklift through that crate, breaking the clock into 7 different pieces. We got a real clock guy to come look at it, and I think just seeing it broke his heart. He looked at it for a bit. He said he knew a retired expert who would come out of retirement specifically to fix that clock. And he did. I thought the cost of that repair was very reasonable at $800 back in 1991.
Good luck.
RE: Military move damage... dining table - brax71 - 08-06-2019
Thanks all... the encouragement is definitely helpful. I'll surf around and try to find something comparable. I'm reluctant to hit up custom builders -- I'm sure "building time" makes them more money than paid "estimating" time.
Will definitely be seeking replacement cost, not repair. If they want to come get the table it might just be the motivation I've needed to build the walnut version.
RE: Military move damage... dining table - daddo - 08-06-2019
$1,800.00
...
RE: Military move damage... dining table - John Mihich - 08-06-2019
Like others said - get a pro to give an estimate. Factory made is not the same IMO as to cost. Of course anything made of wood can be repaired. In case of pine if the some wood is replaced it is very difficult to match since pine darkens with age.
I know I would repair it. Yes it is damaged but you made it for your wife. I find that extremely difficult to throw out or not repair.