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Water Damage Due to Contractor Error

My contractor was adding a second story to my home. After taking off the roof, the contractor improperly secured the tarp on the house before a major rainstorm and the result was that my entire house was waterlogged (all dry wall was soaked) and my custom made 3/4" solid oak with mahogany inlay floors were destroyed. The contractor wants to take care of this rather than involve his insurance but by my estimates the cost to repair could be 30%-50% of what we contracted for the remodel. The contractor is already making judgment calls about which walls to completely tear out the drywall and which to save...but when I recently tested some of the walls the contractor recommended we leave in place they had moisture levels of 100%. Though I wanted to let the contractor take care of it, I am thinking that we need to have his insurance company pay us for the damages and then I can pay him a proper amount to fix the damage rather than leave the contractor in a position where he needs to cut corners to be whole on this project. What is your opinion? Should we get insurance involved?

How much would it cost to install hardwood floors?

I have approximately 1600 sq. feet. Currently there is stained concrete floors. How much would it cost to install hardwood floors?

Replacing Bathroom Tiles in Old Victorian House

I am remodeling a second floor bathroom in an Victorian house est 1030's. The bathroom tile was put on with cement blobs about 2 inches thick behind it. It almost looks like cement patties because there are gaps in each corner of the tile corners of the old 4x4 tiles. My guess is that the cement was used to build out the tiles to fit the tub area. now I am retiling the bath and I see behind the tiles this matrix of cement blobs do I close up the holes /gaps with more cement or leave it as it is, I am replacing it with the same size 4x4 squares although today's tiles are thinner. My fear is that the grout may crack since the new tiles are thinner and mold and mildew will be more likely to form over time. Or put a cement board on top of that which will make the wall tile come out farther into the tub area? Is it possible to close up the gap with more cement or mastic to make no holes in the wall behind it?

Adding a Sink in the Basement

I would like to add a kitchen to the basement. The basement is finished and has an existing bathroom. The water from the basement bathroom is pumped to the septic tank by a sump pump. How hard would it be to put in a sink for the kitchen? What level of effort are we looking at? Should we call a contractor in?

Where do I begin with a possible foundation problem?

I live in a row home I have a crack in the outside brick that runs from the top of my roof to the top of my garage about 6 ft long the back room in my home now has cracks in it where I can see the cement, and mesh that is supposed to be under the drywall I'm sure this is a foundation issue but I don't want to leave my home I just want to get it fixed. My homeowners insurance policy does not cover structural damage. What steps should I take first? I'm afraid to call somebody because I don't want to move, I just want to fix it. Where do I begin?

Slab Repair

I live in Gilbert Arizona my problem is this: inside at the rear of the house where the slab butts against the stem wall the slab has raised about 3/4 to 1 inch up. this is the only area in the house that it has happened. What course of action can be taken to correct this problem?

Air Condition Flow

We have an almost square house. Toward the garage are 2 bedrooms, 1 bath and laundry room. They are probably 15 degrees colder when the A/C is on. Meanwhile, the master bed and bath and the kitchen and living room are very warm. Help, we have tried closing vents, (still cold) stuffing towels in the vents to partially block...nothing seems to work. The house is 10 yrs old.