Here is how my morning has went. At three thirty, I got the call. The night watchman said he saw smoke coming from the eaves and called right after he called the fire department.
By the time the volunteer fire department got there, the entire center portion was engulfed. It spread out over the Master suite and then down...the center portion is built on a concrete slab, so it's a total loss. 
This is the view I got as soon as it was light enough to take a photo. This is about five thirty am.
This is when they were cleaning up. There are hotspots all over the place, but it was a multi alarm fire, so that's why these guys were packing up
If you have noticed, some of the photos are really huge and others aren't. The huge ones are from my digital camera and the others are from my camera on my phone. The digital camera posted in something other than Jpg, so I had to convert them. It made them huge.
If you click on the photo and then, toggle with CTRL and your plus or minus button, you will get it to fit the screen fine.
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This is an aerial shot I got as I was leaving to go back to New York City to get my paperwork for the insurance company and the fire people. There were still hot spots all over the place.
This is the maintenance garage to the left an the house garage to the right.
If you look on the aerial shot, you can see where this is located by the roof cupola. If you look at the roof in the blown up version, you can see the roof lights and the detail of the roof.
Yes, those roofing shingles are aluminum.They look like slate and are supposed to have a fifty year warranty, however, they melt and tear away with the force of a fire hose.
This is where the gallery and den is. As you can see, it's a total loss. The garages are to the sides. The garage to the left is for every day driven vehicles and to the right is for vehicles in my collection. Yes, to the observant, there are garages for over thirty cars. I collect cars and trucks, so that's the reason for all the garages.I'll put the cars on here at some other time.
This is the front of the house which looks out onto the bay. The bay is a ways away, but the front yard is that large. In the foreground, you see concrete work for the moat. The front courtyard is where the vehicles are parked. Behind the truck is where the moat is...It's not too deep there, but it makes it look deep if there's water.
This is what it looks like landscaped. I did the landscaping and had the moat filled in this portion so the workers would know what we were going for as far as a look. If you do that in the process of building, you see workers suddenly take an interest in their job a lot more.
Below, the top photo is the same window while the moat was being constructed. It gives a sense of perspective.
The second photo down is the tower window. That room is going to be my office where I will be writing. The photo to the right of it is part of the pallisade.
The photo on down is another part of the pallisade which is enclosed.
To the right of it is the waterfall. It keeps the water moving and aerated so the fish stay alive. Yes, there will be fish in the moat.
The bottom photo is the gallery/den. It's probably the room I had the most apprehensions about due to the amount of light coming in. It's now a total loss.
This is the rear of the house. If you notice, the round things have concrete around them. This is the moat. Over to the right, you see the bridge.
That's how you get to the inner perimeter and the garages.
If you saw how it looked when I got it versus this photo, you'd swear it wasn't even the same house. Well, here's a photo (ground view).
Here is an aerial shot of the house as I bought it..from the rear.
The house I bought was infested with roaches. I could go on and on about that, but it had to be burned in order for it to be razed. The fire department wouldn't even let me tear it down due to the amount of bugs in it.
Below is a shot of the stables. If you look on the aerial shot up above where the house is burned, you can see a portion of the stables in the upper right hand corner.
To the left, you'll see the "activities building" where the tennis court is located and the new swimming pool. Yeah, I've got a moat and a swimming pool! (The swimming pool in the shot of the old house isn't there anymore.)
Below is a view of the stables further away.
Activities building below showing the indoor tennis court. In New York, you need an indoor tennis court if you're serious about the game. If not, the freezing and thawing will mess one up real fast.
It was this way when I bought it...notice the moss on the wall in the back...it stunk, and really was a mess. I've gotten it cleaned up and now, it's got a new coat of paint.
The adjuster from GEICO got there rather fast. I went over to him when he arrived, and as soon as he saw it, he asked, "Oh my God! How much is it insured for?" That should tell you the shock. He had a computer print out in his vehicle telling him everything about the estate's insurance.
The question about insurance seems to be the question everyone asks me right now. The second question is sort of like they're thinking it was for the insurance money. They want to know if I'm going to rebuild. All I tell them is "Of course."
My emotions today have been like a fuckin' rollercoaster. In my adult life, I've never had a house fire. All I can remember is when we were kids and our house burned. My sister died in that one, but no one was hurt in this one.
The fire department said it was hard to fight because of it being under construction and the moat catching the water. They got it put out, but it took FOREVER.
Right now, I'm just a mess. I've cried, I've wondered if it was an accident, and I've wondered if it was intentional.
All I can say is they were installing surveillance and wiring in the roof lights in that section of the house yesterday. (If you look at some of the pictures, you can see the roof lights on the roof.)
They didn't tie into the main house's electrical because that was a part of the security, so I don't know what happened...or if that was even what caused it. What I do know is all the electrical has to be in conduit (metal tubing) per New York fire code, so it shouldn't've been the cause. .
They didn't tie into the main house's electrical because that was a part of the security, so I don't know what happened...or if that was even what caused it. What I do know is all the electrical has to be in conduit (metal tubing) per New York fire code, so it shouldn't've been the cause. .
Since I started this blog post, the adjuster called. They're bringing in Kodak to study the fire department's cameras to see if they can help pinpoint where it started. Hopefully, that will help.
He DID say he's declaring it a total loss and they'd have me a check within the week. Now I've got to call the construction company and see if they'll tear down and start over. Hopefully, they can save a lot of everything.
Lastly, before anyone mentions me getting a check within the week and everyone else not...please understand I know that's not the norm. Please understand they probably felt they needed to get me a check due to my owning fifteen percent of their company. I imagine that's why I got treated with preference.
Another note, what you see in damage isn't a "total loss" as they state. NO HOUSE is a total loss no matter how bad damage is to it. I've never seen one yet (except for a mobile home or manufactured house) due to there being a basement or concrete work left.
Lastly, before anyone mentions me getting a check within the week and everyone else not...please understand I know that's not the norm. Please understand they probably felt they needed to get me a check due to my owning fifteen percent of their company. I imagine that's why I got treated with preference.
Another note, what you see in damage isn't a "total loss" as they state. NO HOUSE is a total loss no matter how bad damage is to it. I've never seen one yet (except for a mobile home or manufactured house) due to there being a basement or concrete work left.
Well, that's how today's gone so far.
Rhette
