INSURING YOUR PROJECT .....

[Jon W. Lundberg, Sr.]

If you care to have the result of your restoration project adequately insured, it is CRITICAL that you thoroughly DOCUMENT THE PROCESS.  Ideally that means with clear, color digital photographs and a parallel journal or logbook.  Above and beyond that it helps create a marvelous story to share with others, such is critical to proper valuation of what you create.  Why?  

Because the very few insurors who will write an Agreed Value policy on your trailer want both the build and result verified by a credentialed appraisal.  And besides stripping the skin off your trailer, it's the only means practically available for what's beneath it to be verified.  Lacking such evidence, your valuation will suffer.  It's that simple.

So be sure when you pay good money for a restoration (by yourself or any other person) you specify that documentation is non-negotiable and mission critical.  Please.

Jon Lundberg

(aka DSRTDWELR)

[Lakota Wolf]

Thats true and great advice,, Pictures will say a thousand words.

[John "T" Nordhoff]

  Its been my experience that anytime you talk to an insurance agent and your vehicle etc is different or unusual or vintage or part home made or restored or ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY they get real nervous and may quote a price wayyyyyyyyyyyy above normal, its just in their DNA lol. As an Attorney I would say Its always good to have pictures and receipts and evidence and all sorts of proof relative to an items "value" but regardless what an agent or anyone tells you "insurance law" is strictly construed as "contract law" i.e. its whats (or whats NOT) in the written insurance contract that matters regardless how many pictures etc you may have READ THE CONTRACT.

 John T  Country Lawyer 

[Jon W. Lundberg, Sr.]

I wholeheartedly agree with your point as concerns the necessity of obtaining, reading and coming to fully understand one's insurance contract.  Because that's what it is - a contract. And most folks don't realize that until "life" happens to what they either own or have created.

My particular background is collector and specialty vehicles. None of the specialty vehicle insurors will cover a travel trailer being towed.  And most mainline insurors will only write "Stated Value" policies for travel trailers.  Research into canned ham trailer insurance has uncovered but one agency that has access to "Agreed Value" coverage and they have a quite rigid discipline under which they must operate so as to broker such coverage.

Well said and sage advice from John T.  Due diligence in all things.

Jon L - Appraiser