Insurance for chimney removal (by myself)

JakubJakub

Hi, 
I'm planning on removing chimney breasts by myself. Building control , engineers, etc all involved. I am a competent person (as in I'm able to do it, having already removed load bearing walls in my house, etc; not that I'm on any scheme).
Is there any insurance I can take out for the works ? I tried searching for renovation insurances, but they redirect you to normal insurance and ask about your locks; tried searching for self build insurance but they assume you build a whole house. 
Anyone had any luck finding a right insurance for a job like this ?
Thanks
J

Section62

JakubJakub said:

Hi, 
I'm planning on removing chimney breasts by myself. Building control , engineers, etc all involved. I am a competent person (as in I'm able to do it, having already removed load bearing walls in my house, etc; not that I'm on any scheme).
Is there any insurance I can take out for the works ? I tried searching for renovation insurances, but they redirect you to normal insurance and ask about your locks; tried searching for self build insurance but they assume you build a whole house. 
Anyone had any luck finding a right insurance for a job like this ?

What kind of risks are you wanting to insure against?

If it isn't already covered by your home insurance policy (and there's a good chance it won't be) then I think it is doubtful you'll find anything which protects you against damage to the building or injury to yourself - policies are typically intended for traders/professionals in respect of liabilities to third-parties.

The question is going to be how any underwriter could assess the risk based on your undocumented competence - and arguably the fact you feel there is a need to insure yourself against your own work (if that is what you are aiming to do) might lead to the conclusion you don't have confidence in your own abilities. Catch 22.

grumbler

I don't see any serious risks when removing chimney breasts - assuming that you do this from the top down an the chimney is already removed.

Removing the chimney itself is the most risky part.

JakubJakub

What kind of risks are you wanting to insure against?

If it isn't already covered by your home insurance policy (and there's a good chance it won't be) then I think it is doubtful you'll find anything which protects you against damage to the building or injury to yourself - policies are typically intended for traders/professionals in respect of liabilities to third-parties.

The question is going to be how any underwriter could assess the risk based on your undocumented competence - and arguably the fact you feel there is a need to insure yourself against your own work (if that is what you are aiming to do) might lead to the conclusion you don't have confidence in your own abilities. Catch 22.

Well, if me trying to get insurance leads to conclusion that I don't have confidence in my abilities, why would there be an insurance for trade/professionals ? Shouldn't they be even more sure of their abilities ?  One would think you should only hire trades people without insurance then!  

I wanted to get insurance just to get peace of mind. As there's a bit of power tools (or hammer and chisel) might get a crack in neighbour's wall (from vibrations) , chimney stack falling through the roof or something like that

Chimney stack stays, supported on a beam in a loft.

stuart45

Have you spoken to your insurance company about cover as an add on to your policy?

Section62

JakubJakub said:

Well, if me trying to get insurance leads to conclusion that I don't have confidence in my abilities, why would there be an insurance for trade/professionals ? Shouldn't they be even more sure of their abilities ?  One would think you should only hire trades people without insurance then!  

I appreciate there's a wink involved there, but in a sense that is correct, legalities excepted.  If a contractor has sufficient assets to be able to pay any claim made against them, and sufficient confidence in their ability they are willing to take on the risk, they may indeed be the best contractor for the job.

There are many organisations that self-insure at least part of their activity on the basis they can absorb the cost of claims, and believe they can manage the level of risk.

The reality though is that most traders don't have the assets necessary to cover potential claims, and more importantly, customers would need to have a lot of confidence that the trader/contractor would pay out rather than disolving the company... so as a rule most homeowners etc would seek to employ a trader/contractor with an approriate level of cover backed by a reputable insurer.

JakubJakub said:

I wanted to get insurance just to get peace of mind. As there's a bit of power tools (or hammer and chisel) might get a crack in neighbour's wall (from vibrations) , chimney stack falling through the roof or something like that

Chimney stack stays, supported on a beam in a loft.

I think you may struggle to find suitable cover then, but it might be worth speaking to some brokers to see what they say.

The level of risk goes far beyond knocking a nail through a water pipe, or sticking a foot through the ceiling, which is what most domestic/DIY policies would normally deal with.

Ultimately you may be better off spending extra time going through the potential risks and planning mitigation. There's often simple things that can be done (e.g. making sure no cars are parked on the driveway(s)) that can minimise the potential for damage if things do go wrong. Speaking to your neighbours is key - and for example suggesting they might want to remove fragile items hanging on the walls or on wall-mounted shelves while you are doing the more risky work.

Apodemus

An interesting question, which raises a much wider question on the extent to which normal house insurance might cover for unforeseen consequences from DIY maintenance.

FaceHead

My home insurance covers DIY mistakes. I'd suggest you have a read of yours and see what you are already covered for. 

In the case of mine, it's clearly intended for when you're doing significant jobs, e.g. falling through a ceiling when replacing a floor, rather than drilling through a water pipe when putting a new smoke alarm up.

Given the building control involvement, on my policy wording, they might try to argue it's not DIY due to building control involvement etc. I'd argue that you are indeed doing it yourself.

If not as standard, you might find the cover in an accidental damage optional extra. Consider this cause in policy expert's accidental damage extra:

"loss or damage as a result of any alterations, extensions, renovations or repairs to the buildings"

That will do you. I'd expect there will naturally be the exception somewhere else in the policy that it's not covered if you or a tradesman are negligent, or if you can recover the cost from a tradesman. 

Bendy_House

As you say, I doubt they'd cover 'negligence'. If the stack came down, flattening half your house, because you didn't prop it properly or the beam wasn't installed correctly, then I suspect they'd only cover any damage caused to the neighbouring house.

Because, if the stack were to come down, it would surely only be due to the correct procedure having not been followed - ie 'negligence'?

Will it cover the quite-possible light/cosmetic damage to the neighbouring house's walls? That's a toughie too. I think the first thing they'd ask is why the 'builder' isn't offering to sort this. And when you explain you DIYed it, then, good luck...

Another_Level

Have had a few chimney breasts removed by a specialist company, they offer a turn key service although its expensive but worth it as it eventually work's out free 

Doubt normal home insurance would cover diy major works, have a look at short term project self build/refurbishment insurance. Consider getting personal injury and legal expense aswell. Best to be covered during the short term project.

Ask your existing home insurance company, by email or letter

Good luck with the project, welcome to the world of dust everywhere 

Bendy_House

Another_Level said:

Have had a few chimney breasts removed by a specialist company, they offer a turn key service although its expensive but worth it as it eventually work's out free 

Curious! How?