I had something similar happen with our fence a couple years back. Inspector called it "non-standard construction," which sounded ominous at first, but turned out to just mean the previous owner had used some creative (but sturdy!) bracing methods instead of standard fence posts. Insurance company wasn't thrilled and wanted it rebuilt, but we got a structural engineer to take a look. He confirmed it was perfectly safe and wrote up a quick report for us. Sent that over to insurance, and after some back-and-forth emails, they finally accepted it.
Honestly, dealing with the engineer was way less hassle than tearing down and rebuilding would've been. Plus, now I know exactly what's holding my fence together—no more mystery DIY surprises lurking around the yard...
I ran into something similar after a big windstorm knocked down part of our garage roof. Insurance initially balked at covering repairs because the previous owner had reinforced the beams with unconventional brackets—solid, but definitely not what you'd find in a hardware store. Like you, we ended up bringing in a structural engineer who confirmed everything was structurally sound.
"Honestly, dealing with the engineer was way less hassle than tearing down and rebuilding would've been."
Totally agree there. Sometimes insurers get hung up on technicalities, but an expert opinion can really smooth things over. Glad yours worked out too.
Had a similar issue when our basement flooded. Insurance initially refused coverage because the sump pump wasn't technically "installed to standard." It was an older setup, totally functional but not exactly textbook. Ended up getting a plumber's written opinion to confirm it was adequate and common practice for the home's age. Once insurance saw that, things moved forward smoothly. It's frustrating how insurers can nitpick minor details...but having an expert weigh in definitely helps clear things up faster.
Had something kinda similar happen with our roof after a storm. Insurance tried to dodge coverage because the shingles weren't installed "by the book." Got a roofer to confirm it was standard for older homes around here...annoying how picky they can get, but guess they're just covering themselves.
Ugh, insurance companies and their fine print...had a similar run-in myself a couple years back. A tree branch took out part of our fence, and they tried to deny coverage because the fence was "too old" and "poorly maintained." Like, sorry my fence wasn't ready for a beauty contest, but it was doing its job just fine until the storm decided otherwise. Good call getting that roofer's input though—sometimes you gotta push back a bit to get them to budge. Glad you stuck with it.
