Rebuild scope typical
- Drywall replacement
- Insulation replacement (batt or blown)
- Flooring reinstallation
- Cabinet reinstallation (or replacement if damaged)
- Paint and finish work
- Trim and baseboard
- Fixture reinstallation
- HVAC component reassembly (if removed)
Mold sublimit vs. full coverage
Typically subject to mold sublimit
- Mold-specific antimicrobial treatment
- Post-remediation verification testing
- Encapsulation of framing
Typically full coverage (as water-damage or structural replacement)
- Drywall replacement (caused by water tear-out, not mold)
- Insulation replacement
- Flooring (damaged by water or contaminated by mold but scope is water-loss)
- Cabinetry (water-damage scope)
- Paint and finish (restoration to pre-loss condition)
How to structure the scope
Every rebuild line item attributed:
- Water damage scope (full limits)
- Mold-specific scope (sublimit)
- Structural replacement (full limits)
Avoid lumping rebuild under "mold": that would hit the sublimit unnecessarily.
Common carrier pushback
- Lump rebuild under mold cap ($10K swallows most of the work)
- Pay only "restoration to pre-loss condition" without matching
- Deny matching-statute application to rebuild
- Omit code-upgrade coverage on replacement
Policyholder strategy
- Separate scope in submission
- Cite water-event as cause (covered peril)
- Apply matching statute where materials discontinued
- Invoke law-and-ordinance for code triggers