‘Incredible response:’ Danvers veteran close to losing home is receiving help from local businesses
Gary Ferguson had to fight back tears Monday as crews began unloading building supplies in his backyard.
“I actually had to walk away for a little while. I got choked up. It was unbelievable,” Ferguson said.
Several companies offered to repair Ferguson’s house at a discounted rate after Boston 25 reported the Gulf War veteran was on the brink of losing his Danvers home after a battle with his insurance company over a cracked foundation.
“I can’t even express my gratitude towards these companies,” Ferguson said from his backyard Tuesday. “It’s incredible. It’s an incredible response.”
The problems began in October. Ferguson said he bought his Orchard Ln. home for his wife and two children in Mar. 2022. Last fall, Ferguson noticed large cracks in the concrete behind his garage. He filed a claim with his insurance company to repair the wall and foundation. The company denied the claim and dropped Ferguson as a customer in December. His provider said foundation damage wasn’t covered under the terms of his policy and according to a notice of non-renewal, his policy was not being renewed because the home “does not meet underwriting criteria due to the condition of the foundation under the garage.”
Ferguson couldn’t afford to fix the foundation himself. In January, he said he’d contacted 83 licensed insurance companies in Massachusetts and couldn’t get coverage from any of them. Ferguson said force-place homeowner’s insurance from his mortgage lender was going to cost him between $5,000 and $7,000 a year, which would increase his mortgage by $500 to $600 a month.
“The stress of this whole thing, no family should have to go through this stress,” Ferguson said.
After our report aired Jan. 11, several companies stepped up to help. Atlas Systems of New England and Earth Contact Products in Kansas City offered to fix Gary’s foundation at a drastically reduced rate, with free labor and donated supplies.
“Gary is a veteran, a good Navy man just like my dad, so it just kind of all went together,” said Brandon Walter with ECP.
“It just needed to be fixed to help save his home,” Atlas Systems’ Andrew Geisser said.
The foundation repair began Monday and involved four resistance piers and three helical tiebacks to hold the wall in place. Once the work is completed, a building inspector will sign off and Ferguson said he should be able to get homeowner’s insurance again.
“I’ve reached out to my insurance agent—my new insurance agent—and they’re basically saying we should be okay,” Ferguson said. “The response [from] the public, just seeing your story, was everything.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
