Rip N FlipConstruction LLC · Damage repair & restoration
Call or text301-760-0539 Free Damage Claim Review
Tennessee · Fiber installation damage

Fiber installation damaged your property? The contractor may be responsible.

When underground fiber crews hit a sewer line or tear up a yard, driveway or sprinkler system, the cost of fixing it generally belongs with the company that did the work, not the homeowner. We document the damage, make the repairs, and bill the responsible contractor or their insurer directly.

Free Damage Claim Review Know your rights

No obligation. Requesting a review doesn't commit you to anything.

A horizontal directional drilling rig boring along the grass strip of a residential street, with houses in the background
Directional drilling rig at work on a residential street (stock photo).
No upfront costIn most cases, nothing out of your pocket.
We deal with the contractor and insurerWe bill them for the repair, so you aren't stuck chasing anyone.
Repairs done rightSewer laterals, yards, driveways, irrigation and drainage.
Service area: Tennessee homeowners Free review: call or text 301-760-0539 Background: horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and fiber construction
Know your rights

What contractors and their insurers are expected to do

Fiber is usually installed by horizontal directional drilling, which bores sideways under yards and driveways. The drill can't see what's below. Sewer laterals, the private pipe from your house to the main, often aren't marked, and a bore can go straight through one. That's called a cross-bore.

  • Contractors have to call 811 before they dig

    Tennessee law requires anyone excavating or boring to give notice through Tennessee 811 and get a locate ticket before starting work (Tenn. Code Ann. § 65-31-106).

  • Skipping that step carries real responsibility

    If an excavator didn't follow that notice rule and then damages utility facilities or sewer laterals, the law says they must indemnify the affected facility owner or operator for resulting costs (§ 65-31-112(e)(3)(A)).

  • A valid ticket isn't a free pass

    Even contractors who did get a ticket may still be responsible for damage they cause, depending on the facts. Other civil remedies allowed by law aren't limited by the statute (§ 65-31-112(c)).

  • Many contractors carry liability insurance

    Commercial crews often carry liability coverage for damage to property they work on or near. When they do, that is often where the repair bill ends up.

Colored utility locate flags stuck in a grass strip beside a sidewalk near a street corner
Colored flags and paint near the curb usually mean underground lines were marked for digging or boring nearby.
Warning signs

Signs your sewer line may have been hit

A cross-bore can sit quietly for weeks or months before it starts catching debris and backing up, often long after the crew has left. If any of these started after fiber work near your home, it's worth a camera inspection.

Diagram of a cross-bore: a fiber conduit bored sideways through the sewer lateral that runs from a house to the sewer main under the street
How a cross-bore happens: the drill passes straight through the private sewer line without anyone seeing it.
Slow drainsEspecially tubs and showers on the lowest floor.
BackupsWater or sewage coming up in a floor drain or lower toilet.
GurglingDrains or toilets gurgling when other fixtures run.
Sewage odorInside the house or out in the yard.
Wet or sinking spotsBetween the house and the street, near bore pits.
Surface damageRuts, sunken backfill, cracked driveways, cut sprinkler lines.

Before anyone clears a blocked sewer line

Don't run a snake, auger or root cutter into the line yet. If a gas or power line was bored through the pipe, a cutting tool can hit it. Call 811 or your gas company first, say it's for sewer clearing or a possible cross-bore, and let them check.

Smell gas, hear hissing, or see bubbling water? Leave right away, don't flip switches, and call 911 and your gas company from a safe distance.

An open bore pit dug into a grassy yard, with colored fiber conduits running through it
An open bore pit with fiber conduit. Pits like this are dug along the route and are supposed to be properly backfilled and restored.
Yard & property damage

Not all damage is underground

  • Lawns and landscaping: equipment ruts, dead sod, torn-up beds and shrubs.
  • Bore pits: holes that were backfilled poorly and are now sinking.
  • Driveways and walkways: cracked or heaved concrete, broken pavers.
  • Irrigation: cut sprinkler lines and zones that stopped working.
  • Drainage: crushed yard drains or downspout lines.
Free Damage Claim Review
No cost to you

No cost to you. We bill the responsible contractor or their insurer.

In most cases, homeowners pay nothing out of pocket. We do the repair work ourselves and send our bill to the company responsible for the damage, or to their insurer, with the documentation to back it up.

No upfront fees

The review is free, and we don't ask for a deposit to look at your property.

We handle the back-and-forth

The calls, emails and paperwork with the contractor and their insurer about our repair bill are on us, not you.

No surprises

If anything about your situation could cost you money, we'll tell you in writing before work starts. You decide.

Payment by the responsible contractor or insurer isn't guaranteed, and every situation is different. We'll be straight with you about what we think is likely before you agree to anything.

The claim process

How it works, start to finish

  1. Free claim review

    Send the form or call. Tell us what happened and share photos if you have them.

  2. Inspection

    We visit, document the damage, and camera the sewer line if needed.

  3. Identify the contractor

    We work out which crew was boring at your property and when.

  4. Repair and bill

    We make the repair and bill the responsible contractor or their insurer directly, with our photos, footage and repair records.

  5. Follow-through

    We keep you posted from inspection until our bill is settled.

Think fiber work damaged your property?

Find out where you stand. It costs nothing to ask.

Free Damage Claim Review
Why us

We know how fiber construction works from the inside

Our founder comes from the drilling side of the fiber business. That background means we know where problems tend to happen and what a contractor is expected to fix.

  • We know how HDD crews work. How bores are planned, where locates fall short, and how cross-bores happen.

  • We know how the paperwork flows. Prime contractors, the crews they hire, locate tickets, and who is usually expected to pay for what.

  • We document the way contractors and insurers expect. Dated photos, camera footage, measurements and itemized repair costs.

  • We do the repair ourselves. One company from inspection to finished work.

Where we work

Homeowners across Tennessee whose property was damaged by underground fiber installation.

Your own insurance

For claims under your own homeowner's policy, we can connect you with a licensed public adjuster.

Talk to us directly

Call or text 301-760-0539, or email info@ripnfliptn.com.

Free Damage Claim Review

Tell us what happened

The more detail you can give, the faster we can tell you where you stand. Anything you don't know, leave blank.

Requesting a review is free and doesn't commit you to anything.

Call or text: 301-760-0539
Email: info@ripnfliptn.com
Serving: Tennessee

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One last thing
Questions

Frequently asked questions

How does this work?

You request a free review. We inspect the damage, figure out which contractor was working at your property, and document everything. We then repair the damage and bill the responsible contractor or their insurer directly for our work.

What does it cost me?

In most cases, nothing out of pocket. Our bill goes to the responsible contractor or their insurer. If anything about your situation means you could owe something, we'll tell you in writing before work starts, and it's your decision whether to go ahead.

I already paid a plumber. Can you still help?

Possibly. Keep the invoice, any camera video, and photos of what the plumber found, especially if conduit or cable came out of the line. Tell us about it in the form. We can't promise those costs will be paid back.

How long does it take?

The inspection is usually quick to schedule. After that, timing depends mostly on how fast the contractor or their insurer responds. If you have an active sewer backup, tell us right away so we can talk through what can be done in the meantime.

Do you give legal advice?

No. Rip N Flip is a repair and restoration company: we inspect, document, repair, and bill the responsible party for our work. Nothing on this site is legal advice. If you want legal advice about your situation, you're always free to get it from a qualified professional of your choosing.

Do you handle claims on my own homeowner's insurance?

No. We don't negotiate or settle claims under your own insurance policy, and we don't give advice about your coverage. Our work is repairing fiber-related damage and billing the contractor responsible for it, or that contractor's insurer. For claims under your own homeowner's policy, we can connect you with a licensed public adjuster.

Do I have to sign anything?

Not to get a review. If you choose to have us do the repair, we'll ask you to sign a work authorization so we can work on your property and bill the responsible contractor for that work. We'll go over it with you, and you can take your time reading it.

I don't know who did the work. Is that a problem?

No. Crews working in an area can usually be traced through locate tickets and permit records, and figuring that out is part of what we do.

Don't absorb the cost of someone else's damage.

Request a free review today. No obligation.

Free Damage Claim Review