Thursday, March 30, 2017

Tick Tock…Waiting for the Rebuild to Begin

It’s 3 weeks today since our flood and today was a good day as I received information from my insurance adjuster that the rebuilding process is getting closer!  Woot!

I will say that living in a construction zone can be challenging at times.  Sometimes I’m good, other times I’m overwhelmed by the plywood floors, gaping hole in the ceiling and never ending dust.  Hannah is ready to not need to wear shoes or slippers all the time to avoid getting slivers.  She’s also been a trooper as we’ve tried to look at this as an adventure.  Here she was using one of the industrial fans to dry her nail polish. SmileIMG_1029

There has been some progress made since my last post which I need to look at when living in our home is frustrating.

1.  With Nana’s help Hannah and I were able to go out and order a new couch that should arrive 4-6 weeks.  As much as I wish it were sooner I’m happy it won’t be here for the dust or the rebuilding.  I was excited to upgrade us to a recliner sofa which is something I didn’t think I’d be able to do for a number of years.  Yay!  Here is the sofa we chose and the fabric we I selected.new couch

We need a couch with longevity as we keep furniture for a long time and I want to be able to live in our home without feeling I need to watch everything which is why I chose a darker fabric.  Hannah had hoped for lighter but mama made this decision.IMG_4575

Our old couch that they removed we now refer to as the Big Blue Sponge!!IMG_4497

2.  In the drying process we had one minor situation that happened accidentally.  When the fans were plugged in to dry the basement unfortunately the freezer was unplugged and I didn’t notice this until mid-morning the following day.  Uh no!  IMG_1023

I am thankful to say the company who is handling the cleanup (and will be organizing the rebuild too) were quick to inventory and remove the contents and dropped off a $500 replacement cheque today.  Very thankful for this.

3.  Although there was A LOT of water that passed through our home, very few ‘things’ were damaged beyond repair.  It could have been so much worse should the water have gone anywhere else!  Check out this picture of our (messy) basement.  IMG_1018The water fell in the only open area of the entire basement and not near the piano studio!!!  I’m thankful God allowed the water to run where it did!  In the end only 40 things were removed due to water damage (in addition to the flooring, ceiling, etc.) and I have already been able to replace those items that I need for our day to day lives.  The rest I have up to 2 years to replace or I can accept the depreciated amount should I choose not to replace an item.   This job was made so easy as the cleanup company took a picture of each item and I compiled a cost and approx. date of purchase list.

4.  The water did land in my laundry sorting area as well as on (then in) the washing machine.  All the items that were removed for cleaning were cleaned and returned to our home within 24 hours!  WOW!  I didn’t expect that and was shocked when I went into our home that first Friday to find 2 boxes of our belongings all cleaned!IMG_1030

5. The one part of the house that the insurance company would not cover was the source of the flood which in our case was the toilet.  The plumber I hired came over and quickly determined that both of my toilets had been running high in the tank for a couple of years and I had been none the wiser as my water is part of my common fees and I don’t pay it individually.  You can see from this pic how the water from the tank (that I’d added food colouring to) was leaking into the bowl.  Normally that water would just go down the pipe but when the pipe was clogged the water went up and over the top of the bowl for 10 hours.  He replaced the insides of both toilets as well as the water supply lines.IMG_4507

6. Something this flood has identified now that flooring has been removed is a couple of holes from our second floor that were hidden by the flooring.  Not sure if these should have been here but I’m thankful the builder left them this way as it gave an easy path for the water to take down to the basement and out through the drain.IMG_1028

7.  Our floors in the entire house have squeaked from within weeks of moving into our home 20 years. ago.  This mama is taking advantage of the subfloors being revealed and I’m screwing down all that are visible due the carpet and flooring being removed.  Hannah likes that she gets to jump around and help me ensure all the squeaks are gone!

8.  This one is just for laughs!  Smile  We have a lock box on the front door and for the first week or so people were coming and going every day.  We’d play the game of ‘I wonder who has been in our house today?’ on the way home from work/daycare each day.  One day I asked Hannah if she thought anyone had been there and rather than going down the hall the check she turned around, opened the bathroom door and announced, ‘The seat is up!  The men have been here!’  LOL!!!  Too funny!!!IMG_1020

Although this has been a challenge and not something I would wish on anyone, I am excited to move forward with selecting new flooring, etc. and to have the rebuilding process begin!

2 comments:

  1. I absolutely love your positive attitude. Crazy adventures!

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  2. What an adventure!

    For some reason, I remember a post about the Big Blue Sponge, but can't remember any other details. I'm wondering if it was when you bought it or when you moved it to where it was and Hannah climbed it to get onto the counter. Oh well, memory is a blur.... just glad you found something better to replace it with.

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