Today was our very first day of Working On The House, and I am happy to report that we got a lot done!
When I first arrived, I quickly ripped up all the carpet tacks in the house while I waited for my dad to arrive with supplies. I still need to find all the staples in the floor (from the carpet pad…uuuugh) and pull them up.
Then, we moved onto the Scary Stuff. The first and biggest project that we need to tackle is The Basement. I have never seen anything like this (although that doesn’t mean much). From what we can tell, the previous occupant of the home finished the basement, and then when the area was hit with historic flooding last spring, the occupants failed to run a sump pump, causing their finished basement to be buried underwater. Shortly after that, the home was foreclosed upon. The result is a sopping mess of particle board, carpet, sheet rock, mold, and two-by-fours, and it all has to be removed. It is so smelly and gross that you have to wear an uncomfortable breather mask to be able to work down there.
So without further ado, I come bearing photos of the carnage.
*cue Jaws theme song as we descend the Stairs of Doom*
Here is the room at the base of the stairs. 2x4s were placed on the floor and then particle board and carpet were laid on top. This is the result of them being flooded. Ick.
This was after we knocked down the rotting wall.
This is the insulation that we had to pull out of the walls and throw away.
This is looking across the basement. It looks like this 3 bedroom house was converted to an off-the-books 5 bedroom. The “room” on the far end of the shot appears to have been a little girl’s room. We found toys amidst the rubble, and princess stickers on the wall. Very sad.
yummy.
So now you’ve seen the diabolical nature of our water-damaged basement. We were able to clear out about a third of the debris in about half a day, so we are confident that we can get this done quickly. It just sucks right now! The majority of the day was spent shoveling sheet rock and wet wood into a trash barrel, and then schlepping the heavy barrel up the stairs, through the snowy yard, and into the dumpster, and then back to the basement to get another load, while my dad tore up the floor and hit the walls with a sledgehammer.
We were, however, pleased to discover that there is a beautiful cement floor and wall underneath all the debris!
After it got too dark to work (we still don’t have electricity…boo), my dad and I went Lowe’s, where I proceeded to spend almost more than I make in a week. FML.
Here’s all the stuff I bought (and thankfully I got 10% off with my dad’s veteran’s discount):
-PlexiGlass to replace the basement windows that were missing when we bought the place ($13.48)
-3M Respiratory Masks ($17.88)
-Dehumidifier Condensate Pump ($69.30)
-Latex Window Glazing ($5.65)
-Frigidaire 25 Pint Dehumidifier ($127.80)
-1 1/4” Plastic Sump Check ($5.26)
-1/3 HP Pedestal Sump Pump ($70.18)
-MX Cold Weather Glove [for Adam] ($17.97)
Then, we went to my favorite place, Ocean State Job Lot, for a few more things:
-Women’s Leather Work Glove ($3.99)
-Mechanix Women’s Work Glove ($8.99)
-Glade Scented Candle ($3.49)
That brings the running total for costs beyond purchase price to $1754.99. I am paying every last cent by myself, so, definitely feeling the pinch. Ouch. Luckily I have been able to borrow all necessary tools and implements from my dad so far!
Tomorrow we venture back into the gloomy depths of The Basement. I will report back with “after” pictures…if I don’t get eaten by a mold monster or something.
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