The Saga of the Leaky Pipe: A Blessing in Disguise

Back on June 29th this year, we came home from a lovely vacation on Lake Michigan to find that our finished basement had a lake of its own. Suspicious things were growing on the walls and unpleasant odors were wafting up the stairs. Thus, the Saga of the Leaky Pipe began. Four months later the basement has been made new again, and even better than it was before.

Before: Here are some pictures of what the basement looked like in August before the asbestos tile was removed:

There was one big family room with knotty pine paneling. That green tile is the bad stuff.

The other end of the room wear you can still see the berber carpet. Notice the un-carpeted stairs.

The laundry room wall that was ripped out.

Ugly floors.

This is the wall of the furnace room that let all the water pass through.

The back drywall, wall of the bathroom with water damage and mold. Yuck!

The bathroom floor was water logged.

A brief overview of what was done:

June/July:
-The water was mitigated. Carpet was torn up, walls were ripped out, and a monster dehumidifier sat in the basement purring for 10 days
-Restoration contractors came and made estimates
-Waiting for them and insurance

August:
-Removal of asbestos
-Cabinets and ceiling were ripped out
-Framing for our new room put in

September:
-Electrical work
-Plumbing work
-Drywall: sheetrock and mudding

October:
-Walls painted
-Ceiling put in
-Trim

November:
-Carpet
-Finishing touches

The wait is over! Since we did drywall instead of wood paneling, we were able to have a few extra things done to restore the basement to a matching, livable space. A lot of new estimates were made by the contractors in the name or matching. The pictures do have a bit of clutter that has not quite found its home.

M's Study. What was done: new carpet (replaced with extra money). This room had no damage, but the carpet was pretty old and a bit basement smelly.

The paneling in the study is not as nice as the paneling we had in the other room,
but it reminds M of his house that he lived in back in college.

Family Room. What was done: new walls, new ceiling, new cushy, soft carpet.

The kids got the toys out for the day before I took the pictures.
That dark hallway leads to the Spare Oom.

Other way. These built-in cabinets remained.

Laundry Room. What was done: new drywall, new floor tile, and new paint color.

It is nice having a ceiling!

I am loving the use of the laundry chute!

Spare Oom. What was done: the room was made! It is an L shape so a picture is hard to take. One day, if we stay in this house we will dig out an egress window.

The built in shelves were part of the original basement, and were redone to hide the water meter.

My parents were staying in this room. You can also, when you come and visit!

Full Bathroom. What was done: new back wall, new sink cabinet, new floor, new paint, and I picked out a new curtain.

I got my yellow room.

Fun new floor!

Stairs. What was done: wood paneling changed to drywall and the CARPET! We almost did the stair carpeting before we moved in, but decided to wait. It would have been ruined if we had by all the work that was done.

The left doorway leads to the hallway to the bathroom and furnace room.
The right doorway is the study.
That gate is for the top of the stairs for when I want the door open.

We feel truly blessed by this house. We were happy with the finished basement when we bought the house, and thought that maybe someday we would add an extra room, but to have it done just six months after moving in, was beyond what we hoped and prayed for in a house. God has provided abundantly for us, and we are full of gratitude!