Devon and I and our kids, four at the time, spent almost a year traveling the world. We visited Nanning and Hong Kong, in China…
Manila and Bagiuo in the Philippines and Hawaii.
Then I visited South Africa
and our family took a trip to Ireland.
Before our year excursion, we had sold our coffee shop, our house and all of our belongings. We were open to whatever adventure lay ahead!
We weren’t sure where we’d land after we were done…but, when our travel time was up, we found ourselves in a fixer upper in Baltimore City. The house was old and had tons of personality, but work needed to be done from roof to basement.
We have spent the past 5 years replacing the roof, laying a driveway, re-doing the kitchen and three bathrooms, water proofing the entire basement and refinishing it and the list goes on.
Now, before our travels, my husband was in the restaurant industry…not the home renovation business. But, after working on our home, he switched careers.
About three years ago, he decided to take the leap from restaurant management to home remodeling. He now guts complete houses and renovates them.
As I look back at the journey we’ve been on, it amazes me how the choices we make can prepare us for the future. It prepared us for a major career change.
But…it didn’t prepare us for this.
About a week ago, I woke up to the dog barking. I got up to take her out. I opened my bedroom door to walk into a sauna with a hissing sound coming from my kitchen. As I glanced in the kitchen, I saw water…major water.
I called my husband’s name, in that tone of voice that signals an emergency, he bounded out of bed and I proceeded to put the leash on the dog and go for a walk. I knew it was bad.
This bad.
This is our basement…our already remodeled, french drained basement. We didn’t think to “french drain” the ceiling.
This is what came in when we called water abatement.
Our home will go through another major remodel. It will end up being a blessing and an even greater improvement…but a bit stressful. My kitchen is getting gutted (the sub floors are ruined), my basement redone and while we are at it…we will finish what renovations we were already working on…laying hardwood on my entire first floor, taking down a ceiling and removing a gas fireplace.
Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted. I’m ready for a new chapter. I’m ready for my lemon to be turned to lemonade. Just understand if my excitement is tempered with a bit of angst. It’s gonna be a long couple of months.
Kristin–Oh no! This is one of those house disasters that no one can plan for–I hope it all works out okay!
xx’s and oo’s…I feel your pain….seriously you know I do.
Oh.My.Word.
Stressful. Yes.
A blessing. Yes, somewhere down the road.
I’m sure the outcome will be beautiful! Keep up the cheery outlook til then, if you can
Oh no!! that is so unfortunate! keep your chin up and don’t give up kristin!!
Who cares about the reno…I want to come over with popcorn and watch your vacation slides
Kidding of course! Although, I am sure you’re not looking forward to being w/out a kitchen (I can’t even imagine), I can’t wait for the end result!
Okay… that just sucks. I live in a house that is in never ending renovation mode and even I would be floored by this. You are a saint, my friend. If you need a shoulder to cry on or a dry floor to hang out on, I’m always available. (I keep lots of wine on hand too!)
@All!! Thanks for the support and kind words! They may just keep my head above water these next few months!
@Citymouse…you may just find me at your door, empty glass in hand! I will be headed to the Eastern Shore the major “reno” weekends with all my peeps! I plan on escaping to ocean breezes!
Thanks for the support!
Oh friend! I totally get it. We’re remodeling our master bathroom because it kept leaking through (bubbles in our ceiling, too!) and the project – which shouldn’t be that big of a deal – is taking a toll on me, too.
I remind myself of certain things all day: how lucky we are, how healthy we are, and on and on, but…yeah, angst-y sometimes.
OH MY GOSH!!! I heard there was some water, but GOOD GRIEF..could not have imagined that ceiling!! Anything we can do to help?
My name is Jeff Cohn with SI Restoration a baltimore water damage restoration company . I saw your pictures and even though I have seen over 9000 damages in the 22 years, I still feel bad for those who have water damage.
I was curious if you had the toe kicks removed or had another way of getting air movement especially low humidity dry air forced into the walls and behind the cabinets. If not I would get a move on or you will have mold issues possibly.
Good luck
Jeffrey Cohn
SI Restoration
http://www.si-restoration.com
410-458-5371
Wow! Now that what I call a fixer upper. Of course, Baltimore is known for it’s water damage! I know this is a long shot, but I have seen people deal with his issue by having the carpets removed and dealing with the concrete until you can get it waterproofed. Water can be cleaned up, but mold is more difficult to get rid of, especially if there is lots of moisture in the surrounding area that does not really go away.
Great travel pics, I am jealous, though I cannot imagine keeping 4 kids entertained during the riding times! Good job and best of luck on the remodel!