Flood...... by RodS
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
I just wanted to update everyone on what's going on before I disappear for a while.... I know Mike let you all know about my flood, but I thought I'd fill in a few details - and plans for recovery.
The first image is the Lair as it stands now. I've stripped off a lot of the old carpet, and there are old linoleum tiles covering the concrete floor. Many tiles are in pretty bad shape, and to make matters worse, it appears the water is slowly percolating through the concrete floor. It could also be that the water is coming from the remaining carpet, which will be stripped out as soon as it dries a bit. I spent most of today (I called my boss and told him I was taking a PTO day) wallowing in cold, wet, smelly water cutting off pieces of carpet. There isn't one square inch of the carpet that doesn't squish water when you step on it - as in image 2. Image 3 is the growing pile of soppy carpet in the back yard.
I've kind of wanted to take out that old carpet for some time. I guess Mother Nature decided the time was now.... I will NOT be putting carpet back in. Here's the plan... I will be removing everything from the basement that sits on the floor. I'll have to disassemble that computer table system I just installed last year, move the computers upstairs temporarily, and store everything else n the garage. The van will have to live in the driveway for a while. I will strip all the old tiles, then apply sealant to the concrete floor. I'll then re-tile the floor with vinyl tiles, then move everything back in.
This is going to take a while, as I'm doing it all myself to save on expenses. And before you ask, no I don't have flood insurance. Never thought I'd need it. Plus my deductible is 5000 bucks, and I doubt it will cost anywhere near that amount. Just a lot of time. So if I'm not around much for a while, that's why. I'll try to work Page 9 up in between all the chaos.
Thanks for all the well-wishes in Mike's post! You all rock - and I'll be back as soon as I can. Love you all!

Comments (24)
Good luck and smooth sailing!!!
You know the Queen is happy that it's not worse, though she is a bit worried. Thanks for the update and photos. Fae Valley and the Queen send their best
Cool !!
Huge drag, Rod Glad your getting out that carpet, they always will smell even after cleaning. Sounds like a huge project for you again. But most of all hoping the best for you and Jo.
Hey, not to worry... help is on the way.... then again with is help, maybe you should worry... I hope you get this all squared away soon, and get back to business as usual.
nothing like having to suddenly do emergency repairs like pulling up wet and then nasty carpet. if I was in the neighborhood, I would offer a hand
oh, no! how awful. I hope none of your electronics are ruined. good luck with the clean up.
Oh fun!! I've been there though!! Nasty smelly water and smoke damage on top of that !! Lucky my insurance company decided to put us up in a travel trailer for 3 months until the mess was fixed! Sympathy and empathy to you!! ((Hugs))
Having been through a flood much like yours, I have loads of information and experience! My place was a daylight basement much like yours. Ground level entrance in the back, with the house being built into a hill. We had far too much snow for the area (this was in 1996), and the weight of the snow in the front yard collapsed the clay pipe French drain. The water seeped or wicked or whatever through the underground portion of the wall, and the water was about carpet deep. (Sound familiar?) I had to move everything out of the house, and was in a hotel for about nine days. Not too bad, considering! The fix was to replace the French drain in the front yard so that it functioned properly again. Never had that trouble during the 17 more years I lived there. If you seal the concrete floor without finding out what the underlying problem is, you could be fighting this again.
If the problem is a broken pipe, your insurance will cover it. If they deem it to be ground water, then you're screwed. I told my insurance company that I had water in my house because a pipe collapsed, and they paid all my expenses, no questions asked. I considered it to be a gray area, but they came through for me. I was renting at the time, so the landlord was responsible for the actual digging up of the yard and replacing the drain field, but my renter's insurance covered everything for me.
I know finding out what the basic problem is will be a pain in the patootie, but really, I don't want to be helping you move furniture in and out in October! LOL!
All my love and sympathy to you and Jo. As a life experience, this one totally sucks.
very cool!!
It will be a lot of work for you.......take care
Great Capture,
Hey Rod, I'm really sorry this happened to you, and sorry for all you have to do. I wish that this go as speedily as it can. I read tara, above, and see that it can be tricky finding the source...I just wish you and jo everything good and unstressful with this. (I left a comment on this in your eclipse piece, as you hadn't posted this piece yet...and also a comment in mike's gallery, just so you know I commented as soon as I found out. All the best to you! And take your time: Your fans---me included---are always thrilled whenever you come here. I wish you the best in the meantime...)
Agree with Mark,Very disappointing when things like this happen Rod. I to have a story about a flood. and now it was a blessing in disguise.Take care my friend.See you when you can Cheers
Oh, NO! Not another catastrophe! Just as everything seemed to be winding down to normal. I have a colleague who wound up with a flood. Her cat knocked a lid off the wash basin and onto the drain, then turned on the water and ran out of the bath room. She came home to 2 inches of water inside. She had insurance, but had to live elsewhere foe several weeks, and had large fans blowing warm air between the gyprock/plaster board walls 24 hours per day for several months. The constant noise made her half deaf. She kept us all up to date. So I know how you have it! This is why Kitty is not allowed in the kitchen or bath room when I'm not home.
I hope you find the cause and that your insurance covers at least a part of the repairs! And please keep us posted! :-)
The cat turned on the water??
I think that cat would have gone for a swim..... 
America: our weather sucks! Here's to hoping for a speedy recovery. And yeah, seal that concrete.
I had a flood myself recently though it affected only the bathroom and hallway, though that hallway included some storage that had valuable electronics in it. So I empathise with the distress and the work needed to clean it all up. I'll be putting new flooring down in the next few weeks myself, once the floor is dry enough and properly sealed.
Good luck with your own clean-up and floor work!
So sorry to hear about your disaster. Wow you are lucky with all that electronics all of it survived. I will say a little Prayer for you that all goes smoothly for you from here in on....Ok God do it for Rod and Jo, I am not asking for me , so I hope your listening...Amen.
Hey Rod, Wanted to thank you for your nice comments and advice. Itβs much appreciated. Sorry to hear about your troubles. Hope you can get it cleaned up and back online soon. Good luck, John
OMG - This is not funny at all dear Rod, nevertheless have a nice and dry weekend!
long live the lair!!!
i remeber when you have been so proud with finishing the lair.sorry for you rod -i hope the equipments have not been damaged.
Serious bummer. I can relate. About once every 8-10 years our basement floods due to torrential rain and a odd spring that is not far enough below our house. My parents didn't know it was there when they built the house and usually it's not a problem. But when it floods, it comes through the concrete cracks and seams where radon vents go through the slab. After the last underground bubble up we resealed and, knock wood, it's been fine. At the deepest it was about 2-6 inches depending on where you were in the basement, I may not sound like much, but one wet vacc to get rid of it all took hours and quite the toll on my back. I wish you the best of luck and some dry days. Of course by now you must be getting hit with some residual Harvey, so be safe and again I wish you all the luck.
My Mother had this happen several years ago. Ice storm, no power, pipe froze and burst flooding the entire finished basement (Shag Carpet). She was stuck in Florida (no flights into frozen KY), so my brother and sister had to deal with cutting the frozen, soggy carpet into pieces and throwing it into the back yard. It took months to get everything back to normal -- with ceramic tile this time. Hope your repairs are going/went well.