We had to leave vacation a day early to get home to prepare for Hurricane Irene. Being from New York this kind of thing doesn't happen every day. We heeded all the warnings and prepared ourselves as best as we could. We got home at midnight on Friday and were up by 6am on Saturday putting away all of the outdoor furniture. Then we sat back and waited.
The storm hit us Saturday night into Sunday. Sunday morning we woke up to water coming from the fireplace...
and through a window in our great room.
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| Not easy to see, but at the bottom of the photo is the tarp he rigged to redirect the water |
Then right in the heart of the storm we realized that there was water coming into the basement. At first we couldn't figure out how. Then we figured it out. We knew we had a gutter that was clogged and had hired a handyman to fix that while we were away (we don't have a ladder tall enough). Turns out the handyman didn't make it to our house while we were away. From the gutter being clogged, the water was falling off the roof of the house in sheets and landing at the foundation. The ground became so saturated that the water started to come up through the floor of the basement. My husband went out during the storm and rigged up a tarp to redirect the water. It worked great, but unfortunately the damage was already done.
So it's several days later and we are still drying out the padding and the carpet. We are using a space heater for now which seems to be working. We also have our dehumidifier working overtime down there. I'm open to any and all suggestions to ensure we don't end up with a mold issue.
Installing new carpet or hardwood is not in the budget at this time.
What did come while we were away is the throw pillows for our new outdoor sectional. Finally!!
I added some lanterns and flowers I had already. This photo was taken on Monday...only a day after the storm. What a difference a day makes.
Here is a close-up of the throw pillows.
These are made of the most gorgeous outdoor fabric I have ever seen. It's called Perennial fabric and it's really fabulous.
I love having an outdoor living room to go with our new
outdoor patio.
It's always amazing to me what just a few pillows and accents can do for a space.
Don't forget to stop back tonight at 8pm EST to join in my Sizzle into Summer party. Hope to see you then.
-Judy
These are made of the most gorgeous outdoor fabric I have ever seen. It's called Perennial fabric and it's really fabulous.
I love having an outdoor living room to go with our new outdoor patio.
It's always amazing to me what just a few pillows and accents can do for a space. 
Sorry to hear about the water leaks...at least they can be repaired. Love your new pillows.
ReplyDeleteJudy so sorry to here about your water problem. We are going through the same thing now in our downstairs. When we had our's finished we had our floor raised and plywood but down so we wouldn't be on concrete. the water was sitting under that and the whole thing had to be ripped out. Our contractor told us to leave the dehumidifiers go 24/7 to dry everything really good so mold don't form. We also had the same thing happen to one of our front windows. It was something to do with the flashing under the siding and it had to get replaced. I hope this helps you a little. Now onto a prettier note. Your outside living space looks FABULOUS!! Take care and try not to stress, I just keep telling myself it could have been worse and this all can be fixed! (Sometimes that works and other days it doesn't LOL)! Martina
ReplyDeleteHow gorgeous, Judy! I'd be out there with my coffee in the morning and an iced tea in the afternoon. I'm sorry you had to deal with these issues from the storm. I can't believe how lucky we were. Everybody on my block had branches and leaves all over their lawns and in the street in front of the houses. I can hear a chain saw going down the street, so I'm guessing someone lost a tree. I'm sorry but I don't have any tips for keeping mold at bay. It sounds like you are doing the right thing though.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your water problems! I am in love with your outdoor furniture and the pillows! I want it! When I do my deck, I'm definitely going that direction instead of a table and chairs! LOVE!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to know about the damage done by water seeping through... hopefully the carpet will dry up soon and the water did'nt cause too much damage to your beautiful fireplace. Loved your outdoor furniture.... the pillows and the lanterns are simply gorgeous... loved your color theme as well... looking very beautiful and inviting!~Poppy
ReplyDeletehttp://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/
You aren't kidding with the amazing difference the pillows and accessories made. Wow. I love this area. Bummer about the water damage. Hopefully it dries up without further issues.
ReplyDeleteOh Judy! I'm so sorry about the water damage! That is just so frustrating and I hope it all continues to dry up with no more problems. :-) Your outdoor set is looking so gorgeous dressed up with the new pillows and accessories and I'm sure it helps to have that bright spot with all of the other stuff going on!
ReplyDeleteHang in there,
Vanessa
You might want to add a big fan to your space heater.
ReplyDeleteAfter you think you've got it licked, then have the whole area tested for dampness by an expert. (They have a gismo that can tell you the percentage of moisture.) Mold is no fun!
As for the outdoor living room? Perfection!
=)
Sorry to hear about the water issues from the storm :(. So frustrating!
ReplyDeleteYour patio looks great!
Sorry to hear about the leaks. We stayed dry this time, but got wet back in the big flood of 2006. We used shop vacs to suck up as much water as we could, then just had the dehumidifier going full blast. Hope you get everything dried out quickly.
ReplyDeleteThe new pillows are beautiful! They and the new lantern are really making your outdoors such a comfortable place for hanging out. Thanks for sharing.