About last night. Our basement flooding nightmare.

So, what'd you guys do last night? The weather was yucky; rained a lot and flooded here on the Jersey Shore. Noreasters are the pits!

Hopefully, you were snuggled up on the couch, with a cup of hot chocolate, watching an ABC Family Christmas movie staring Mario Lopez and Melissa Joan Hart. No??? I guess that's just mine and my girl Kyle's idea of the best night ever.

In the spirit of one of those cheesy made-for-TV holiday movies, lets flash back (queue the smoke machine and squiggly fade out lines) to a better time. To my last post perhaps, were we laughed about wine and windows. Ahh, isn't that nice?

Remember, at the end of that magical post, I asked for volunteers to help crawl around my creepy basement and replace a sump pump... Let's just say, your responses were, well, nothing the Red Cross would be high-fiving about.

Just kidding, you guys are great! I think your cocoa needs a refill though.

What isn't great however was the 8 inches of water in our giant basement. 8 inches of water X a giant basement = a hell of alota water.



This outfit is only cute if you're going Christmas tree shopping.

Cozy, right?

 

See, the problem wasn't just one shotty pump that the bank installed before the closing. There are other "things" that went wrong which lead to our busy, and wet Tuesday night. Here's a breakdown of the issues were currently facing:

1. Our new 1/3 horse power pump, purchased by John and installed by yours truly, didn't kick on. I know what your thinking, and NO, I did not do something wrong... the float got stuck. Thanks for keeping the faith...

2. There are a ton of low spots which pool water, making even the most powerful pump useless.

3. The two other sump holes (yes, there are several) don't even have pumps yet.

And 4. Drum roll please - Content. doesn't have gutters. Like, at all...

As with all of our house projects, we're prioritizing. Baby steps will soon be our completion. I'm staying zen.

But, during a renovation like this, every project seems to be fighting for a higher position on the totem pole. Specifically, we just found out that our HPwES project, that's allowing us to afford the new heating and cooling systems, is also requiring us to have our basement moisture problems addressed before they can certify the project meets quality assurance standard. Adequate sump pumps. Proper drainage. No standing water. Secure sump pits and covers. And gutters. Cha-ching.

We're working really hard everyday  and rolling with the punches. I still wouldn't go back on purchasing Content. I know this is our destiny and I can see the beautiful, dry basement in our near future. But for now, make sure you pack rubber boots for your next visit.