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Sunday, January 22, 2017

Life is Stranger than Fiction

Some of you have been asking how my house is coming along.  While I wanted my next post to be sewing related, alas, it is not obviously.  I had a little bit of a setback.  A few days after the project was completed and we received the Certificate of Occupancy (a document from the town saying that the house has been inspected and it is safe to live in), a pipe burst.  Of course, we were not yet living in the house when this pipe burst so I believe it was spewing water for a day or two before my husband and I discovered it.

The weekend of December 18 got very very cold so the pipes froze.  You prevent pipes from freezing by making sure the house is heated but what we didn't know is that the newly installed heating unit had a defective part so the heat never came on.  So the pipes froze and upon thawing, a pipe burst.

On the left, pipe burst from second floor.  The water flowed from the second floor through my living space all the way down to the crawlspace beneath the house on the right
This discovery was quite a traumatic experience.  I remember my husband and I opening the front door and hearing what sounded like the Niagara Falls inside the house.  The look of panic on my husband's face!  I started shaking like a leaf.  My husband ran downstairs and turned the water main off.  The amount of damage was extensive.  We had to get many walls torn down, dry the wood, and put new walls back up and paint.



I remember going back to my temporary home that day feeling numb.  I believe I sat in the living room for about 1 1/2 hours just staring into space unable to speak or do anything.  Looking back now, it is almost comical.  We go through all this trouble to raise the house to prevent flooding, but the house floods anyway but from the inside.  Go Figure!

Luckily, our contractor started working on repairs immediately.  Fast forward...the damaged pipe has been repaired.  The defective part in the heating unit has been replaced.  We have heat in the house and the repairs have been completed. The repairs left an enormous amount of drywall dust all over so I have been spending the weekends cleaning.  We have plans to move back to the house the end of January so I will be taking a few days off during the week to pack.

We will be back home soon - yay!

36 comments:

  1. What a horror story (and very ironic)! I've had indoor flooding before but have always been there to start damage control quickly. I imagine elapsed time made it much worse. I hope every thing else goes perfectly and you are back in the snuggest, warm, happy and familiar home soon.

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    1. Thank you Barbara. Yes, I do wish we had discovered it sooner but it is what it is. Thankfully, the repairs have been made so everything is OK now.

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  2. What an awful shock for you. Hope everything gets sorted and you are settled soon.

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    1. Yes, it was a shocker that's for sure. But things are OK now thankfully.

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  3. What a terrible and shocking experience this must have been! Hope all goes well with the move and you can enjoy your home soon.

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    1. Yes, it was a shock. It was just not what you expect to see when you enter your house. But thankfully, things are OK now. We just moved in this past weekend.

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  4. I feel you... I had the same problem twice, with all the water not only damaging my apartment but the neighbor's downstairs too! I wish when you move to your home again it will be filled with lots of love and good memories!

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    1. Thank you so much Raquel. Water damage is quite a doozy, isn't it?! I am glad that the repairs were made quickly. We have now moved back home so things are looking up now.

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  5. I am so very sorry to read about this. Water damage from pipes is my worst nightmare and what I obsess about whenever we leave home. So glad to see you make progress on getting things back in shape nd best wishes for a wonderful new home and cozy next.

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    1. I never thought about water damage from pipes before but now it is something that I will always think about as well!

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  6. That discovery must have been so heartbreaking. I am glad to read that repairs are done and all is well. I wish you better luck in the future.

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    1. Thank you Connie! Things are better already. I have moved back in and so far, so good!

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  7. So sorry to hear of your flood troubles. I hope you'll be back in your home soon.

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    1. Thank you Eileensews. I moved in this past weekend. It is nice to be back home...now I have to unpack!

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  8. Oh wow! I am sorry to hear this! However, I am grateful everything is getting fixed, and will be in wonderful shape when you move in.

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    1. Thank you Vanessa. The major repairs are done. There are little things that need attention but nothing major. We are already back home so that is good!

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  9. I am sooooo sorry that this happened!

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    1. Thank you Faye! Life has its ups and downs...

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  10. Oh you poor thing. That is a horror story. Wishing you only good things from now on :)

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    1. Thank you so very much Vicki! I appreciate your good wishes!

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  11. Omg! I'm so sorry to hear this. It really must have been difficult to go through it. Thank God it's all fixed now and you'll soon be moving back to the house.

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    1. Yes, it was a stressful situation but thankfully it was a fixable one. We have already moved in so I am happy about that!

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  12. I feel so sorry to hear from you. I hope that it goes well! I always look forward to your sewing project.

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    1. Thank you Eli Cat. Everything has gone well so far with the major repairs. I am eager to sew again but no time yet. Now I have to unpack. But hopefully I will start sewing again soon.

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  13. I hope it's all smooth sailing from now on! Sending you positive vibes!!

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    1. Thank you Kyle. Yes, positive vibes welcomed!

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  14. Yikes -so glad you found before too much damage ! I hope you'll be sewing soon 😘

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    1. Thank you MaryEllen! I long to sew again...but I must unpack first - eventually!

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  15. Oh Tomasa this is awful. i feel for you. If we are to look on the positive side though, if it was going to happen, it was best it was then and not after you had moved everything back in. Thinking of you, and hope you get settled back in soon.

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    1. Thank you Winter-Queen. Yes, I didn't need to have all of my furniture damaged as well so you most definitely have made a good point there!

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  16. I would have been shaking like a leaf too, and add screaming. God bless you and your husband for getting through this.

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    1. Thank you Cennetta. The worst is over so that is good!

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  17. I'm late here, Tomasa, but my heartfelt wishes for a quick recovery are being sent your way. After all that, oh, my. Sometimes we are just tested by the Fates for their entertainment and jocularity. Take care and I am glad things are now looking up.

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    1. Thank you Bunny. Thankfully everything was fixable and this unfortunate situation is behind me. Yes, those Fates are quite the pranksters!

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  18. OH, how very sad. I am so sorry.. This is a nightmare.. [I have read your newer post, and see it is all fixed and beautiful now.. so happy for you]

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    1. Thank you. Yes, it was indeed a nightmare but thankfully it is behind us and the house has been fixed. Whew!

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