Dry Out Day Two

Yesterday they returned to finish the downstairs and start the upstairs. I'm not entirely sure if they are done with the upstairs as I didn't get home in time to talk to them before they left.

Downstairs the flooring was removed into the dining room and they finished removing the flooring from the kitchen back to the hallway that leads to the garage. They also removed a small patch of vinyl flooring that was under the original vinyl that was covered with the laminate hardwood they ripped up.

Sadly, I really liked that laminate. I liked the wide boards vs. the smaller boards. And the cherry color went well with the trim. I realize it looks brown in the photos, but there was a slightly red cast that I really preferred to the light yellow wood, especially considering the color of the hardwood trim that I refuse to paint as it is one of the reasons I purchased this particular house.

I guess on New Years Day I will start trying to move things and get my house in some sort of order. Certainly I need to finish going through the clothes in my bedroom and getting more stuff ready for Goodwill.

Unfortunately this cleaning out of too much stuff was happening before the flooding so there was too much stuff in there initially and now there's even less space and everything is just a nightmare.

I will likely ask if they will be replacing all of the carpet and try to find out what the overall situation is. I'm a bit disturbed that they chose to cut the carpet in the bedroom as patching it will not be acceptable to me. When you have pets you really need to avoid carpet seams as a dog or cat can find a seam and rip that up in no time. It was something I specified when the carpet was laid and it needs to be replaced the same way.

My other concern is that all of the carpet upstairs and downstairs matched. Upstairs being especially important as my house is not particularly large and having different carpet colors in each of the rooms would only contribute to the small feeling upstairs. One of the reasons the downstairs feels so nice and open is the removal of the railing in front of the living room and the seamless laminate that wrapped through the kitchen, entry, halls and dining room.

If they do replace all of the carpet upstairs, which I really think they should if they cannot match the bedroom to the other carpet, I will want to be careful about what I put into the office as it will just need to be moved. I purchased a desk and bookcase at IKEA when I was in Florida to replace the current desk with no storage in the office. If they will be re-carpeting I will want to wait to assemble and install any new furniture.

There was an old wooden trunk against the wall in the bedroom that was standing in water for a few days. My dresser was up against the long wall (you can see it pushed out some) and part of it was also standing in water for at least two days. The dresser is solid wood similar to the furniture in the dining room. There is a furniture restoration company coming out today to look at the older furniture. I am concerned about long term water damage to many items, but especially these because they really are irreplaceable and the nicest things I own.

I can see from the water stain how far out the standing water went into the room. I figure if I did some measuring downstairs I could actually figure out where the light fixture that was gushing water is in relation to the floor. I haven't seen the room in it's entirety so I'm not sure where they have moved things to. I hate the fact that my room and house are not navigable. That contributes to my stress. In fact, while speaking to Dan I just realized that the champagne I purchased for tonight is still in my dining room on top of the wine fridge. I will need to take that to his house to chill for later as clearly my house is not suitable for guests at this time.
I asked Martha if she knew where the toilet was, she wasn't sure. I am not sure from that picture if that's a toilet in my shower or if they just hauled it out somewhere. I am wondering what will happen with the shower and if there was enough water leaked to justify the removal of the shower pan. It sure looks wet in that corner and I would guess that with all the standing water that the baseboards will need to be replaced in the bathroom. It appears they have already been removed, I'm not sure if they were saved or tossed.

It's sad to look at the place the tile used to be. I think I had that tile put in all of two years ago? Certainly it was very new. I wonder if I will be able to match the tile (as in does Lowe's still have it in stock) or should I change? And will it cost more if I choose to use a smaller tile?

I kind of wish I had more money saved up and we weren't on the edge of this recession so I could take this opportunity to do more upgrades - although I should really just think about resale value at this point. I like my house, but I'm looking for another location. Durham / Chapel Hill area would be nice. I just want to get rid of the Raleigh address. Maybe live a little further out and have a bigger house and yard.

A basement would be awfully nice but I imagine those flood. Water damage really seems to really be something that just keeps showing up in all kinds of little places. I figure the haste in drying and such is related to the danger of growing mold and mildew.

I am wondering how long this is all going to take? I guess it will be good once the contractors show up to start reviewing how everything will go back together. I don't know how they are going to come up with material selections at this point - or what will be repaired and what will be replaced. I need to work hard this weekend getting rid of things!! There are too many things in my house right now for all this to go smoothly. Sigh.