Basement "progress".....

I'm not sure if "progress" is the right word, but we are moving ahead....and ripping out drywall.....

I've learned more about this horrid thing....

...than I really ever wanted to know!

Did you know that most newer homes (with basements) have a french drain system?  Water runs into a drain that surrounds the perimeter of your home and empties into the above pit.....gross, I know!


Well, ours was sealed because we had a radon system installed and the company sealed our sump pit.  That created pressure that backed up the entire system and caused all the water to come out through the perimeter drain....pushing water into our finished room. (Although, we had so much water that it would have poured out of the pit....we were doomed to get water one way or another!)


Did you know that if you don't have a pit or a drain, the pressure of the water can actually crack your foundation??  Crazy how much power flowing water can have!

Dry wall also acts like a straw and just pulls up the water....and mold...oh what I know now about mold!  Mold grows f-a-s-t!  After only a week, we had it growing on the back of the drywall and the baseboard!

So....for readers who are local and may have had water damage.....pull off your baseboard and look behind it.  We thought that we were dry because we were checking the front of everything.  


Once your baseboard is removed, cut out a small piece of drywall and check behind your drywall.  Again, we thought that we were fine because we kept checking the front.  The water that seeps up can't dry between the drywall and the wall. As we took ours out, it just crumbled in our hands, but on the outside was perfectly dry to the touch.....and it was moldy....after only 6 days!


As much as this has been a dusty inconvenience, I am starting to get excited over the prospect of repainting the room....I've been pinning ideas on my Pinterest board and looking at colors.  


I'm loving this....

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And this...

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How about this.....

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Now I need to convince my hubby that gray and white would be soothing (and not depressing like he is insisting) colors downstairs.....

......what do you think?