reno part 1

Since I haven't done any sewing or quilting at all lately and I am still trying to organise my fabric ...still not all folded and put away, but getting closer to the end, I thought I would tell you of our renovations in recent years.
When we bought this house, ages ago, the basement was finished.  I use that word loosely.
  It was dark, dated and somewhat dank...and cold.
Dark fake wood panelling on the bottom half of the wall...no insulation, no vapour barrier.  I could smell the must,(mould) no one else could, But I could.
Top half of the wall was drywall, insulation and vapour barrier...still nicely folded up...enough to cover the lower half of the wall..hhmmm  why didn't they unfold it?
Red carpeting ....
No wonder I could smell mould. Because the vapour barrier wasn't unfolded , moist warm air was hitting the cold wall.
Funny, too, because my furnance room is not finished, is warmer and doesn't smell mouldy!
After much agitation, I convinced the mister we needed to redo the lower room.
So we did..with the help of a friend, we tore out everything and rebuilt, rewired and redid the heat ducting.
It wasn't easy because the mister didn't take time off work and he still sat at his desk  down there, sometimes working as the friend also worked on the room.
The guys finished and went off for their annual golf trek ..and I painted..
We had new carpeting installed..put some of the furniture back...and off the mister went for a business trip to Montreal.
The grandkids are here now because school has finished..we are outside playing in the pool and I can hear this funny ticking sound...big hmmmmm
So with the daughter watching her kids, I came in to see what it was...
OH MY GOD....can you even guess what that noise was? 
did you know the water pressure coming into the toilet tank can lift the lid and make it dance?  and tick!    the ballcock had blown in the tank.
sooo...how long did I hear that? ten maybe 15 minutes...how much water can pour into the newly renovated basement ?..Lots and lots..
I quickly turned off the valve under the toilet, then ran downstairs and turned off the watermain..
Thank goodness DD was here...she took over the phone..called a plumber who was here in a few minutes..followed closely by an insurance adjuster..who had recovery people here in just a few more...
The mister arrived home later that evening, he was greeted in the driveway by the insurance adjuster, who told him.."It was okay, everything is taken care of and under control"....hehehe..he didn't know a thing about it...yet!

Not too bad for the beginning of the first long weekend of summer.

Needless to say, it was one of  the hottest weekend on record that year..and we had 5 heater/dryer/blowers going and we told not to use the A/c with them going. Boy did that put a blip in the hydro bill.
Amazingly, everything but a couple of ceiling tiles was recoverable.  And my new room was in service!