Tuesday, April 23, 2013

flood updates

I wanted to thank everyone for your kind comments about our flooding situation.  It has been so uplifting to receive such kind words throughout the day as we are trying to put our home back together.

We updated our 1967 split last spring after we decided that this was where we wanted to stay.  {More about tweaking our space here} It is the first and last house that we will ever have. The thought has always been to live small and travel big with the beans.

The two areas hit were our basement and the lower level family room.  The basement housed our playroom, laundry, and my temporary studio.  Down the stairs everything is out while in the family room all of our new floors will need to be replaced.  Darn water!


In staying positive, I have begun putting together design ideas for both spaces that will protect us in the future if any water dares to pay a visit again! The carpet in the basement was here when we moved in 6 years ago but new carpet will NOT be going back in.  I found flooring for both lower levels that should last a lifetime and is also cost effective.  It is tile that is created to look like wood.  



Some white washed inspiration

 vía Real Simple

via Gardener and Marks

vis Southern Living

As the ringing of fans and dehumidifiers sound throughout the house we are very close to being dry.  

Hmmm...what have I learned from this...

1~less is best
2~nothing is permanent
3~kids are resilient 
4~my hubs rocks
5~this is our home

Have a great week friends!!!!!!




35 comments:

  1. LOVE the look of that new tile! Glad you're staying upbeat - hope the rest of the week ROCKS! XOXO

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  2. Well, if nothing else, it's gotta be fun planning some new digs, right? Can't wait to see what you guys turn your swamp into. :O)

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  3. Love the lessons learnt from this episode and so so glad to hear the house is getting close to dry.

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  4. tile that looks like wood? Sign me up! So glad you are drying out and you seem to be handling it well. Oddly enough it's those disasters that strike that I remember most fondly from growing up myself, maybe because of the way the bind a family together (and a home!). Hope all continues to go well for you!

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  5. I love your attitude. It is not surprising from a person who says she wants to live small and be able to travel. One of the reasons I can retire is that we have always lived below our means - not a common American trait.

    Good luck with choosing all your redo parts and in dealing with the insurance company.

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  6. Less is definately BEST! I'm learning and embrassing that more and more. I love that your home is your Forever Home and that you see the positives in something so heart breaking. Have a wonderful week lovely friend xo

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  7. The tile is very pretty!! Hopefully you stay high and dry for years to come!! My tip is to store everything in sealed plastic containers. May the remodeling go smooth!!
    LIz

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  8. I am so glad things are looking up and that you found such an awesome alternate flooring, it is beautiful!!! In the end the most important things are your family, not your "things"! And the memories you create traveling with your family will be treasured above any thing else. You totally have your priorities straight! Best of luck getting everything done!! Hugs Nicole, I wish I could help!

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  9. I really hope your house never floods again, and I mean never ever again. I can't imagine having to go through this again!! But it is good to plan for it in the future. Maybe you can install some extra sump pumps too. Glad you are doing well and hopefully it will be fun to make new choices for the house.

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  10. How awful!! But you are safe and well and that is all that counts. And now on to renovation and repair projects, and of course your inspiration photos and plans will keep you busy. I agree with not replacing the downstairs carpet. The tile is the perfect solution, and I love the wood grain look. Here's hoping all flooding is over, forever.

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  11. that tile looks great! tile that looks like wood is one of the things we've considered for our bathroom--love them :) getting rid of carpet is a nice silver lining, I guess.

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  12. I haven't been able to catch up on all the blogs I follow yet and was shocked and sorrowed to hear that your home was flooded. I knew there had been floods in some states but never dreamed my blogging friend was affected. Nicole, I hope everything will all turn out good for you and your precious family. I think the idea of the wood-look tile is a good one. I plan to put down something called Allure Ultra in at least a few rooms of our home. It is a vinyl flooring and comes in planks. It claims to be water-proof and is supposed to be good for basements,baths, etc. It is much more economical than hardwood and is said to be easy to install.
    Please know that I will be praying for you and that your home and life will be back to normal very soon. Please continue to keep us posted.

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  13. Love your spirit Nicole! Keep on staying positive. The white washed wood looking tile is fabulous!! Love the idea of that look with the ease of tile. Your home is going to be amazing once again. We too have chosen a small house with our litter and while there are times an extra potty would be nice, there are so many benefits to a smaller home!

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  14. These are great lessons! And I totally agree, less is best.

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  15. Very happy to hear it's all coming back together, Nicole! You and your family have been in my thoughts.

    PS- I love the idea of tile that looks like wood, smart move!

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  16. Love the lessons learned. I hope the renovations all go smoothly and quickly. It's smart of you to think of what materials could possibly handle another disaster (even though I hope you never have to deal with another!).

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  17. Looks like you are doing a good job of moving past the damage. Did the water come up through the floor or the walls? Can anything be done to make the basement more flood-proof?

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  18. oh I love the tile that looks like wood-hadn't seen that before. when we moved here to the woods I decided no carpets anywhere-only tile and real wood floors-we are still working on getting our home finished-
    no fun losing everything to water-sigh--keeping positive is the only way to go in these situations-hugs

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  19. Love the new tile ... great idea for the flooring. Your home looks so beautiful, and I feel your heartache when you think of having to fix up a portion of it again so soon. I hope you and your family can get things sorted out quickly so you can get back to your normal routine. Take care, Wendy

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  20. Sorry to see that you had flood damage and it looks like you are very inspired with new ideas. You have such a good attitude as well. Best wishes in your replacement and repair.

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  21. Love that tile! It is gorgeous!

    Best of luck! I hope everything gets dried out thoroughly.

    Love your outlook on everything. You are beautiful, Nicole. :D

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  22. You are being so positive and upbeat about everything Nicole, but I am sure it must be hard at times. I like your inspirations. I think you are wise to plan for future floods. We have issues every spring. Have a great weekend!

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  23. Oh can I identify..we have had 2 major floods and 3 smaller ones...yes it forces updates and cleaning..as long as you have your pictures you have everything...stuff can be fixed or replaced as you said...it will sure make you appreciate other peoples tragedies

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  24. Oh Nicole, I am sorry to hear about this damage. You sound as though you have taken it in your stride however, and are recovering nicely, even better!!! You have definitely got your life in perspective my friend and I am proud of you!
    Hugs and enjoy the weekend,
    Beth P

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  25. You are a goddess of positive thinking, Nicole and are smart to avoid carpet. Love your tile choice. You're in my prayers! :o)

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  26. Awww honey I am so sorry about your home being flooded, but what a great attitude you have! You are just a sweetheart ♥ Yes I have been hearing about the flooding. It's just a shame.

    I am loving the white washed look! I have always loved that look and want to do my bedroom floors like that. I hope you love your new look even better too!

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  27. Well, now I know. Looks like you have your plan set, beautiful ideas, I love the white and black. Agree on comment above, staying positive is a life saver. :)

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  28. Good plan! And I love the tile "wood" floor. So pretty. And I (being mid 40's ish ;) ) love your wisdom and foresight to live small and live "big" and enjoy travel etc, with your kids. Awesome plan. I would like to have a "redo" on some of the choices we made early on...so I applaud you for being so wise! :)
    xo
    nancy

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  29. I like the new "wood" floor option too! Great idea ;) well despite the flooding your outlook is so nice. I agree, simpler is better, and to be able to see the world is a great thing.
    I've been thinking about you and hoping all is going better and drying up! You have such a great attitude and spirit!
    xoxo

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  30. We are thinking of doing wood looking tile in our bathroom this summer! Love the whitewashed look.

    I also love your hall tree/beadboard hook area. :)

    toddlindsey.com

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  31. Love that gray flooring. Of course I can say that because I have something almost exactly like it in my kitchen. Got it at Home Depot and I love it. Truly brightens up the room and is supposed to be water resistant.
    Love your amazing attitude. You are an inspiration.
    Cindy

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  32. You have a great attitude during this hard time:) love the tile choice, I will have to recommend that to my mom who's kitchen flooded.

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  33. Again...I so admire your positive attitude. I have seen that faux-wood tile and LOVE it...was actually considering it for my basement if i ever get to the stage of finally finishing it. Great choice!

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  34. Something else we have in common, unfortunately. My basement flooded 3 flippin times in two years. It had carpet, but I replaced with wood-look vinyl. I am so happy with it. The last flood happened after I put the vinyl in and it was no problem. I must say... I can learn something from your positive attitude! :)

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