Subterranean

Things are going well at Huron. There's still lots to do to snazz this place up; curtains, blinds, shades, pictures hung, some more clean up, the list goes on and on. But lately the focus has been on the basement. A couple years ago the basement flooded. 3 times. Something had to be done about that so a sump pump was installed along with this mad professor rerouting of the pipes. That was all super awesome and worth it, now when it rains I can kick back and relax instead of FREAKING OUT.

Sump pump in mid-installation in 2011.

But even with the pump and reroute there was still water getting into the basement. Standing water under the floor would seep up through the concrete and sometimes water would come in through the walls and pool on the floor. It wasn't terribly bad but it also wasn't the bone dry room every girl dreams about. (note: the floor in the picture was watered down by the guys who were breaking up the concrete. That's intentional water.)

You can see the porous basement walls in the picture above. Keep in mind the house was built over 130 years ago. Those foundation walls were poured (were they poured back then?) the same year James Garfield entered (and inelegantly exited) the office of the presidency.

The floor on the opposite side of the basement was a complete puzzle. And a gross looking mess. It turns out that dirt was poking through a thin, cracking layer of concrete.It looks like mold but it's really just plain old ground.

Here's a picture that's meant to make you say, hey, that's not so bad. But below are a couple close ups that look like someone dropped, then ran from, a contagious culture from the CDC.

But guess what, good news abounds. The guys who put in the sump pump came back last week to install drain tiles. The water issues should now be a thing of the past. !!!!! Pics of that project tomorrow.