Of mice and mold

So we returned from vacation knowing we would have to assess the damage from the flooded basement and the leaky attic. We were not surprised to find mold on the drywall and several moldy boxes. We spent the first day back dragging up moldy stuff and trying to dry out the basement. Kevin declared war on the wetness and hooked up a commercial blower along with a dehumidifier and a couple of box fans. The humidity went from somewhere around 300% to 21%. Score one for Kevin.

Kevin also stepped up to the plate to battle a rodent (I am choosing to pretend there was only 1 very energetic mouse in our house) that had a party in our kitchen while we were gone. You can imagine my dismay upon returning "home" to a house I have only lived in for a couple of days, that had a flooded basement and a leaky attic AND a mouse (again, let me believe it is just one). I drug out the bleach and Kevin set up a sticky trap. The next morning at 6:30 am he was outside hitting the unfortunate mouse whose party was officially over with a shovel. I am sure we have already made a fabulous impression on our neighbors.

We also set about doing a simple (famous last word for an owner of an old home) bathroom upgrade, only to discover more mold behind the bathtub wall. So now our quick and easy renovation looks a little like this:

 

Actually, it looks a lot like that, because that really is our tub. Bummer. The ironic thing is that we are not what you would call "handy" people. We basically don't know how to fix anything. But we have jumped (or been thrown) into this and are hoping that soon we will find ourselves relaxing in our house instead of painting/fixing/renovating it.

And just so I don't totally despair, this picture reminds me that there is hope...

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy