Hey everyone! Last week I shared my plans for my kitchen/dining room remodel for the One Room Challenge. I have to say, I am still so excited to see the transformation over the next few weeks. Before getting started with the remodel, I laid out a timeline for myself so I had a plan of attack. The first thing to go would be the granite backsplash. As I said in my previous post, I hated those mountains and I couldn’t wait to install crisp, clean white subway tiles. I started by removing all of the outlet covers so as to not damage them when removing the backsplash. That’s when it all went to hell in a hand basket.
I noticed that the drywall seemed to be bulging around this particular outlet. I started feeling around the wall and noticing that the whole wall seemed to have a bit of a bulged out feel. Only one thing could be responsible for that, and I think you may know where I’m going with this.
Yep! Water damage. At this point, we didn’t know the extent of it. All we knew was that we could smell the moisture and once we cut a hole in the wall, and started pulling out damp insulation, we knew it was going to be a big undertaking to get it all straightened out.
We called our insurance agent, who said to call a mitigation company to come assess the damage and also start drying out the wall. They cut out the drywall, removed cabinets, and set up fans, a dehumidifier, and an air scrubber. The noise was deafening and having to listen to it for three days was enough to make me want to snap! We discovered that the damage was caused by a roof leak and with all of our recent storms, it’s been wrecking havoc on the inside of our walls.
By Monday afternoon, the walls were thankfully dry and the equipment was removed. Now we wait and pray that the insurance adjuster calls us with good news. Especially since the technique the mitigation company used on our granite to keep it in place when they knocked out the lower cabinets caused it to crack.
Needless to say, the kitchen remodel came to a screeching halt before it really even got started. I was able to remove the rest of the backsplash in the kitchen and dining room, but am sort of stuck in limbo until we hear back from our insurance company. I’m still planning to get the whole thing done in time for the final reveal on May 11th, so we’ll see how that all goes! Something tells me a lot of coffee, wine and tears will be involved to get to that point, but the end result will be so worth it!
Oh no! That’s terrible–fingers crossed that you hear from your insurance soon! Thank goodness you found this before it did even more damage.
Agree! I am definitely grateful that we discovered it. It could have gotten so much worse and cost a lot more money the more time went by.
Oh no! There is always something when it comes to remodeling….I hope that is the only problem you get…I’m always impressed when people tackle their kitchen for ORC, can’t wait to see your final transformation!!!
It’s like opening Pandora’s box when you decide to remodel. You just never know what you’ll find;)
Oh goodness! I can only image the stress this has caused – extra money and time and the hassle of it all. We’re remodeling our kitchen too for the ORC and I know from my own experience over the last couple of weeks that these types of roadblocks are not fun. Wishing you lots of luck – pour the coffee, pour the wine and know one way or another it will work out and you’ll be cooking in that dream kitchen soon enough.
Thank you Erin! Yes, it’s a huge amount of stress added to an already stressful project, but I’m hoping with some determination, and above-mentioned beverages that I can get it all done in time;)
That is horrible, I am so sorry! Every project throws some curve balls or unexpected things, but wow, what you uncovered was just terrible. Keep the faith!
That’s a huge bummer, but at least you found it before it got worse. I can’t wait to see how your kitchen turns out!!!
Haha! It’s one of those moments where all you can really do is laugh at the situation. I swear it’s the story of my life.
Bless your heart! That is a major buzz kill! Hope everything works out in a timely fashion for you! Good luck:)
It definitely is, but I’m refusing to give up! I’m hoping to still share a big reveal on May 11th!
Bummer about the water:( We have water issues too with our basement. Finally found the culprit, 6 inch gap in the garage roof that was leaking. Hopefully that fixes it. Luckily we haven’t had any significant rain since then. I might need to take some of your tips to get my room looking great again.
So discouraging, but lucky that you signed up for the challenge or the damage could have gotten so much worse before you noticed it. Good luck!
Oh no!! I hate that this happened, but I’m so glad you all caught it before it got any worse!
Thank you, Jen! It’s a bit heartbreaking, but it’s the joys of homeownership!
This is one of those news you don’t want to hear about when you start some renovations around the house. Specially when it wasn’t planned like a roof leak …
Even though you’ve discovered that leak and gave you tears 🙂 … it was probably a good thing to discovered than now rather than 5 years down the line …
But I admire the courage and strength to deal with the situation.
Hopefully by this time you’ve already installed your dreamed kitchen as well.
Adria