What a difference a day makes...

If I had written this post yesterday, you would have read all about our weekend, which started with the UK-Morehead game at Rupp and ended with a Paintsville Tea Party (for me; for J it ended with the Colts victory over the Patriots late last night). In between, we were among the few in Central Kentucky who can claim they have been inside 'The Castle' as we attended a fundraiser for the local chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters. I'm still happy to share a couple of pictures from these events, but have many more pictures (and complaints) to share of our basement, so that's where the bulk of this post is headed.

First, Rupp and the Castle--

We had great tickets thanks to a DAR friend of mine who didn't need theirs. Also, there are many more Castle Pictures to share, but I don't have them just yet. Our friends Ryan and Leanna were there as well to photograph the event, so I didn't take my own camera. I'll add a link when those are posted!

Next up, our basement--

There is a show on HGTV called "If Walls Could Talk" that I watch sometimes. It's a neat show that looks into the neat stories people find about their homes when they stumble across boxes in the attic, or find bottles or pictures behind walls and beneath floor boards when they renovate. It must be incredibly cool to find a piece of your home's history hiding behind some drywall.

We aren't those people. The only thing we have found behind our walls are failed attempts to DIY or save money or 'be inventive' with a quick fix. I've mentioned before that we've had numerous repairmen in who start their repairs with some version of "Hmmm...I've never seen it done like this before..." Be it strange wiring, incorrect plumbing or an unorthodox gas line, we've gotten used to finding problems that end up costing us money.

Almost two years ago, our engineer-by-trade previous owner's ice machine line sprang a leak and soaked our basement with tens of gallons of water. (Wait, you didn't know we had an ice machine? Neither did we. He capped it off with the kind of valve you see on the end of the air hose to fill your tires with, and then he hid it behind a cheap refrigerator with no ice-maker in it to sell the house.) We had the line capped and repaired the ruined drywall, thinking that we were done with that issue. We moved on and even started dreaming of doing things to the house that would improve its value. You've read about our plans for the built in shelving in the library and my bathroom reno, and you may have even heard my thoughts for the kitchen and living room. I've had great plans for projects to tackle this winter.

Until today. Well, really, until a few weeks ago, when we noticed a wet spot in the basement drywall. Now, we've been known to have a damp basement, but only when it rains several inches a day for days at a time, and before we installed a dehumidifier. This wet spot was different, but it was also small enough to push aside in my thoughts until after my Northern Kentucky dinner last week. On Thursday night, I finally had the time to investigate and after hammering out a small hole, I discovered that the cap we'd had installed on that darn ice-maker line was leaking. I couldn't get a plumber in on Friday, and it didn't seem to be an emergency, so I left the job of fixing the hole until today.

I left it all until today because I am taking a much deserved day off, when I thought I could tackle several small projects before jumping back into work tomorrow. Instead of tackling several small projects, my morning was spent supervising a plumber who fixed the latest leak, and then ripping out more and more drywall and insulation.

What have my walls told me today? For starters, that the previous owners think it is okay to use nails to install drywall on a ceiling. Really, Mr. Engineer? Don't you think the fact that they make screws called "Drywall Screws" means you should use them? They don't make "Drywall Nails" so what on earth possessed you to use nails in the one part of the basement that actually has gravity pulling against it?

And why am I still pulling down drywall? And what does the insulation have to do with it? Well, both products are backed with paper, and just like Bounty, they wick up water really well. And what happens in cool dark places that get wet? Yup, J and I will be killing some mold and mildew before we get to put our basement back together this time.

The shelves for my built-ins in the library are already ordered, but the rest of my dream-projects are on hold for a while. Figures. Can't wait to learn what other secrets my house is keeping to share at the most inconvenient time.

Title: What a Difference a Day Makes