Here for my yearly check-in. If you don’t know me, that’s understandable, it’s been a minute. I’m Emily Bowser. I am a freelance stylist and worked for EHD for a few years pre-pandemic. I occasionally come on here and share the woes and wins of buying and owning a house in Los Angeles where I live with my husband (fellow creative and freelancer) and our 3 adorable children.
They are cats.
Last we talked was May 2023 where I “concluded the saga” of my front yard reno that started in April 2021. I am nothing if not proof that overnight renovations are *maybe* for the rich and for home-related TV shows that lie to us about everything (a topic for another day perhaps). We put a nice little bow on that renovation with a beautiful urban garden by Down to Farm. Update: the summer crop was great, maybe a bit out of control tbh:
Today we are going to be talking about renovating my garage.
Quick download/history of the space: We live on a two-on-a-lot and have renters in a back house. Our small house sits above two, one-car garages. The garages are separated by a wall that holds up more than half of our home. Let’s just say, permits in 1930 aren’t what they are now. Each side of the garage is about 7’(ish) wide and 28’ deep. The left side (if you are looking at the house) was “ours”, the right had previously been used by tenants of our back house. We didn’t want our tenants to have to deal with constant flooding, so we took the left side which is lower and more likely to flood. Why didn’t we just fix the flooding? Well, it’s not for lack of trying, but rather, a lack of money. Alas, if you want to put my name in the search bar of this blog, you’ll find quite a few posts that will paint that picture for you.
In my line of work, I need a good amount of space to hoard. Word to the wise, don’t become a stylist (you could put a period right there) if you don’t have excess space (or if you could be happy doing literally anything else). The problem is, we only have 2 closets in our whole house, a small hall closet and a medium clothes closet in our bedroom, and zero attic space. The garage had to be a space for my hoard, Andrew’s hoard, tools, keepsakes, and house overflow (think paper towels, toilet paper, cat litter, etc). We did the best with what we had, it was organized chaos. Because of the frequent flooding, everything had to be in waterproof bins and/or off the floor. Every time I had a job it was like a game of Jenga. It was tough, there wasn’t enough space to move around or pack things up and often my driveway looked like this:
In 2021 I started a project that took me over a year to finish: I photographed every single decor item I owned and made a spreadsheet so that I wouldn’t have to tear my garage apart (as much) every time I had to pack up for a job.
Rewinding a bit – In late 2020 new tenants were moving in and announced they had no need for the garage *cue the heavenly sound effect*. I immediately started planning Andrew’s eviction. Just a reminder, because it’s never not funny that we lived like this, THIS was his office in peak COVID times:
The old tenants moved out and in Sept of 2020, Ron, our slippery contractor did $5,000 of “waterproofing” on the back of the garage (spoiler alert: it did NOT in fact proof any water). We painted the space, threw down a jute rug, put a piece of plywood on a set of Ikea drawers, bought a space heater, and said “good enough” for THREE YEARS.
In April of 2021, we began the construction on the front yard, there’s like a 34 part series about it on the blog. In one of those, I talked about how, in trying to help the unending issue of my garage flooding, we put in a french drain in front of the garage and also extended our “landing space” at the top of the steps into a full-on patio. One problem we were having was water dripping down the house, directly into the top of the garage door on the left, the patio created an overhang to help keep water out. Extending our patio inadvertently added about 50 square feet to the garage and when your whole house is only 860 square feet, every foot counts.
To recap: Andrew moved into the garage in Sept 2020 and it was a huge improvement for him…and our relationship 🙂 We catnapped Gremmy off the street in Jan of 2021 and there he lived for NINE months. Turns out he was feral and needed a lot of rehabbing. We began the front yard makeover in April of 2021. Andrew wrote a movie, launched a Kickstarter for said movie, and did all the preproduction in that garage. Don’t worry, when he left to location scout in Sep 2021 I made him rehome Gremmy upstairs. When he came home from shooting, he returned to the garage to edit his movie and got into Sundance 2023. Cat tax:
The garage luckily stayed pretty cool, until 95 degrees or so, then it became a hot box, but he was able to make it work with fans when it was hot and space warmers when it was cold, outside of a few weeks of the year where he would come work out of the dining room. Despite the efforts to fix the flooding, we only curtailed it slightly. We had many, many more floodings, too many to keep count of but it *mostly* stayed on “my” side of the garage however, there were a few times that it was so bad that it overflowed into the other side. Many days were spent wet-vac-ing, dehumidifying, and fanning out the space. We tried to keep Ron accountable but the slippery man ghosted me for real this time. It seems as though the only way I was able to keep him around fixing things for years is because we owed him money, but as soon as he had our money (about $260,000 from 2016-2021) he was gone. Le sigh, we learned a lot about a contractor relationship, that’s for sure. All that to say, we knew the water was more than a nuisance, that it probably was getting to the point where it may be a safety hazard for Andrew to continue working down there, not to mention the framing of the garage held up the living room, guest bedroom, hall, and bathroom upstairs.
After the front yard saga, long after Ron was gone, I started slowly working with a contractor named Javier, who I’ve loved working with. He did smaller projects in late 2022 for us, like the hot tub area and our mini-kitchen makeover. It was nice to be able to build trust with smaller projects before jumping into something that was a lot more expensive. At the end of 2022, I asked Javier to give me an estimate for what needed to be done in the garage. I guess one fortunate thing about the fact that we forget what rain even is for 9 months of the year is that I knew I would have until October of 2023, almost a full year later, to save up before the rain started again. I wanted to know what it would cost to raise the floor up (it was lower than the driveway, making any water that entered, pool inside of the space), truly waterproof the ENTIRE garage (which included a French drain behind the garage, under the house), put in a few more overhead lights, temperature control the space and add a toilet and a sink. His estimate came back at $25,000 and so we started scraping and saving. As these things go, the budget ballooned. We added a couple of small things, among them were adding storage under the house in the crawl space along with some shelves under the stairs and putting a concrete slab on the side of the house so that we could put in a 10’x4’ shed. Unfortunately, the biggest budget buster was one of those fun ones that happen only as you are ripping walls down and it’s too late to turn back. The prior water damage and termite infestation (we got a new roof and tented for termites when we bought the house) were on full display when the walls were removed and the framing for most of the house was exposed. If you touched the 28’ beam that divided the two spaces and held most of our house up, it LITERALLY turned to dust. I’ll spare you the nervous breakdown. $45,000 later, we had our new garage. Of course, it clearly was very important that we did this work, it is technically very good money spent but, you know, it’s $20,000 more than we were expecting. I am older and wiser now, but I just want to say this for renters in case it’s unclear to anyone: don’t buy a house unless you have a niceeeee cushion financially or you will be stressed out every month for…ever? “Throwing your money away” because of renting vs buying is not the only factor to consider. For example, there isn’t really a price one can put on the certainty of knowing “this is exactly what I am going to owe every month for this agreed-upon amount of time”. Budgeting monthly as a renter is 10000% easier IMHO. I know about the uncertainties that can exist when renting, we did it for a long time, I’m just saying there are uncertainties when you own as well, like the thing that your entire financial future is hinged on (my situation) may literally crumble to the ground unless you throw $20,000 at it, immediately. I enjoy owning a house and despite everything, I’m still glad I did it (I’ll admit as soon as I typed that I was like – “am I??”) and I would still, if I sold the house right now, make money. I just think there’s something to be said about having your money in your pocket vs tied up and I am here for you, renters, to reflect on, “Do I want that?”
Here’s some fun transformations of the space as a palette cleanser:
We were out of town, had COVID for the first time, and then out of town again for most of the construction so my process photos are few, but let me try to explain a couple of things. On the right side wall, on the right side of the garage, there are doors that access under the house, you can’t see well in the straight on but you can see a little better here:
That is our crawl space where we now keep keepsakes, holiday stuff, etc. The stuff you don’t need often. It’s also, for safety reasons (stays very temperate), where we keep extra paint. There’s another door partially open on the far end of the wall in the photo above, that’s the storage under the stairs where Andrew keeps a good amount of gear. Both are important to be able to access and had to be considered when deciding where to put furniture.
As mentioned, we live in a one-bathroom home, which most of the time is ok. It’s funny to me to think that the experience of most people in the US is having multiple bathrooms with multiple sinks and vanities etc. We have 2 sinks in our house: our teeny tiny bathroom sink (if you use it for anything other than washing your hands, you have to put down a towel) and our very standard kitchen sink. I wash my face in the kitchen sink. I also clean my paintbrushes in the kitchen sink. These things are normal to me and probably not for a lot of people. Adding this utility sink was *chef’s kiss*. I wanted a very “garage” vibe because I didn’t want to have to worry about the surface if I was cleaning paint brushes, for example. But like, make it chic, right? I found this old workbench on Craigslist and asked Javier if he could make it work to not only house the sink but also cut out a space to put a small fridge Andrew already had in the garage.
The toilet. I LOVE this toilet. My grandmother had the exact one in her bathroom and it’s giving nostalgia. I bought it on eBay, it is vintage but never used. I decided against a door for the toilet room because of limited space. My plan was always a thick curtain and yes, my contractor did think I was weird. We did put in a very loud fan/light to help make it feel more private though.
Walking through that empty space was, I have to admit, very satisfying. Bank account was on E but the bills were paid, and at last, it felt like a real space that people should actually be in. The extra space we created by putting in the shelves in the crawl space and the shed on the side of the house was going to be game-changing for me particularly. The left side of the garage would finally just be mine, I wouldn’t be sharing it with all the misc storage and power tools. I would be able to organize and find props when I needed them. Honestly making space for myself and my career literally, helped me do so figuratively as well. This made my decision to go out on my own as a stylist feel more “official”.
Now we just had to put all of this away:
As you can see, we took out portions of the middle wall. Before there was no way to get from one side to the other without walking outside. We did this for 2 reasons 1) the AC had to be installed on my side of the garage unless we wanted to put it on the front of the house because it’s the only wall that is an exterior wall. We obviously didn’t want the eyesore, not to mention we didn’t want to make any of the doors non-functioning. The opening on either side of the center wall helps with airflow for the mini-split. 2) in order to fit a kitchenette in the space we needed a larger wall to put it against and the plumbing needed to be in the back right corner because of where the water/sewage was under our house (the bathroom upstairs sits right above). The layout just made sense to place an opening in the front and back. I considered just having support beams where necessary through the center and keeping a more visually open layout. After drawing everything this way and that, I realized I needed wall space. My side needed to be primarily shelves and this is an example of when having things closed off more you can actually make more use of the space thus making it feel bigger because you can fit more things in it, vs open so visually “bigger” but not as functional. I had this experience in my upstairs office/guestroom/workout room. The more stuff I put in it the bigger it felt because I could now use it for so much more than when it just had a couch and a dresser.
It was a few months before we had furniture from Article, which was ok, we needed to unpack a lot of boxes and I had a lot of measuring and planning to do on my side of the garage. One of the first things I bought was a custom jute rug for the right side. Custom rugs on Etsy are my favorite. I had a few smaller vintage rugs I wanted to layer in to warm up the space and separate out the different areas, but the jute rug helps keep it all cohesive.
The rug is 7’ wide by 17’ long. It helps with sound, coziness, and warmth in the winter. We measured and taped out the furniture but for a couple of months, Andrew lived with folding tables as we unpacked and planned.
On my side, I picked out shelving and figured out how I could display and store my throws and towels at the same time. I settled on wall-mounted curtain rods.
I was fresh off of a project where the designer William Hunter and I used vintage textiles in some really unconventional ways and was feeling very inspired. I got to work finding vintage fabric for the curtain to go under the sink and to be the toilet “door”. As well as sourcing custom curtain rods and rings for said curtains.
As life goes, this is what it looked like for a few months. I wanted the space to feel textured and layered and vintage so on and on I sourced for cabinets and lights and towel hooks and toilet paper holders and trash cans etc etc while we waited for Article furniture to arrive and then…
YAY!! So exciting!! So THANKFUL!
And here’s where we would cut to pretty photos Sara took but…
bum bum BUM….
My
Garage
Flooded
Again.
…
..
.
I honestly don’t know if I have the capacity to write about this, emotionally speaking. Maybe that’s why I’ve been having such a hard time getting this blog written. I got the furniture, we set it up, we were waiting for a few vintage pieces to show up, I turned FORTY, I finally finished organizing every single prop I owned, physically and digitally, and then it rained. And rained and rained and rained. The sump pump failed (don’t they always) and that added to the problem. The 17” long rug? SOAKED. New drywall? Soaked. Beautiful new polished concrete floors? Cracked, with water coming through the seams.
There aren’t words.
And apparently, there aren’t photos either. I think I made Andrew deal with it while I disassociated? He doesn’t keep photos because he doesn’t believe in the cloud and saves all his photos on actual hard drives like he’s 100 years old. I have to finish this blog so we don’t have time for that. Just imagine pretty much the finished photos I’m about to show you but then also WET. It was sooooooo cool.
I do have exactly one photo of the sump pump failing:
Taken around 1 am and sent to Javier in a panic. This contractor experience was very different though. Javier came over, in the middle of the night and wet-vac-ed (not a word) for hours. Over the following weeks (as it continued to rain) they repaired all the water damage, figured out where things were still failing, and fixed them. At least we all hope. He’s actually coming over next week to look over a few things before our next rainy season starts. Y’all, I may be fighting a losing battle. We’ll see.
I think this is a good place to pause. Tomorrow I will be back with the conclusion of this saga. Please come back and fire off any questions in the comment section below.
If you could have heard my audible gasp!
My child:“Mom! Are you ok?”
Great story telling as always, EB, but so very sorry this was your story to tell.
Bowser, I’ve missed your posts! So relatable in lots of ways. You seem scrappy and resilient (in a good way).
Back in the day I liked your design style (bedroom and living room, I think?) before I remember all the hardcore renovation posts. I hope to see you back more.
As someone who dealt with consistent flooding in our last home, I feel this to my toes!! I can’t help but wonder if there is a typo in how much you paid slippery Ron. $260,000!!!! You threw that in CASUALLY. Could it have been $26,000?
if he was the contractor for the entirety (2016-2024?) of their renovation of the property that number sounds right.
Good point! I’m not familiar with the extent of other work they’ve done- thanks for the reality check!
yeah, it was a very extensive renovation, both houses on the property taken down to the studs, pretty much everything that could go wrong went wrong etc etc
I completely see now- that number makes sense. I just misunderstood! I am crossing my fingers and toes and sprinkling fairy dust that your garages stay freakin’ dry!!’
The raw reality of Bowser’s posts and honest life keep me coming back. This is what I am here for. No notes. Sending good vibes!
I LOVE Emily Bowser posts. What a ride. Eager for tomorrow’s blog 🙂
Omg nooooooo. I felt that in my bones when you said it flooded again. But have loved reading about your renovation. Thanks for sharing the ups and downs with us!
Just wow. I am so sorry the result isn’t going well. I know nothing about flooding but do live in a rainy area that is quickly getting more built up by the day. Some things I noticed they are doing now is not allowing so much concrete in the yard space. People have to use pavers and rocks and the least amount of concrete possible to help with run off. They also have to put in “dips” in the grassy area to hold extra water. Of course all of this is more money out and might not even apply to your problem but thought I would mention it. I’m glad you have those adorable kitties to snuggle with!!
Yep, all that concrete is probably part of the problem. A sump pump removes water from inside, but you really want to prevent it from coming in in the first place. That can entail regrading and otherwise redirecting the water. In really heavy rain, a French drain can overflow. If the garage space is below grade, it’s probably always going to be at risk of flooding and renovations should be planned accordingly. This is especially true since we’re going to be seeing more heavy rain events in coming years. (I know it’s a bummer. I also live in a small old house with limited space. But you gotta plan for resilience.)
“Rain events.” 😄 You must be a scientist of some kind! My husband is an ecologist and uses that phrase all the time.
yeah we live at the bottom of a slight hill and a few hundred years ago it was a part of a nearby river so the soil is not very absorbent it just does what a river does, pushed water through. When we bought the house the entire lot was completely and I mean COMPLETELY concrete. We came to find out the hard way that was their way of pushing the water away from the house instead of regrading.
Ugh. Moved into a house during the pandemic where this was the neighbors’ strategy too, and now all their rainwater ends up on our property. Their property is basically a parking lot that has been graded toward our property. Feels like we are the neighborhood sewer during LA ‘rain events.’ I hate these neighbors.
That is so messed up! And is that even legal?
It is almost certainly illegal, but so very common in LA unfortunately.
Emily, agh!! I have no words – we are currently dealing with a 3+year leak in our apartment, so I feel your pain so much. Tragedy aside, I love your updates and I feel like you do such a good job expressing the joy/benefits of home ownership while being really generously candid about the challenges. I will be crossing all my fingers for you that you can figure this out and get some consistent years without water inside your home!
Water leaks can be so hard to isolate and control. I wish you and Andrew good luck with this and I hope that you find a lasting fix soon. Also your cats are adorable.
Omg I am HEARTBROKEN for you. I’ve had a kitchen leak and bathroom leak, NOTHING like what you have dealt with, and that was tough. Also, I do not believe you are forty your pic looks like you are 22!
childfree 🙂
I kid I kid. Thank you, you are sweet but also I wouldn’t post an unflattering picture would I?
YAY- always a treat to get an article from Emily. So sorry that you have experienced all of these issues. You are the epitome of perseverance.
God. This was so stressful to read. Phew. Sending a hug to you, and Andrew, and all your kitties.
Oh no, Emily! I’m so sorry. You really have the most rotten luck. I loved this post though, and want 100000 more like it! Authentic, well-written stories with a clear voice and personal investment instead of link-tests and unrelatable luxury. Really glad that you found Javier! (Side-note: a post about how to vet contractors would be great. Finding a trustworthy, reliable contractor feels like such a high-stakes, dangerous crapshoot!)
What she said! Love your guest appearances.
For anyone who can’t afford to buy their own home or chooses not to, I highly recommend following Jeremy @personalfinanceclub. He’s a huge proponent of renting over buying and has a lot of compelling reasons why your money’s better spent elsewhere. I happen to have been able to buy a small home, and of course am fortunate and privileged to have done so, and also it’s not the only way to invest successfully. And we’re delaying a $100k foundation project because that will double our mortgage (due to the change in loan rates) and we can’t do that right now. Crossing fingers The Big One waits a few more years! Very kewl 🙂
The NYT has a great, free calculator called Is It Better to Rent or Buy? A Financial Calculator.
good info! thanks! Especially with climate and financial instability these days, there’s a lot to be said about being more flexible with renting.
Plus one to Tana’s recommendation of buy-vs-rent, having that calculator and going through the math helps me feel better about my status as a renter.
As Emily has *vividly* described, owning can lead to very large unexpected cost and even if you have better luck avoiding the unexpected unpleasants investing your $$ in the stock market often ends up getting you to a pretty similar spot in the end.
Oh Emily, I just want to give you a big hug. What an ordeal that garage has been for you. I just can’t even imagine how stressful. It was stressful just reading it. I hope Javier figured it out.
Me: this story will have drama
Me: where is the drama?
Me: I’ve been reading about this basement and Emily’s remodeling projects for years… I know there’s drama
Me: maybe this story will just end with cute pics? I love that for Emily.
Me: ohhhhhhhhhhhh. sends hugs.
Same, haha! I started to get nervous when the carpet was laid down and those boxes of beautiful furniture came in…
Joy! A Bowser post! When I saw this, I was immediately motivated to brush my teeth, have my shower and jump into bed to luxuriate while reading. I LOVE the honesty and richness of these posts.
As well-written and human as ever, I couldn’t enjoy it because of the outcome! I feel so upset for you.
I have a garage that floods in the winter rains too, and likewise have spent more than $11,000 putting in soak wells, run-offs etc to find that yes, it still floods regularly in our otherwise dry and hot climate. Mine is still unrenovated so was interested to hear how you’d solved this problem.
So glad that Javier is helping you sort out and truly hope there is a happy ending to this in the next instalment. Thanks for sharing and being a standout on the internet (you and Orlando) for keeping the reno stories real!! My fingers are crossed for you.
aw. Orlando!
I have a feeling the flooding will continue on some level, hopefully in a way that isn’t as overwhelming.
Thanks for your kind words (and everyone else’s too!)
Oh no, I am so heartbroken for you. I was not expecting that terrible twist at the end. I am glad you are having a better contracting experience with Javier, and I so hope you are able to get it all corrected. Hugs from across the country in New Hampshire <3
Emily B– I love when.you post. You have such a way of finding humor in the agony and joy of home ownership. I think a lot of us due to homeownership being a carrot and the romance from home decor and reno shows idealize while your documentation is more like a documentary.
I am also on the other side of a massive home renovation and I have to say there’s a lot of boring structural things you have to spend money on before theres (barely!) any money left for the fun stuff. Who knew?
I am so sorry Emily. We had a similar situation. It is not easy to fix inside the house. We found out that is all about the geological plane (how the house is situated) and percentage of non-permeable surfaces and soil porosity around the house. We had to find a geological engineer and also consulted civil engineers in our township. They addressed it by installing new catch drains and diverters in the paving in the street over a block away at the top of the hill behind our house. We also had to add a bio swale around the house. I hope you can find the right people to help.
Was it hard to convince your local council to do that work? I find my local council very uninterested in these issues and would love to know how you got them engaged and cooperating.
I have the same question as Sally (and was this in the US?) Our property is ~downhill from our neighbors and they’ve “helpfully” installed drainage rocks to shunt all their yard water away from their property onto, you guessed it, our property. We have multiple bio swales and catch drains and it’s still freakin’ Niagara Falls into our basement after a bad mid-west rain storm.
Sally and Damia
Yes, in Pennsylvania. It’s a long story but there were enough people on the street affected by this and we were relentless. We took videos of how the water flowed and how slow the drainage was at the sewer intakes.
sounds expensive and amazing!
Not as expensive as you would think. It’s worth a consultation with a civil engineer or geological specialist to determine the root cause so that the money spent on remediation actually solves the problem.
Emily Bowser’s posts are my favorite. Beautiful design choices and honest, relatable writing.
OMG!! That is heartbreaking!
But I always tell myself that if no one is injured, it’s gonna be alright. Can’t imagine the horrendous cost!
Sending a hug and good karma!
Don’t give up! Also, home TV shows lie to us? But but but what about Restored with Brett Waterman? His feels the most authentic. Anyway, living in LA in a small home built in 1923, I feel your pain and I know the tenacity it takes. Keep fighting the good fight.
Brett doesn’t lie to us. I refuse to believe it, bucko.
to be fair, I’ve never watched this show.
Oh my, what a tale. (And sooo well told.) You’ve invested so much that maybe, now, this isn’t viable but with so many chronic problems on a small property, why isn’t this a teardown? I mean this with genuine curiosity, zero judgment.
haha, well you’re not wrong.
Hindsight is 20/20 mostly? Some kind of chronic case of optimism? Possibly a contractor not being 100 about what needed to be done but instead slowly letting it happen until I was so entangled in the process the only way out was through?
Bowser is all of us. Please start a blog!
lol. God. I wish my ADHD wasn’t so crippling that writing takes me 8 times longer than any normal person.
I was just doing a quick peruse on my lunch break and then had to make another cup of tea when I saw there was a Bowser post so I could dig in. Like everyone else, I think your writing is so funny and relatable and I also thought there would finally be a happy ending to this story. I let out an audible “Nooooo!” when I got to the twist. I am on the edge of my seat for tomorrow’s conclusion and sending you all the good vibes and commiseration. Flooding is the WORST!
Your writing, even retelling a veritable disaster, is so good. So glad you’re back. So sorry this happened. Always love the images you share. They’re good for endless inspo.
Gah!!! So sorry this is happening. Can’t imagine the depths of frustration/disbelief/panic. And can’t wait to read part 2 tomorrow! Fingers crossed you found a long term solution.
I’m so vicariously invested in your home saga after reading about it for all of these years! (Maybe especially as a dedicated, life long renter? What I’ve learned/confirmed is that I’m not cut out for the types of scenarios you’ve encountered, and neither is my bank account!) Everything you’ve done with the house and yard is so clever and visually satisfying. Relieved that you’re working with Javier now, eager to read tomorrow’s post, fingers crossed for the flooding being resolved for good, and hopeful for photos of your grown in front yard and back yard?
Sara Tramp and I were talking about re-shooting our bedrooms, because we’ve each switched things up, maybe I’ll make her take some pics of the yard then.
Keep renting! 🙂
Ugh I totally feel this pain. We had flooding during the hurricane a couples months ago and our contractors just discovered the source today – a crack in the foundation. Going to be a huge headache and probably a lot of money! The only positive is that we hadn’t started the landscaping yet.
Ohhhhh I am sending such good wishes and moral support! And thank goodness Javier is responsive. Best, best wishes for everything working out.
oh gurl. I’m so so sorry. Thank you for writing this. I’m building a new house right now and all your past posts about actual costs and contractor problems have been echoing in my head because we hit water problems digging our foundation that one of our subs refused to take seriously or address in a way we were comfortable with. Big drama – and now we have a new person and drains everywhere but for real, the garage flooding again on you just broke my heart. Thank goodness this blog actually talks about the real costs of those things, it is one of the few places I can look to for that kind of real information.
Aaaw, hon. 😞 I literally groaned out loud as I read that last part. That SUCKS. I was so excited for you guys to finally have the garage resolved. I can only imagine what a gut punch that must have been. I’m so sorry. It’s amazing that Javier was so responsive, though. He sounds like a total pro and a good person.
On a positive note, that picture of you and the cat at the top of the post is absolutely stunning! 40 and fabulous! Wishing you guys all the best.
So sorry to hear this saga. We live in the Midwest and can get serious rains in a short period of time. We’ve had sump pumps, but what happens if the electricity goes out? In our house with the sump pump we put in a battery operated backup system, as the sump ran around the clock when the ground was saturated. Maybe something to investigate?
Omg I’m dying. This sucks ass, Bowser! Can’t wait to see tomorrow’s post though, both for some drama resolution and because you always do the most beautiful designs. Thanks for sharing all the woes we are rooting for you.
Truly – everyone, thank you so much for the kind words. It almost makes this whole ordeal worth it 🙂 I’ll see you in the part 2 comments XO
Oh NO!!! That was such a heart breaking tale to read. I was so hopeful the nightmares were behind you. Sending a lot of compassion your way and majorly crossing my fingers that Javier will stay awesome and figure it out.
We have dealt with flooding basements in our old houses here in Maine. Once we put up exterior gutters and strategically placed French drains, the flooding issues have resolved. We even convinced our neighbors to do the same things and theirs has revolved as well. However, we just bought a cottage with floody-basement issues and it’s an entirely different “fix”. You have to identify the issue. If it’s runoff from a higher elevation, French drains and bringing in fill may be the remedy (or raising the house onto a higher foundation). Ask Javier about the cause of the flooding and if adding gutters would help. We directed our gutters to fill directly into the French drain that led out to the yard and driveway. Some people have them drain into reclaimed water basins for gardening. Good luck. Water in the house sucks! Keep you eye on your roof too. Leaky roof=disaster too.
You know, we have a flat roof and all of the water dumps onto one place, the left side of the house (if you’re looking at at) we’ve definitely had some of flooding there so I wonder if we just redirect it a little forward to the french drain if that would help some? Good question to ask Javier. Thanks!
I am so sorry. Beyond heartbreaking for you two. Pray that you had/have insurance. Good for Javier. It is absolutely 💯 NOT a losing battle. I want you to have beautiful, functional spaces and peace of mind.
These are the posts that keep me coming back: the ones that deal with real life home issues, in a real life budget – it makes the blog become relatable. And taking of being able to relate, I live in Portland in an older house, that has flooding problems in the basement. It’s depressing and overwhelming. This morning I had to go down, move things around and use old towels to soak up the water. Ugh. I truly hope you find a solution!
well, I get what you mean but “real” is relative isn’t it? I’m glad to be a sounding board for those who feel this is relatable. My house wouldn’t last one day in the pacific northwest lol, good luck to you!
Excellent writing Emily, can’t wait to hear the update. So sorry you’re dealing with this. I own a small condo; while I am lucky to not have property expenses, I do pay ~$10,000 per year in condo fees, $5,000 per year in taxes, and just recently had sudden $12,000 assessment (amount due in addition to condo fees, with 30 days notice) for roof repairs. Despite living in an appealing neighborhood in a major city, my condo has only appreciated about $50k in the last five years—just enough to cover the cost of closing fees if I were to sell, with no real profit. Part of me definitely wishes I had kept renting and invested my down payment in mutual funds, where returns would have been higher. Anyway—just sharing this experience for all the renters out there, the grass is not always greener! That being said, Emily I admire your resilience and “life admin” capabilities to get this figured out, looking forward to hearing more!
Oh noooo! Heart. Broken. I’m so sorry. All of us want so badly for everything to work out. I can’t even imagine how hard this has been. 🙁
PS: You did get me at the beginning though. I paused and thought, “When did she have 3 kids???”
OH NO!!!! I hated to read the crash landing. The whole while I was reading the post, in the back of my head I was thinking I hope it doesn’t flood again. You deserve some smooth sailing. Glad the garden you installed in the front has yielded so much good produce.
My reaction when I read the headline: “wahooo! She’s back!”
I am so sorry. I could cry after the end of your post. Forehead is wrinkling for you. Question, why not go though an architect and get engineers in there?? Yes contractors will still do the constructing and it could still suck but architects are there to protect the health safety and welfare of the public. This situation is not healthy or good for your welfare! Please please please tell me a structural engineer looked at lateral loads.
Btw this month they released an ASTM standard for evaluating the resilience of a property. Could potentially impact how people look at property but maybe commercial properties only..
Oh my god. The whole time I read this, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. And then when you said that the furniture from Article arrived and you set it up, I berated myself for being pessimistic. Sigh. My husband was like, “What? What?? What are you reading?” when I audibly gasped and clutched my heart! Sorry hubs. I can’t believe what a freaking roller coaster this has been – I sincerely hope you get a happy ending.
Hurley shirt.
I can’t even describe how much I loved this post. Completely real-world and relatable for someone like me who bought a cheap fixer-upper with starry-eyed optimism!!! And also has lots of stuff to store and also a husband with even more stuff. Thank you.
We’re now living in an independent living senior community after 32 years in a brick Tudor built in 1930. If something leaks or breaks or misfunctions, I call in a work order and skilled professionals, either onsite or outside contractors, come and fix it. Some tricky issues may take more than one visit. But it gets done and is covered by our monthly payment.
Bowser, you reminded me why we moved. We’re too old for this sh*t. Your home is and will be beautiful and warm and reflect you in the best possible way, but only you will know what it really cost you, financially, physically and emotionally.
Dudeeeeee. This is a saga that I relate to although we are lucky enough (?) to rent, not own. We live in a 1930s-era back house in Ventura with an attached garage that floods when it rains. It’s the bane of my boyfriend’s existence and he is always “prepping for rain” whenever it’s on the forecast (currently prepping for tomorrow as I type this, lol). We have somehow figured out a system between one of these things outside the garage door, tarps, towels, etc. My boyfriend ALSO doesn’t believe in the cloud and uses his iPhones as hard drives, haha. When you first mentioned that you raised the garage floor up, I expected you to raise it much more so you needed to step up into the garage. I’m assuming you did it this way so that they could be used as garages again for resale? Probably too late now, but I wonder if this is something you could try? If the garage floor was something like 4″ above the driveway floor it would have to flood a decent amount before it could come in there, right?