The Great Flood of 2009

We've had some warm days lately (at least for MN in February!). Normally this would be cause for celebration and walking around in just a sweatshirt.

But with these warmer temps comes melting and dripping. This does not make for happy days at our house. Don't get me wrong, we're ready for spring (specifically softball if you ask me!) but all this water is wreaking havoc on our house and my poor husband's sanity.

I'm not sure how many of you remember last spring when we had water in the basement of our newly purchased house. It was terrible! Ryan lived here alone and couldn't sleep or eat for a week as the water made its way into our basement. We pulled up the carpet, moved everything out of the family room and kept vigil with the shop vac. We did get someone out to repair the problem (a crack in the garage foundation and water running from the garage under the door and into our basement). The rest of the spring and anytime we had a hard rain our sump pump would go off like crazy. But we lived to tell about it and never had wet carpet again.

Until yesterday...

Don't panic. No water in our basement yet. But the garage steps are filling up again and our backyard has a 4 foot wide lake just taunting us outside the garage. Last night when we got home from work we discovered the water on the steps. The original repair work from last year seems to be holding. But the water is still finding its way in on higher steps and then trickling down to the landing.

When we went to bed the water was at a slow trickle. Ryan never slept. He got up at 2 to check on it and woke me with "the landing is all wet". We were up for an hour shop vac-ing, attaching longer hoses to the sump pump and rigging up some golf tees to direct the water flow. I know...golf tees? I'll explain.

When the man repaired the garage last year, he patched the crack and dug out the entire landing to tie it into the drain tile for the house. When he replaced the cement in the landing he edged the entire thing in ribbed plastic. If we looked down the behind the plastic we could see a deep hole. At 2am we discovered that the water coming onto the steps was flowing down over the plastic and settling in the landing. But if we held the plastic out from the steps the water flowed behind it and down into the drain tile and off to the sump pump. So, the golf tees where used as little shims to hold the plastic out and allow the water to flow behind it. And the landing has been dry ever since. My husband is brilliant and resourceful!

Despite getting back in bed at 3:15 neither of us slept until after 5. I'm at home on flood patrol and Ryan will be back around lunch to meet the cement guy. He is going to stop by and see if there is anything he can do.

That's where we stand. Please pray for peace about the whole situation.

It looks like regrading our yard might be in our near future. We'll keep you posted...

Lake Bohlen

Behind the garage

The steps and landing

The golf tee shims

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