House flooded

Submitted by sneakyfucker1977 t3_zujg09 in Maine

My two sons and I live in a old log cabin. About 5 years ago, I dropped nearly 15k to install a French drain to prevent flooding.

We discovered its limitations today.

I was putting the finishing touches on a remodel of my sons’ bedroom as part of their Christmas gifts and all hell broke loose.

Water started coming in from 3-4 different spots into the finished basement.

I spend roughly the next 12 hours lugging furniture and whatever else I could carry upstairs. My friend came over the next morning to help tear up the carpet and lug it to the dump.

I was lucky to not lose power (the two ajoining towns were completely blacked out) and to organize industrial dehumidifiers and fans from a local company.

I am very grateful that we didn’t lose power. Lots of folks have it much worse than I do.

Please stay safe out there. I’ve been awake for easily 30 hours straight and need to make dinner for my hungry little boys.

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AcadianCascadian t1_j1jp28e wrote

When the soil is completely saturated like that, there’s nowhere for the water to go, and if you have just a single pipe in the trench, it might have gotten an air bubble in it. Sounds like your sons’ bedrooms were in the basement, which means your Christmas gift to them got trashed 🙁 You’ve got the right attitude though! To make it easier on the kids, if age-appropriate, pretend you’re camping with them and your tent got flooded. Maybe you’ll have s’mores for dinner. And tell them you’re still fixing up their rooms for Christmas, just not quite the way you planned. Get some sleep!

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VegUltraGirl t1_j1jvako wrote

Oh man, so sorry. It’s been a rough few weeks for so many people. Hang in there.

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sneakyfucker1977 OP t1_j1jvx1f wrote

Replying to AcadianCascadian (#1,045,230)

Temporarily trashed. I managed to save everything (except my back).

We are currently watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas in my bedroom. My elder (9 years) touched his forehead to mine and whispered “you can sleep now, Dad.”

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imnotyourbrahh t1_j1jyzah wrote

I had to dig a trench around my log home like a medieval moat to collect the water and send it away. The results have been great.

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gentlemanlyuser t1_j1k03n6 wrote

Replying to sneakyfucker1977 (#1,045,763)

Merry Christmas my friend! I had my share when my daughter was growing up (and now with my parents) but it’s all worth it. Your kids know and will remember your sacrifices for them. You’re being a great example of a Dad. Stay strong you will get through it.

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LIME_09 t1_j1k6x0w wrote

Get some rest and enjoy a Merry Christmas. You are doing the best you can, and you deserve rest. Your family is lucky to have you.

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bored40 t1_j1kb4p7 wrote

Dont forget insurance if you have it!

I had a weird pipe break in my house and flood my finished basement. I was dreading the amount of work involved. Called insurance, the cleared it, cleaned it, and replaced it all and fixed the crappy plumbing so it would not happen again.

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TraditionalPiccolo28 t1_j1kbdqu wrote

💖 hope you're getting some rest now. Merry Christmas and here's to better times!!

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[deleted] t1_j1kbny2 wrote

Great dad . The tough times make you who you are . You sound like a really good person. It’s funny how you can tell that from the way a story is told . This night I will say a little prayer for you and your family . Hang in there .

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xrocket21 t1_j1kcdtk wrote

Such a rare storm, hopefully it wont be a problem in the future.

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otakugrey t1_j1kf9rg wrote

What exactly caused it? I'm unfamiliar with french drains.

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OriginalGordol t1_j1ki1rj wrote

Glad you didn't loose power on top of the flooding. And I hope rebuilding isn't too bad.

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Parrothead1970 t1_j1klljb wrote

I had to redo my finished basement a few years ago due to my water heater splitting and flooding the area. I redid it using a plywood sub floor and rubber click flooring. Now if it happens again I can pull the floors,replace the plywood and put the floor backdown.

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MaineKent t1_j1kolv7 wrote

I'm sure you don't need a random internet stranger to say you sound like an amazing Dad but I'm throwing it out there just in case and for whatever digital karma this may show others.

Hang in there an enjoy an awesome Christmas with your boys tomorrow.

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Knojay131 t1_j1kqsoi wrote

Give TC Hafford Basements a call

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Routine_Ad_5312 t1_j1mbmt5 wrote

Sorry! Glad all are okay. You made some memories! Hopefully we don’t get another storm like this last one.

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sneakyfucker1977 OP t1_j1mhkmy wrote

Replying to otakugrey (#1,047,890)

A French drain is basically a massive trench dug around a building. A drainage pipe is laid at the bottom of the trench and the exhaust is far from the home. The trench is filled with rough gravel.

My best guess is the drain pipe is blocked or frozen. As big as the trench is, it can only hold so much and the water spilt over the edge.

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Lothadriel t1_j1mr1xl wrote

I have been in my home for 10 years and the basement never floods. It flooded from this storm. Had to grab a portable pump and we’re slowly emptying it. Luckily its in an area that won’t really hurt anything, but I’ve never seen so much water down there. It was pouring in the cracks. This storm was crazy.

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Parrothead1970 t1_j1n5vfp wrote

Replying to sneakyfucker1977 (#1,056,866)

I cut my drywall about 4 inches above the floor. I then covered that gap with a rubber kick board I found at Lowe’s. In the hopes that any water doesn’t rise to the Sheetrock before it hits the drain. It’s an experiment that I hope works. Not the most attractive solution, but not really bad either.

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ozzie286 t1_j1osuqz wrote

Replying to sneakyfucker1977 (#1,056,866)

Some "waterproof" laminate flooring is only waterproof from the top. If the water gets under it, it's some kind of wood based material underneath and will get wet and ruined. Not a bad idea, just spring for the stuff that's completely pvc.

Plus, as someone who was a kid once, laminate>carpet>linoleum when it comes to matchbox cars, Legos, etc.

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ozzie286 t1_j1otgl3 wrote

Replying to Knojay131 (#1,049,374)

I called TC Hafford about some cracks in my basement around the bilco/rollway before I bought my house. I expected to be getting an estimate and trying to decipher if it was really necessary or not. Instead, Stacy told me not to worry about it, that basically they all do that, and it wasn't bad enough to be an issue. Was definitely happy with the experience, and 4 years later still no issues, they're just a little unsightly.

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bighead96 t1_j1pcadu wrote

Around here you should get a sump pump and avoid finished basement

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