Blessing in Disguise (SOL17 #21)

A few years we awoke after a night full of storms to the electricity out. I didn't think anything of it, the power goes out all the time after storms like that. What I didn't know, as a new homeowner, was that when the power goes off that the sump pump also doesn't work. That meant about six inches of water in our finished basement. Needless to say it was a total nightmare. We had to remove everything. Drywall, carpet, floors, EVERYTHING. One could look at this as a nightmare, or decide to change our mindset and look at it as an opportunity. That's what we chose to do. 

Luckily my husband comes from a family that is full of handy people. His grandfather owned a hardware store and taught Phil's father, along with the rest of their family a smattering of useful skills when it comes to re-doing your basement. By all working together, slowly but surely, we created a finished basement of our dreams. We learned a ton, and took such pride in the work that we had completed because it was all our own. 

Just before Thanksgiving of 2016 we finished up the last phase of the remodel, the bathroom. (I told you, slowly, but surely). Phil took on much of the bathroom remodel on his own, and did the work on the bathroom after finishing a full day at his real job. I couldn't be prouder of his perseverance and the results. 

                     

While at the time the flood seemed like it was the worst thing that could possibly happen, really it helped us to grow and conquer a problem together as new homeowners. It was definitely a blessing in disguise.