Ever Wonder What Home Ownership Means Post Flooding?
True story from Robyn, a Boulder home owner on her experience following the 2013 flooding home recovery. Robyn says, …
I bought a home that damaged during the epic 2013 Flood. The basement windows blew out that fateful day while the original owner stood before her library consisting of a vast array of English literature. The books were stored safely, it seemed until that fateful day, in her always cool, dry basement. But on that day, lots of rain fell and something happened that no one had ever believed possible.
500 Year Flooding Home
-Now known as the 500 Year Flood. Two of the previous owner’s basement windows blew out. Immediately water began to pour into the basement. In her fear, she dropped her cell phone and ran upstairs. Skiffs had to later transport her safely out of the subdivision. The former owner was so distraught, she refused to ever return after having suffered such loss and fear.
The previous owner never returned. Renters were secured and they moved in after she left that scary day.
A Few Years Later
I (Robyn) moved in after buying the flooded home last summer. I knew there would be a lot of work, but I didn’t quite anticipate the degree of the repairs before me. Almost a year later, I’ve had local professionals repair most of the items in need of attention. And now have begun to work in the basement which was gutted after the flood waters subsided.
I’ve pulled out the old bathtub, the soiled insulation, and begun to individually remove the nails and screws left in the rafters and especially those sticking up out of the concrete. While the seller’s family members did the tear out after the flood, they left a good deal of small details forgotten. They probably did the best they could, but I worried that someone coming into the basement would hook their shoe on a protruding floor nail.
Hundreds Of Hours Of Effort Restoring House Post Flooding
So I’ve spent hours, pulling out nails and unscrewing screws, pulling out soiled insulation, and trying to figure out if I should have a wall or two framed. Finished basements don’t bring the value they cost and so it’s really up to each owner to determine if you can get personal benefit out of finishing a basement. What about you? Might you receive the value needed to finish out your basement? I’m still pondering…let me know. By Robyn in Longmont
Boulder Real Estate News recommends these flood stories
- Boulder Floods
- The original Flood Zone update
- Flooding submerges Boulder