Basement...2nd house

We've been remodeling our basement (a few years earlier than intended, so some of my outdoor projects are put on hold until next year). We had to do this at our last house since the basement flooded. This basement also had water issues, in addition to a crawlspace that was dirt and had some water mold issues (dryer used to be vented to it), and in May last year, we had a drainage system with sump pumps and dehumidifier put in to take care of water issues in the crawlspace and basement part.

We've been working on the basement since then. And had various basement things scattered around our house and my parents house.

Today, drywall is going up! We did the layout, framing and electrical ourselves, but are hiring a company to do the drywall and texturing. Got to admit, I was really nervous last night, thinking that we'd missed something and weren't ready for the guys to come today. They come a little later than they were going to originally since we got a snow storm.

They've got the ceiling up and are working on the walls now, so in the coming weeks, we'll have painting, electrical to finish, flooring, doors and trim. Not to mention a few new pieces of furniture.

It's going to be a multi-purpose room as there will be an elliptical, our old wood kitchen table, probably a small tv area and a place for a rice box for D to play in.

It's quite a change from what the previous owner had. We had to tear the base cupboards when we moved in as they had molded. We also decided to take out the upper cabinets and aren't going to put them back.

Basement when previous owner lived here

Basement when previous owner lived here

D loved to help clean up the floors!

New layout, with two rooms and a closet, compared to the original layout with one big room.

Digging

Helping Grandpa dig post holes for the new fence.

Allergic!

D had ear infections back in the middle of January, so had been on antibiotics. Well, someone at daycare in mid-February had RSV and D still had a little cough so I took him back in to the doctor to get checked out. 

It turned out that one ear was still infected and the other was starting to look bad too, so the doctor gave a different antibiotic this time that was supposed to have a little kick to it... well it did and got rid of the ear infections, but it turns out he is allergic to the medication!

Poor guy got hives on the last day he was taking the medication. We had thought the hives were food related, but evidently not. It took that long for the antibodies to build up against the super antibiotics.

He looked terrible, but they didn't seem to slow him down. He's finally off meds this week... maybe we'll finally get him in for his overdue 18 month checkup ... as if he's not already been to the doctor enough in the last month and a half! He realized where we were and got upset one of the times we went. :-(

I must say I'm really tired of winter. Our furnace is old, and needed a new blower a little while ago, so we're looking at replacement options. What we can afford versus what would keep the house the most comfortable. Too many options: 2 speed or variable speed furnace with a 1 or 2 speed heat pump ...

With our 4 level split house with some questionable cantilever insulation, it's not been an easy winter for our first year in the country. We're trying to make the best decision on heating/cooling upgrade possible so that our bedrooms aren't freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer.

Have I mentioned the holes in the framing allowing cold air into the crawl space and the rotted frame under the patio door with two big holes?? It's no wonder certain areas of the house are cold - caulk and spray foam will be our friends this spring and have helped some this winter!!!

Ahhh... the things you discover after buying a different house... we don't lack for projects! Just need to find the money and time to work on them all, and prioritize the list!

Chris' coaching season is in full swing so he's busy with that now. He was in Wisconsin this weekend!

I got us stuck in the driveway coming home tonight.  I was really glad my Dad was here with to help dig the car out and my mom to stay with D in the car. Today was the biggest drifts we've had so far and I didn't realize it until I got us stuck.

D has started saying more words lately too, although sometimes you have to listen really well to catch/understand  them. He says and signs "all done." Which would be really helpful if he actually understood what that meant!

He helps out with the laundry by pushing the wet clothes into the dryer for me. He also loves playing with shoes/boots and hats/gloves (preferably not his own), sitting in an empty box (tipping it over backwards with himself in it), 'washing' dishes with grandparents and 'talking' on his 'phone' (anything can be a phone).

He is also wanting to do more things by himself and will push your hand away if you try to help. Thankfully he's still mostly ok sitting in a highchair.

Suppose I should sign off as it's after 1 a.m. Here's a few pics.