We went the French drain route too, about three years ago. Our house is pushing 90 years old, and honestly, I was skeptical at first—seemed like a ton of work and mess. But after one too many storms left us ankle-deep in water, we bit the bullet.
"Definitely a pain at first—had to rip up parts of the basement floor..."
Yeah, that part sucked big-time. Dust everywhere, concrete chunks hauled out by the bucketful... But now? Totally worth it. Basement's dry as a bone, even when neighbors are pumping theirs out. Peace of mind is priceless.
Glad to hear it worked out for you. We're in the thick of it now, concrete dust everywhere and I'm seriously questioning our sanity, lol. But reading your post helps—especially the part about
Needed that reminder today..."Peace of mind is priceless."
Hang in there, we're right behind you in our first-ever remodel and I totally get the sanity-questioning part. Just yesterday I found myself googling if concrete dust can actually drive a person crazy... (jury's still out). But yeah, you're spot on about this:
"Peace of mind is priceless."
I'm banking on that being true—otherwise I'm gonna have to explain this chaos somehow, lol. Good luck with your dust!
Totally relate to the concrete dust nightmare—been there, coughed through that.
"Peace of mind is priceless."
Couldn't agree more. We remodeled in a flood-prone area a few years back, and I remember questioning my sanity daily. One thing I learned the hard way: don't skimp on drainage and waterproofing. Seriously, it's worth every penny (and every headache avoided). Our first heavy rain was nerve-wracking, but seeing the water flow away from the house instead of into it... instant relief. Hang tight, it does get better. And trust me, eventually you'll be laughing about the dust—after you've vacuumed it out of every corner imaginable, of course.
Gotta say, I agree drainage is important, but I'd argue it's not always enough. A few years back, I worked with a client who had done everything "right"—top-notch waterproofing, French drains, sump pumps, you name it—and still ended up with water issues. Turns out the neighborhood's overall grading was the culprit. Sometimes the problem isn't just your property but the entire area's drainage plan (or lack thereof).
"Peace of mind is priceless."
True, but peace of mind also means knowing when to walk away from certain properties or at least tempering expectations. I've seen homeowners pour thousands into flood prevention measures only to realize later that they were fighting a losing battle from the start. Not saying that's always the case, but it's worth stepping back and looking at the bigger picture before diving headfirst into costly renovations. Just my two cents from experience...
