The remediation effort from our recent water leak and resultant water damage is in full swing.

The first thing the remediation contractor did is to install heated fan blowers and dehumidifiers.  It is surprising how much moisture they pull out of the air.

Then, they removed all affected drywall.  In the rec room, this is the ceiling part of one wall, and a foot up from the ground most of the way around.

In the other rooms, this is a foot of drywall at the base of the wall.

The rooms baked over the weekend, and they applied an anti-microbial agent today, to kill any mold / mildew spores that might be present.  They did find one small patch of mold that had started to grow.  It will bake for a couple of more day, or until the moisture level measurements return to normal (as it has in most places but a few areas that got really wet), and then the reconstruction can begin.

Upstairs, on the first floor, at the kitchen island, we are also doing a little remediation, as the moisture got under the cabinets.  From the back side of the cabinets, where the stove goes.  they drilled holed into the bottom cavity of the cabinets.  Through those holes, they placed tubes that suck air into the dehumidifier.  Behind the holes, blowers blow hot air that will be sucked into the cavities to help them dry out.

We hope to have the kitchen part all back together this week. The basement work will likely be on the order of months.  They will have to add blocks behind the drywall cuts to provide a screwing surface, replace the drywall, mud and tape, plaster, repair the door jams / finish carpentry, and paint.  In the end I think it will be back to the same, but it is a lot of work to add to our house that we thought was done.