Still raining…

Still raining...

"Rain, rain, go away, come again another day..." -- It's usually a kids' song, but now I'm singing it! It's been raining for almost two weeks straight now, but we did have a BRIEF window of sunshine sneaking past the clouds yesterday. It was just enough to get the lawn mowed, but not much more than that! My 9 year old daughter was eager to try her hand at the mower-- quite an exciting thing -- I just HOPE the excitement can last for the next ten years or so! She was excited until a big blast of thunder came literally out of the blue, and we saw that the storm clouds were coming back.

The kids have been getting stir-crazy... I've been getting stir-crazy! But there's two good things about extensive rain when it comes to home repair -- you've little temptation to LEAVE the indoor jobs (like my office and carpeting project upstairs) for the distraction of a cook-out or other such "nonsense" outside, and it's an ideal time to check the home for water problems!

We had a leaky roof a couple years ago-- I'm proud to say (without a doubt, after almost two weeks of constant rain!) that the repair is working just fine-- I wouldn't be able to say the same with confidence were the sun shining! Certain problems only befall the house with the fall of the rain and the rise of puddles and drainage issues in the yard.

Time to check the basement -- how dry is it staying? We have had some minor leakage problems in the past, how are they now? I've noticed in the walls I've been working on, evidence of rain leakage in the past -- now is the time to check around ALL the windows to see if we still have issues there. I've also told you about the blessings and curse of the addition to the house -- it's certainly not new, but because of design concerns, it's a problem waiting to happen with leakage around the edges, and I haven't checked that yet, either (I think I'm afraid of what I might find!). So now's the time for checking the yard for drainage problems.

If you are in the market for buying a house, rainy weather is a great time to explore potential buys. Drainage problems in the yard that can contribute to house problems, but only become readily apparent when it has been raining a while. The same can be said for flooding issues-- we've heard of the flooding in New England, and the constant rain brings to mind the prospect of flooding here. That lovely house by the river might look a little less attractive right about now...

Maybe the farmers and their crops have it right after all-- a little rain is not ALL bad after all. But can't we at least live in Camelot, where "The rain may never fall 'til after sun-down..."?

The strength and true condition of our homes (AND our lives and relationships!) is never fully apparent until we find ourselves in the depths of the storms and at the tail end of two weeks straight of rain. Put the rain to good use, and check all those potential leaks and problems!

Until next time-- look for the silver lining,

Jim