Flooding the Wood's

Stick with this "essay" length description, Okay? :)

Welcome to the transformation of our 1981 modern architectural home. We were transferred to Texas a little over 5 years ago, drawn to this particular home because of it's location next to the neighborhood pond. We've renovated 9 homes, as my husband is transferred often through work. We do all the work, and I mean like everything! But we LOVE the process and amazingly are still madly IN love! We are lucky to be able to successfully work side by side, as we've learned each others abilities and strengths through our renovations.

We jack hammered the entire downstairs freeing it of it's Mexican Saltillo tile. Happy Sigh. And let me tell you, it was a BEAST! Hands down the hardest physical work we've ever done in a renovation. We replaced it with 12" x 24" vein cut travertine. We gutted the kitchen to the bones and rebuilt with a modern aesthetic. Took out the upstairs French doors that led to a useless micro deck, put in a large window making the interior room space more usable. We then added a good sized covered deck that leads off the kitchen to the pool area. We were happy with what we had accomplished and then came HURRICANE HARVEY.

We were flooded with 56" of water in our home. We had left the day before to some friends who still had electricity, putting everything in the entry as it sits 12" higher than the main floor. We put furniture on large cans and everything we could up on the kitchen counters and kitchen table. We figured we'd probably get water but no more than maybe 18". Nope. 56". So when we came back the next day, the water was already waist high (I'm 5'1" or 61") and rising. We put the remainder of the lower items upstairs and hoped for the best. When we returned the next day the water had peaked during the night, going way over the counter top and into the upper kitchen cabinets- pretty much ruining everything. We basically lost everything we owned on the first floor- including our bedroom.

So we began again, the familiar process of renovation. However, we had always chosen when to renovate. This renovation was chosen for us. And I will say, we didn't despair asking "Why us?!" We honestly said "Why NOT us?! Better us than someone who has no idea what to do." So we waded through the water and started floating furniture out of the house. Take that, Harvey! You gave us water and we used it to our advantage, so there! (tongue out) It only took two of us to float our bedroom mattress out the front door. And if you've never had the opportunity to lift a wet mattress, then know that you will need to grab 4-5 of your beefier-buff friends as it will take ALL their strength to move it 25 yards to the street. Gatorade- have it ready.

So why Flooding the Wood's? Well, it has multiple meanings to us: We are the Wood family, living in "The Liveable Forest" of Kingwood, Texas. Flooded in two days by Hurricane Harvey and then flooded with kindness and love for over a year from family, friends and even strangers! Harvey was no comparison to the flooding of blessings we received through those who worked along side us as we mucked our home for weeks. We had countless numbers of friends working to help tear out all the walls, cabinetry, toilets, doors, trim, iron tub and the last bit of that horrible Saltillo tile- the beast. They hugged us as we looked out at our tables, chairs, sofa, desks, dressers, book shelves, cabinets, books, food, kitchen items and tons of muck lying in the street. We even thought of making t-shirts: "This is my Muckin' Harvey shirt" -but who had the time?! Despite the moments of feeling overwhelmed, I wouldn't change the past year. As strange as it sounds, the kindness and the friendships we have made far out weigh the "things" we lost. Harvey is not a bad word in our home, it's a word of hope. And it's becoming a word of beauty. After all, whats more important, stuff or people?!

So stick with us as we rebuild and put our home back together. I LOVE what we're doing this time around and I'm excited to have a place to share pictures of our journey. Thanks DWELL. :)

...If you've read to the bottom, check back in. I will post some photos in the next few days of our progress. Right now I need to go and paint. :))