updates on our basement

I was going through some old posts today and realized I had yet to follow up on our basement water problems. To recap, back in December our basement started showing the first signs of having a water issue. Initially, it was contained to one separate room in the basement but as the winter and then the spring progressed, we started getting seepage through the walls and floor in other areas as well. We began the process of getting bids in March and were floored by how much a "complete system" would cost. In our case, a "complete system" would have involved a perimeter drain system and a sump pump. We ultimately decided to just start with the sump pump and see what that did for us. Without going into too much detail, a sump pump provides relief to what is termed hydrostatic pressure. Not all basement water issues are because of hydrostatic pressure but it our case it became pretty evident that this is what we were dealing with. In April, we found a contractor to install a sump pump - at a much more reasonable price - and let me tell you it was like Christmas morning when the crew arrived to put it in. 

With our new sump pump installed, we enjoyed a dry basement! That is, until two weeks ago when we got hit with a solid week of heavy rain....The rainfall was extremely unusual in that it was caused by a tropical storm system but, nonetheless, it forcefully reminded us that our water basement issues are not resolved.

One of things that I have found most interesting in trying to understand our water issues is that most "common solutions" are aimed at trying to manage the water once it comes into the house rather than preventing its entrance in the first place. It really doesn't make much sense as I don't want water in the basement at all! So while, we haven't come up with clear next steps in tackling our basement water woes we do know that we want to address it from the outside. Generally, this means studying the path of the water in and around the house and finding a way of moving it away - far far away. Not really sure at this point how we go about doing this but we do know we need to:
1. Address the driveway as it runs right up against our foundation wall and most likely doesn't adequately pitch away from the house.
2. Look at our stone patio which also runs up against the house and has noticeable water drainage issues.
3. Figure out a general landscape plan that will provide a path for the water that leads away from the house.

Water is definitely a formidable opponent and as I continue to deal with these issues, I am learning that a big part of finding a solution is watching, testing and waiting to see what works. 

Oh the joys of homeownership....

shopping rubylane

I have been using rubylane for a while but it wasn't until I started researching this post, that I really grew to appreciate their huge selection of antique and vintage items. Rubylane was one of the original antique online marketplaces. Started in 1998 by Tom Johnson, a San Francisco tech professional at the time, the site now has over 550,000 items listed for sale. Its search features are not as extensive as Ebay, 1st Dibs or Chairish. Nor are the products photos always the best. But if you have the time to dig, I think you can get rewarded with some great finds at reasonable pricing.

When shopping for antiques online, I tend to gravitate towards items that can be easily shipped i.e. no crazy hundreds of dollars on freight. I think the best way to use rubylane is to have a specific type of antique in mind or to build yourself a library of preferred vendors. I also would suggest searching in Antiques and Vintage Collectibles as things seem to be a little miss categorized. Below are some currently listed items that I have saved in my shopping cart. 

seventeen matching antique cast bronze ice box hinges, 1916, Dayton Manufacturing Co.

These could be re-purposed in a really cool way. Like on a kitchen island...

kitchen by Haynes-Roberts via REMODELISA

I like the pinks in this antique rug and because of its small size, I think it would be perfect in a bathroom. 

1880s Lavar Kerman Persian rug

And, of course, I needed to check out the quilt selection - which is awesome!

antique handmade quilt mint condition circa 1900: tents of armageddon

scrap quilt top 1890s flying geese

garden questions

Astilbe plant via BHG

Current garden questions...

1. How to store daffodil bulbs?
Over Memorial Day, I dug up a bunch of daffodil bulbs and just left them sitting in our garage. I plan to replant them in the late fall but don't know what to do with them until then. That is until I did a little research...According to some quick googling, it looks like you want to store them in a ventilated area, not in direct sun or exposed to any heat or dampness. A couple of suggestions were: to hang them in an old onion bag or in pantyhose, place them on an elevated screen or put them in a box with peat moss. I think the onion bag sounds the easiest so I am going to give it a try. I am undecided on location but am thinking in the corner of our basement might work seeing that it is no longer filling with water - although it is probably still a little damp.

2. What's the deal with yellow leaves on my raspberry bushes?
I finally got around to adding some more compost to my raspberry bushes. I also pruned away some yellow leaves. The yellowing isn't pervasive but it does make me worry about disease. I would love it if an experienced grower would just come and tell me if I am providing the right growing conditions. Not sure how I will make that happen so, in the meantime, I plan to just give them more water.

3. Why aren't my hydrangea bushes blooming?
I am fairly confident that I have several large hydrangea bushes - 3 in the back, 1 on the side and 1 in the front. Unfortunately, all of them are not showing any signs of blooming...So turns out this is a really common problem and is most likely caused by excessive pruning. In our haste to do some clean up this spring, I am fairly confident that we went to town cutting back the bushes. This is problematic because the most common variety of hydrangea only blossoms off old wood. It also could be that there is not enough phosphorous in the soil. This has a simple solution in that you can add a phosphorous-rich fertilizer to your soil. One organic garden forum I read recommended using Bone Meal - and yes it is what it sounds like.

4. What is a flowering bush that does well in full shade?
Also over Memorial Day, I also started transplanting a patch of lily of the valley. I put them in a bed right near the house that also has a large oak tree in it. I plan to fill the whole bed with lily of the valley but was thinking something with height right around the base of the tree could look really nice. Upon searching for flowering shade bushes, I discovered that HGTV website has a cool feature where you can save specific plant species to your profile. Right now, I am thinking a variety of Astilbe could give me the look I am after.