Jumpstart

So, the state of Iowa granted $40 million to Iowa cities to use in the flood recovery efforts. Iowa City has chosen to split that money up (well, their $700,000 piece of it) into three pieces, rebuilding, down payments on a new home, and transition funds. With 240 houses impacted though, it remains to be seen how much they can actually do, although the word is that they have additional funds from other sources..CDBG, etc.

I picked up an app today, and need to fill it out fast, they’ve made this a one week process (which I applaud) to ensure the money goes out quickly. My guess is that any money we get will be on the rebuilding side.

On that note, this weekend we hope to put in new bamboo flooring (green & snazzy!). We’ve got some friends coming in to help, so it shoudl be a good weekend. At some point, we’ll have to get a beer too, cause my stress levels are a bit high. Besides the house, there’s a movie to be launched. (check out the new trailer below) ad oh yeah, did I mention that Liz will not be having a beer because, well, unborn babies can’t drink beer. I think we’ve told most everyone, but if not, the word is out. Our family will be a family of three come February 10. Hopefully, we’ll have a house!

New trailer

Buy a DVD if you’d like. Shipping Nov 1!

Let the rebuilding begin!

Wow, it’s been ages since our last post.  If you have been reading the local papers, I’m sure you’ve seen articles discussing the perpetual limbo in which flood victims are caught.  We are no different.  After dozens of neighborhood meetings with city council, phone calls to FEMA, investigation of flood insurance policies, discussions with our bank and long talks with our family, we feel we finally have the knowledge and know how to move forward.  It came down to the daunting decision of declaring bankruptcy vs. risking future losses on selling the home and rebuilding on the tightest budget possible.  We layed out all the pros and cons and have decided that in the end, rebuilding is the best decision for us.

Probably the largest pro in our decision making has been the outpouring of support we have received from friends, family and even strangers.  From those who have provided us shelter to those of you who participated in the grossest cleanup process imaginable, to those of you who have helped and plan to help in the rebuilding process, we cannot thank you enough.  Additionally, the emotional support I have gotten at work has been uplifting.  Co-workers were generous enough to provide us with home cooked meals, gift certificate to restaurants and a Hy-Vee gift card that has lasted us months.  We’ve received caring emails, letters, and words of encouragement that have meant more than you can imagine.

We’ve also been blessed to receive donations to our Flood Fund of both furniture, appliances and monies.  We can’t thank you all enough for your generosity, as our FEMA grant cannot be used for “personal property”.  These donations will be vital for refurnishing our home, as all of our personal property was either lost or severely damaged.

As I write this today, the professional drywallers are finishing up “mudding” and taping, and will hopefully be done texturizing the walls on Monday.  Andrew and I went over to the house on Saturday and were so excited to have walls we could hardly contain ourselves.  I can no longer carry on a conversation with Andrew from one end of the house to another.  And one can again use the bathroom in private!

The rebuilding process has been a cathartic and healing process for us both.  We will both admit that we are completely overwhelmed by the task of rebuilding and refurnishing an entire house in such a short time, but we had a nice break this weekend while we’re waiting for the drywalling process to be completed.  We have created a timeline of events that should put us back into our house October 25th, if you can believe it.  We’ve tried to document our progress thus far, and will post another update towards the end of October.

See some of our rebuilding photos.

Again, thank you to everyone who has helped us get this far, and who plan on donating labor in the next month.  Rebuilding just would not be possible without all of you reading this now, and for this we are forever grateful.

Liz and Andrew

The first steps & a much needed vacation

Well, we are now officially officially rebuilding. While we wait to see what additional help we may get, we have received our FEMA grant. That money must be used to rebuild the house, so we feel confident in spending that money on the house while we decide on our long-term plans.

This last weekend, my dad Paul and my uncle Jim came down to help with a little remodeling project. We successfully moved some walls around to create a back hallway closet (perfect for coats and boots in the winter) and a laundry room big enough to add doors to. It’s a nice simple little upgrade. We also turned a wall in the bathroom into a half wall to open it up and sheetrocked our utility closet so that we could fill it with goodies (furnaces and water heaters and the like).

Those projects went as planned with only a few little hiccups (I now know how to cut tile…and how NOT to cut tile). The plumber came yesterday and put in a new water heater, set up a new washing machine hookup, and raised the shower (now suitable for a 6 foot man, thank goodness!).

I’ll add some photos later on.

Our story was also featured on the SmartyPIg blog. They thought it was great that we could use their tool to help us raise money for rebuilding. We do too. Here’s the link to the post: http://blog.smartypig.com/read/friends-and-family-catching-on

Finally, we’re off for a much-needed vacation in Glacier National Park. The crisp mountain air and time away from all this stuff should serve us well. We’ll update the blog when we get back with vacation photos and house updates. Thanks again for all your thoughts.

Moving forward

Tuesday marked the official end of clean-up when Americlean came to clean and sanitize our ductwork. The house is now ready to be worked on, and Sunday will be our first little project in the rebuilding phase.

After carefully considering doing some major remodeling inside, we decided that it would be too much work, and we didn’t think it would add enough to the home. Moving one wall would set in forth a chain reaction of wiring, plumbing, and tiling projects. Nothign is simple. But this weekend we’re moving one wall abck about 8 inches into the garage so that we can close off our laundry room with French doors. We’re also sheetrocking the utility closet so we can prepare for our HVAC and water heater fixtures. Finally, we’re turning a doorway into a half wall in the bathroom to let more light in and open up the space. Small things, but it marks the first real rebuilding efforts, so we’re excited.

For those of you who might be interested. We’re rebuilding green. We’ve got EnergyStar rated appliances coming in and we’re hoping to use a new form of concrete insulation for the house, called Air Krete. It’s mold free, healthy and green. Even Al Gore uses it!

And lastly, a big thank you to everyone who has given to us on our SmartyPig account or by sending a check. We don’t expect anything from anyone, but it sure is wonderful to know that so many people out there are thinking of us. We’ve got formal thank yous to send too, they’ll be in the mail soon.

I think we’re Rebuilding now

Wow, time flies when you’re really, super busy.

The last month has been quite a blur. In addition to our flood saga, Andrew is working on distribution for Pond Hockey and relaunching Little Village, Iowa City’s News and Culture magazine. Liz has celebrated her one year anniversary at the University of Iowa Hospitals and is taking on more responsibilities there.

Of course, the main thread that has woven it’s way through our lives is the flood. Since our last post, we’ve nearly finished the clean-up process, thanks to help from friends and family, including visits from our parents (Thanks again!). The house is now clean (except a final round of mold killer and our nasty HVAC ductwork) and ready to rebuild if we so choose. My first appointment with a potential contractor is with Kelly Heating and Air tomorrow. They will take a look at our ductwork and recommend how we can clean or replace it as well as make recommendations for replacing our HVAC systems.

No word yet on our buyout status, but the city is supposedly looking into it. Until we hear otherwise, we’re going to move forward with rebuilding.

One thing that we’ve been spending much time discussing is how to rebuild responsibly. That means a number of things…remodeling to suit our needs and improve the floorplan of the house, mitigating future flood risk and building Green without outspending our budget. We would like to build a green home and are considering LEED certification and/or the ReGreen remodeling guidelines put forth by the USGBC. It’s potentially a lot of decision making and oversight but could result in a healthier, happier home with greater resale value…if anyone would ever want to buy down there again anyway (that’s a question that weighs heavily on us now).

Of course, rebuilding and refurnishing green (or otherwise) costs money. We’re happy to report that FEMA did give us money, although they fell $7,000 or so short of the maximum grant of $28,800. This grant money and an offer of a low-interest loan of up to $60,000 from the SBA will be what we can use to rebuild. That and the generous gifts from family and friends (and even strangers!).

Since many have asked how they can support us in the rebuilding effort, we’ve set up an account at SmartyPig an online savings account that can accept donations. If you would like to donate something to our cause, we would be grateful. Visit SmartyPig and search for “andrewsherburne@gmail.com” under friends goals to find our savings plan (also below).

Of course, we have also received assistance from the American Red Cross and our neighbors have been helped by Habitat for Humanity and United Way. If you would prefer to direct your donations to these charitable organizations I can personally vouch for their effectiveness. Please think about giving as so many have been left homeless and jobless by this disaster.

We’ll keep you updated on the latest with more posts and photos soon. Thanks again for all of the love.

Please do not feel obligated to send money, but if you would like to, you can make a donation by…

Sending a check to: Andrew and Liz, 1004 Cambria Ct., iowa City, IA 52246

Or give online to “andrewsherburne@gmail.com” at SmartyPig: