What Happened When a Sink Overflowed and Led to an Unexpected Bathroom Renovation
It’s safe to say that January 1st didn’t go quite as expected. Instead of ringing in the New Year with relaxation and good food, my family found ourselves scrambling to deal with an unexpected flood in our house—one that ultimately led to a full-on bathroom renovation. Here’s how it all unfolded.
The Morning That Started Like Any Other
It was a quiet New Year’s morning, and we were in the midst of preparing for family to come over to celebrate Christmas (yes, we’re a little behind on our holiday festivities!). My husband and I were hanging out in the kitchen, prepping for the day. I was grabbing a roasting pan from the cabinet above the stove when my husband suddenly said, “Oh no… why is there water coming from the light?”
My stomach dropped as I immediately rushed upstairs to the bathroom directly above the kitchen. It’s a Jack & Jill bath that my two boys share. As soon as I opened the door, I could see the water damage starting to spread. The sink was completely full, and the water had spilled out onto the drawers of the vanity, seeped into the wall, and, of course, was now leaking down into the kitchen, causing a very unwelcome waterfall from two lights in our brand-new ceiling.
The Sink Mishap: A Forgotten Turn
How did this happen? Well, it turns out one of my sons was racing to brush his teeth that morning. In the hustle and bustle of getting ready, he’d left the sink running just enough that, over time, it had overflowed because it was already a slow draining sink.. It wasn’t until I saw the kitchen light leaking that we realized the problem. The situation was bad. Really bad.
The Quick Cleanup
I’m sure you’re wondering, how did I handle it? First of all, I panicked for a split second—then quickly jumped into action. Since it was New Year’s Day and a holiday, I didn’t have the luxury of waiting around for help. I grabbed our air movers to start drying things out and immediately ran to Home Depot for a second fan.
While I was doing that, my husband started trying to assess the damage. There was water everywhere—on the floor, in the cabinet, and worse, it was dripping down through our kitchen ceiling. I did the only thing I could think of: got the fans running to start drying out the area. But I knew this was just the beginning.
Calling the Pros: Americlean to the Rescue
Now, if you’ve been following me for a while, you know I have a MASSIVE fear of water damage and mold (that’s a story for another day). So, naturally, I immediately called Americlean, a local restoration company I trust, to come out and help us with the cleanup.
They came by the next day, and I was so relieved. They understood all my concerns and didn’t make me feel silly for being so anxious about mold or the potential long-term damage. They brought in a dehumidifier and additional air movers to ensure that all the moisture was removed from the space. They even pulled out the vanity to check the wall behind it to make sure no water had gotten into the insulation. Spoiler alert: it had.
The team from Americlean was incredibly thorough, and after four days of drying out the bathroom and keeping the fans and dehumidifier running, they ensured everything was dry and stable. It was such a relief knowing they had taken care of things properly.
Insurance Woes and the Unexpected Bathroom Renovation
Now, here’s the kicker. While this type of water damage would typically be covered by homeowners insurance, we hit a snag—our deductible was higher than the cost of the damage. So, we were left with a wet bathroom and the decision to continue to renovate knowing that insurance wouldn’t cover the cost of the original damage.
But here’s where it gets interesting: we now had a gutted Jack & Jill bathroom (since they’d pulled out the vanity) and part of the flooring already torn up. And while we had originally decided not to renovate either of the bathrooms in the house (because, you know, we were done with renovations for the year), we figured, “Why not? We’re halfway there already!” So, I decided to take this as an opportunity to completely renovate the bathroom. After all, it had already been partially demolished!
DIY Renovation: Gutting the Bathroom (With a Few Lessons Learned)
So, my husband and I rolled up our sleeves, put on our DIY hats, and decided to take on the renovation ourselves. After all, it's a great way to save some money. But, as with all DIY projects, it wasn’t without its challenges.
The hardest part of the process? Twofold:
Removing the Bathtub Without Cutting the Pipes: We had to figure out how to cut the bathtub out without damaging the pipes behind it. Thank goodness for YouTube! A few tutorials later, we felt ready to tackle this tricky task.
Removing the Staples from the Underlayment of the Old Tile: If you’ve ever done this before, you know what I’m talking about. There are so many staples, and they’re so stubborn. This was a job I truly loathed, but with a little elbow grease, we finally got through it.
The Next Steps: Picking Out Materials
Now that the bathroom is gutted, we’re in the process of picking out the items to put it back together. This includes new fixtures, tiles, countertops, and, of course, a two new vanities.
I’ll be posting updates on the progress over on Instagram to share our renovation journey with all of you. It’s been a wild ride, and I hope it’ll help others who might find themselves in a similar situation—whether it’s a water leak or an unexpected home improvement project!
Need Bathroom Renovation Tips?
If you’re considering a bathroom renovation (or if you’ve found yourself in a similar situation), shoot me a message! I’m happy to share my tips on how to navigate the process and give you a realistic breakdown of what things cost and how long it can take. Renovating isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it.
So, stay tuned for more updates, and let me know if you have any questions—I’m here to help!
Feel free to drop me a comment or message if you’ve had a similar experience. What did you learn from unexpected home repairs? Let’s chat!
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