All fixed up

Yes, Mago... my foot is still attached. And it has healed... but it did require a visit to the Emergency Room to be seen after day 6, when it had blown up rather nastily and was itchier than a dog with a wicked case of fleas.

Just prior to seeing the doctor on Sept. 27th.

24 hours later and it's already looking much better.

While the colour looks worse, this is actually

an improvement as the swelling and itching were greatly reduced.

This is after 3 days of meds.

I got the necessary medications... and then went to see my family doctor and am awaiting allergy testing to make sure future stings won't be even more of an issue. It took weeks for the redness to fade away.

So that's all good.

And so is my crack.

All fixed up, that is.

Okay, so it's my house's crack. And a big one it was. After getting a few estimates on repairs, I decided to tackle the thing myself with a kit from the local hardware store. I figure this is the more affordable option at this point. If it leaks again, then I will hire someone to do something further about it.

Here, in sequence, is a series of photos showing the progression of the repair and the final thing.

You may recall this gaping maw?

This is the inside view. That bit of blue in the middle is

daylight ~ you could see right outside!

First thing was to glue plastic injection ports

every 6 - 8 inches along the crack.

Then seal the ports and the open crack with

quick drying concrete.

Polyurethane polymer foam was injected into the ports, 

starting at the bottom and working up.

Once fully cured (2 days), the ports were nipped off.

That way, nothing will poke holes in the insulation when I

get around to finishing the wall on the inside.

Here, the foam is beginning to ooze out the crack.

Fully cured, the foam looks like some

kind of giant fungus.

I then hacked away at the foam (it's tough stuff, that!) to

trim it to just inside wall level.

The foam was sealed against the elements with

concrete caulking.

For added insurance, I put a clear plastic window well cover over

the repaired area, just to keep rain and snow as far away from the

wall as is practical.

So far, the basement is dry. We've had some pretty good rain a few times and snow will be on the way very soon. I'm hoping this holds out for a long time. Sometimes... the simplest fix works for years. Fingers crossed!