Recession Life

In Tight Times, Getting Soaked by the Cost of a Wet Basement

In Affton resident's debut column, she explains why even some rain can cause panic and frustration when money is tight.

The dog stopped at the bottom of the stairs. The carpet looked dark and gurgled when I stepped on it. Rivers of rain had fallen during the night and my basement floor had taken the brunt of its punishment. I wanted to cry. This was the third time in a year the rain had come under my old sliding glass door. Because of a dysfunctional patio, rain had always been an issue for this part of the house. Years before, I had drain tile installed and the patio mud-jacked in an attempt to rectify the problem. It worked for a while, but the problem eventually returned. Soft rains aren't a problem now, but hard, non-stop rains leave my patio drowning. Whether from climate change or just bad luck, this year alone we Afftonites have received more than 37…