Hi Gena: As you can guess, I'm interested in finding successful solutions to those owners of pools that for reasons such as yours need a solution to all the problems associated with owning and maintaing pools. Presently, I have no good ideas for you but would like to find out what you end up doing in the end. If I locate a solution for your problem I'll pass it on to you.

I have seen this type of damage a lot over the years being in the homeowners insurance business and here is my take on it. Based upon the drywall damage as seen in the photos it needs to be pulled and replaced. While it's possible some of it may be dried with fans the cost to do that versus cutting it out and replacing just isn't worth it. Plus you really need to get the framing behind it dry as quickly as possible. The entire continuous ceiling should then be painted to match. The floors may be a bit more difficult as you already have some cupping of the wood. Usually the cupping and warping will get worse before it gets better so don't be suprised over the next day or two if it looks and feels worse. The GC probably wants to wait and see if thats the case or not. If the cupping is very slight it may go back down but it usually takes a few weeks for wood floors to dry out completely after being wet enought to show cupping. Worst case scenario is the entire floor will have to be resanded and finished, the problem with that is they can't sand flooring with too high of a moisture content or it will buckle again so the damaged area should be pulled and replaced as you are not in a situation to wait a month or longer for it to dry out. You also don't want to put off the floors until after you have moved in because you then have a whole lot of furniture and contents to worry about moving etc.. Plus refinishing floors is dusty and smelly work requiring you to be out of the house for several days once it's done. Unfortunately you can't sand and refinish just the area and get it to look right. If this was a pantry or small bathroom you may get away with it but not in the middle of the kitchen. It's too bad because if you have to resand it you have just lost some of the useful life of your floor as you can only sand it so many times before it has to be replaced. Hopefully it turns out not to be too bad and it can easily be repaired but if not hang in there and work through it. The idea of getting a water mitigation company out to take a look is also not a bad idea just for a second opinion. They can use moisture meters to tell you how bad the floors are and if they can dry them or not. Good luck.

Well, I'm in much better spirits now. I did a bunch of browsing today during my lunch hour and after work as hubby was out with his friend, and I started to get excited about picking counter stools. I also got the most adorable little sugar container...I'll have to do a close-up once I do the final kitchen photos! Shopping/browsing is often a good source of therapy!! I also realized that the photos I took yesterday are not very good - drawers are out due to the granite install, tape on the glides, dirty floors, no faucets in yet, a BUNCH of stuff not in yet. I also just stared at it too long. I remember I was worrying when the cabinets were in was that there was too much contrast (light and dark), and now that the granite is in which creates a connection between the two, I felt that the granite brought too much connection. Yes, all say it with me: "silly Redroze". I've read all your posts and enjoyed and really really appreciate all your stories. I can relate to all of them and that means a lot to me. You're right about the obsessive compulsive nature that many of us have. Hubby and I are both very detail-oriented...it works out well though. We just want to love everything we put in our home. And it's fun to overanalyze choices sometimes. I think it's awesome to get some understanding from people who are like-minded. (And psst...I like you too Rmkitchen... generic username and all...haha.)

There are a lot of good tile contractors out there. Just not in each and every location. There are ways of finding them that go beyond personal recommendations from other homeowners who may not really be able to judge if they received an actual quality job on their project. Most of your better quality tile contractors will belong to an industry association, and/or have certification from industry organizations. The time away from income producing jobs to get that education and certifications is costly. It raises the rates for those weeks that they are available for work. Being industry recognized also allows labor rates to be raised. The overhead costs of running a legitimate small business cannot be emphasized enough. Licensing, insurance, software, memberships, that all adds up. Great contractors are expensive. Poor contractors are even more expensive. No one wants to do a job twice. Or three times. Usually, someone who has had a disaster goes straight for the cream of the crop to fix it. Some unfortunately, due to costs, end up making the same mistake and hiring based on cost rather than demonstrable knowledge and ability. This link gets shared a lot. Because it’s things that homeowners don’t know to talk about. The answers determine the difference between a Tile Professional, and a “tile guy”. https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer