I share your pain as my studio had only an inch of water two years ago but it soaked the carpet. I used the flood as the push I needed to completely reorganize my studio. We didn't have a professional team come in as our insurance didn't cover any loss. The carpet was 25 years old and I had always wanted a non-carpeted floor so we took out the carpet rather than drying it. We had experienced a little water in one corner before so everything was off the floor or in plastic tubs.
First (and best) thing we did was to rent a POD container. This is a portable storage "room" which sat on the driveway for six weeks. Friends came and carried everything off the shelving to the living room then arranged the shelving in the POD container. We were careful to arrange the shelving so that I could get to everything while it was stored. I spent the next few days sorting in the living room, moving items to be kept to the POD, items to be donated to the sun porch and junk to the trash.
Once all of my stuff was out of the studio we hired teenagers to help remove the wet carpeting and mop the floor. A carpenter then came and removed the bottom few inches of the wallboard to make sure there was no mold growing behind the walls. The space sat with fans and dehumidifiers running until the carpenter had time and felt the space was dry enough to restore. Before he patched the wall board he found and patched the crack where the water had entered the room.
While the carpenter was working a quilting friend helped me rethink how I used the room. Because I gave away at least 1/3 of the fabric and all the craft supplies I no longer used there was enough space to get everything on the shelves---no more stacks of junk around. I bought a flat screen monitor so I could use a much smaller computer desk. This allowed space for another shelving unit in the office portion. The sewing table was moved to take better advantage of the nature light.
We made several improvements to the space. New outlets were added, the walls were painted white and the floor was painted with an epoxy like is used in garages, factories and showrooms. The company which painted the floor usually did not do small jobs like homes but with the building industry in a slump they were happy for the work. The epoxy floor cost about the same as good quality vinyl tile. I have been very happy with the floor.
I took my time moving everything back into the studio. This was possible because we had rented the POD and not just left everything in the living room. If the stuff had been in the way of the family using the house I would have felt it necessary to get it into the studio faster. All plastic tubs were labeled. Fabrics were grouped by type (1800's, batiks, 30's, children's, oriental, novelty, flannel, African, etc.) One shelving section held fabrics which would be used for charity quilts regardless of the type of fabric. All UFO's were evaluated as to "would I ever want to finished it?", "could this be changed into a lap size for charity?", "was it worthy of donated?" or "should it go straight to the trash?". Anything I kept had to include instructions as to how to finish it. EQ was a big help. No more mystery boxes.
It is such a pleasure to work in my new studio. Each Friday I force myself to spend at least an hour straightening the studio. My goal is to always be able to use the cutting table without having to first move a stack of junk. I have been able to accomplish so much more since the flood that I look upon it as a blessing. It forced me to do things that I had been putting off for years. I even found several completed quilt tops I had forgotten were ever made. Of course while I was going through the changes I didn't always look upon the flood with such a positive eye.
Susan Price