Ever Been Overwhelmed By Keeping Up With Your Home Maintenance?

[Christine]

We've been our home for 13 years. It was brand new when we bought it. 2,700 square feet, plus a basement. We have done our best to keep the house maintained, but now the big ticket items are hitting and I just don't know how to handle it. I refuse to get a loan for any of this because I'm still trying to pay off the loan for the flooring that I had done many years ago. Both DH and I work and make a decent living but I don't know how people can do the stuff they do.

So far we need all new siding because all of the houses in our neighborhoods turned "green." No, the HOA went and researched it and it is not covered by any warranty. Cost to replace siding - $15,000-$20,000K. This isn't a necessity and we've been living in the "green" (originally taupe) house for a few years now. But, we might like to sell soon...

Then the windows. Ever since we've moved in they have been CRAP. They are leaky, drafty. Common problem in the neighborhood with all the homes. Cost to replace: $15,000.

Two bathrooms: the grout is starting to go in the showers and needs replacing. DH works all the time and says "he cannot do". I can only imagine that hiring someone will cost a fortune.

Upgrade of stovetop, microwave and oven combo. Stovetop is already not working properly and hasn't for years. Combo is okay for now but not much longer. $3,000 to replace all.

Basement carpet is shot. Absolutely shot. Estimate to replace is $2,000 and this middle of the road carpet.

All of these things feel like they are looming and need to be done. The house is starting to look like a shack!

The things I have done is:

Put hardwood in the entire house (except basement) due to son's severe asthma/allergies - $20,000 (that was the loan several years ago--still paying).

Finished the basement - DH did this and I think he lost his mind over it.

Fixed driveway that has been eroded by underground spring ($2500).

Replaced countertops - $2800

Replaced sliding glass doors ($1,800)

Replaced dishwasher - $400.

How do people manage this stuff without severe debt. I just don't foresee how I can do this!

 

[mickeyboat]

I have always heard that 10 years is when everything starts crapping out in a new house.

We completely renovated 3 years ago. There are still things that need to be done.

DH is a carpenter, so most of that type of stuff he does himself. It isn't always done when I want it done, but he can do it and it saves a lot of money.

I guess what you need to do is to make a list of what needs to be done, and organize it by priority. Then decide what you can do yourself and what you need to have done. Then peck away at it a little at a time.

Good luck!

Denae

 

[ducklite]

I'd make a list of what needs to be done and order them from most important to least important. Use crteria like what would impede selling the house or save you money in utility bills.

Then pull out the ones that you can do yourself--like the grout. Home Depot does free classes on tiling every month--take one and learn, then do it. (Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it!)

Can the siding be painted or powerwashed to put off replacing it?

If you are thinking about selling, here's a major money saving tip on teh carpet. Replace it with a decent but low grade carpet but put the best padding under it. Top of the line padding under low grade carpet will make that carpet feel like high end carpet for about 1/3 the cost of middle grade carpet!

Is the stovetop a flat top or gas or electric? It's possible that the whole thing doesn't need to be replaced, just the coils or burner thingy that a repairman could fix for $200. Don't worry about things that "aren't broken" right now.

Good luck!

Anne

 

[mickeyfan2]

We've been our home for 13 years. It was brand new when we bought it. 2,700 square feet, plus a basement. We have done our best to keep the house maintained, but now the big ticket items are hitting and I just don't know how to handle it. I refuse to get a loan for any of this because I'm still trying to pay off the loan for the flooring that I had done many years ago. Both DH and I work and make a decent living but I don't know how people can do the stuff they do.

So far we need all new siding because all of the houses in our neighborhoods turned "green." No, the HOA went and researched it and it is not covered by any warranty. Cost to replace siding - $15,000-$20,000K. This isn't a necessity and we've been living in the "green" (originally taupe) house for a few years now. But, we might like to sell soon...

Then the windows. Ever since we've moved in they have been CRAP. They are leaky, drafty. Common problem in the neighborhood with all the homes. Cost to replace: $15,000.

Two bathrooms: the grout is starting to go in the showers and needs replacing. DH works all the time and says "he cannot do". I can only imagine that hiring someone will cost a fortune.

Upgrade of stovetop, microwave and oven combo. Stovetop is already not working properly and hasn't for years. Combo is okay for now but not much longer. $3,000 to replace all.

Basement carpet is shot. Absolutely shot. Estimate to replace is $2,000 and this middle of the road carpet.

All of these things feel like they are looming and need to be done. The house is starting to look like a shack!

The things I have done is:

Put hardwood in the entire house (except basement) due to son's severe asthma/allergies - $20,000 (that was the loan several years ago--still paying).

Finished the basement - DH did this and I think he lost his mind over it.

Fixed driveway that has been eroded by underground spring ($2500).

Replaced countertops - $2800

Replaced sliding glass doors ($1,800)

Replaced dishwasher - $400.

How do people manage this stuff without severe debt. I just don't foresee how I can do this!

Holy crap!!!

 

[DVCLiz]

We've been our home for 13 years. It was brand new when we bought it. 2,700 square feet, plus a basement. We have done our best to keep the house maintained, but now the big ticket items are hitting and I just don't know how to handle it. I refuse to get a loan for any of this because I'm still trying to pay off the loan for the flooring that I had done many years ago. Both DH and I work and make a decent living but I don't know how people can do the stuff they do.

So far we need all new siding because all of the houses in our neighborhoods turned "green." No, the HOA went and researched it and it is not covered by any warranty. Cost to replace siding - $15,000-$20,000K. This isn't a necessity and we've been living in the "green" (originally taupe) house for a few years now. But, we might like to sell soon...

Then the windows. Ever since we've moved in they have been CRAP. They are leaky, drafty. Common problem in the neighborhood with all the homes. Cost to replace: $15,000.

Two bathrooms: the grout is starting to go in the showers and needs replacing. DH works all the time and says "he cannot do". I can only imagine that hiring someone will cost a fortune.

Upgrade of stovetop, microwave and oven combo. Stovetop is already not working properly and hasn't for years. Combo is okay for now but not much longer. $3,000 to replace all.

Basement carpet is shot. Absolutely shot. Estimate to replace is $2,000 and this middle of the road carpet.

All of these things feel like they are looming and need to be done. The house is starting to look like a shack!

The things I have done is:

Put hardwood in the entire house (except basement) due to son's severe asthma/allergies - $20,000 (that was the loan several years ago--still paying).

Finished the basement - DH did this and I think he lost his mind over it.

Fixed driveway that has been eroded by underground spring ($2500).

Replaced countertops - $2800

Replaced sliding glass doors ($1,800)

Replaced dishwasher - $400.

How do people manage this stuff without severe debt. I just don't foresee how I can do this!

The siding and windows are your "big ticket" items. You're either going to have to do them while you are still living in the house, or sell knowing that you will have to reduce your price in order to sell. Decide which way you want to go and make a plan for them - it may end up being a loan but at least you will have explored all of your options. Get more than one opinion and estimate for both - talk to several people, see if there are any options or new products that have or are coming on the market.

The bathroom grout is easy - you can do it yourself if your husband won't help you. Go to Lowe's and ask them what to use and how to do it. There's probably a video online somewhere that shows it, too. Ask your husband if he'd like to spend an hour and $20 bucks on an easy repair, or a month and several thousand dollars having a water damaged floor and foundation of two bathrooms fixed. See if he can clear up some free time for that!!!!

Appliances one at a time, on sale and when you can afford it. You don't have to have another combo - you can buy a new stove and replace a microwave later.

Pull up the basement carpet and see what else you can use that costs less. Maybe some of those new carpet squares - or something like they use in a garage. If you are moving it can simply be left bare, can't it? Anyway, don't sell it with crummy carpet - pull it up before you put your house on the market and paint it if it looks bad.

Good luck!!!!

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

We put 1% of the purchase price of the house in a certificate of deposit each year. If it stays in savings I would spend it.

My husband and I took a blood oath (yes actual blood) that we would not touch it except for home repair/maintenance.

in the three houses we have owned in our lives, this has worked wonderfully - never have be had something that needed to be replaced that we could not pay for.

 

[Iansmom]

Overwhelmed for sure!!!

DH wanted waterfront. Anything "affordable" was much older. So last summer we purchased a house built in 1975. We did get the homebuyer's warranty, so if anything major goes out, it should be covered. So now we're faced with updating and upgrading. All the rooms need repainting. DH wants to make all the "popcorn" ceilings smooth. He has grand plans for "opening up the back side of the house so we have a better view." Oh, and we had a leak in the kitchen. Oh, and the downstairs toilet had it's guts replaced. Oh, and the deck needs attention. Not to mention the dock. And hey, we're waterfront, so we needed a boat and we want some time to go play on it. But wait, we have a huge yard to tend to... a lot of it left natural that we'd like to clean out. A few trees that are dead and need to come down. Luckily the carpet in the house is in really good condition, but I would like to eventually have hardwoods put in. Oh, and let's not even mention my kitchen. I think it's all original appliances... the stovetop (electric) has push-buttons for the controls! I'm afraid my kitties are going to jump up there when we're not looking and turn the stove burners on High!!!

I work full-time. DH works out of town. DS16 has his own life, work and projects. We started on the guest bedroom... DH figured he could have it done in two weeks time. That was back in late February. We took down the moulding, scraped, sanded, primed and painted the ceiling, replaced a piece of paneling, painted and measured out base and crown moulding. I'm still waiting for him to nail all the moulding in place. It's August!!! I hope the rest of the rooms don't take this long!!!!!

I was just considering a townhome earlier today.

 

[RitaZ.]

One thing at a time. When we bought our house 11 yrs. ago, it was already "old". Many things needed updating. We usually use DH's bonus $ for these upgrades/repairs. We've done a lot of the work ourselves.

 

[Christine]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

To answer a few questions: the siding cannot be powerwashed or anything. The vinyl resin has actually changed colors. I'm not as bad off as some of my neighbors where they have several different colors.

The cooktop has been looked at by an Jenn-Air repairman years ago. Total cost to fix is almost as much as a new one. The electronic ignition is out on two of them and there is "something" wrong with a 4th burner (this gas). So we have been manually lighting them for years. But it is 13 years old. Not only does it operate improperly, it looks bad.

When we first moved in, my DH was good about doing all sorts of stuff. He finished the basement almost by himself andchopped down 1/4 acre of trees and regraded the yard to make it usable. Then he kind of pooped out.

He is a tradesman for his fulltime job, works mostly 60 hour weeks, is now 44 and no longer wants to spend his weekends doing home projects. I can only push so far. He'd rather spend the money, even if it is unreasonable. I don't want to spend the money. So, we are at an impasse for some of the smaller things. He won't even paint a room anymore. Total burnout.

I see so many people in my neighborhood doing TONS of repairs. We are not wealthy people here. It is just me and my best friend (who also lives in my neighborhood). We can't afford anything!! I wonder if people are just easier with borrowing money than I am.

 

[Cindy B]

I hear ya!

I just spent almost $4000 (yes $4000) to remove three hazardous trees in our yard.



That $4000 could have been my semesters tuition.

 

[mickeyfan2]

He is a tradesman for his fulltime job, works mostly 60 hour weeks, is now 44 and no longer wants to spend his weekends doing home projects. I can only push so far. He'd rather spend the money, even if it is unreasonable. I don't want to spend the money. So, we are at an impasse for some of the smaller things. He won't even paint a room anymore. Total burnout.

I see so many people in my neighborhood doing TONS of repairs. We are not wealthy people here. It is just me and my best friend (who also lives in my neighborhood). We can't afford anything!! I wonder if people are just easier with borrowing money than I am.

Since your DH is unwilling to do any repairs and you cannot do them yourself, it seems that hiring a person is your only option.

Make a list of must do nows, can wait a year or two and all others.


This is how this type of problem goes in our home.

Me: We need to do X.
DH: I'll get around to it.
time passes
Me: I'm hiring a person to do X.
DH: I refuse to spend the money on it. I can do it myself.
Me: Show me.
then either DH gets started on X or he says pay someone.

 

[cybrkitn]

Oh yeah ! Might as well just raze (sp?) our house and rebuild, IMO.

All of the downstairs windows need to be replaced. That's 2 for the L.R. , 1 for the D.R. (bay window) and the leak fixed, and 7 windows in the kitchen and another major leak to fix (one whole wall is nothing but windows in a galley kitchen ).

Doors? 3 to be replaced and 1 additional; 2 kitchen (one replacement and one additional) and 2 for the L.R. We have a vestibule/foyer so it's one screen door that leads into it and a heavy door that leads into the L.R. The screen door doesn't even fit properly! Believe me, when it snows, it goes under the door and into the vestibule/foyer because of the 1-2" gap between the door and the concrete slab. Grrrrr!!

Kitchen? Complete renovation is in order. FIL hasn't updated it in about 35 years and it's on a concrete slab ! New cabinets (not refacing due to pressboard that is flaking away), floors completely re-done (FIL used industrial tile and in brown). 1970's flower wallpaper with yellows, oranges and greens (horrible ), laminate flooring on the wall with the windows (yep DH's family is Italian and Spaniard) - cost FIL about $400 back then to do and he doesn't want it taken down either .

Living Room? In addition to the custom made windows DH's grandfather made and the door...the floors need to be replaced. FIL also used industrial tile there as well, in white . Walls repainted and ceiling fixed (paint peeling where the tape and spackle are!) Also hasn't been done in 35 years or so! Two leaks in two corners to be fixed

Dining Room and small hallway? White industrial tile floor in here too (what is with my FIL's fascination with this type of flooring ) and needs to be replaced (we're thinking laminate for both the LR and DR). Walls painted instead of the high gloss white he used. Also hasn't been re-done in 35 years or so. FIL also has the basement door in the DR that he made with 2x4's and paneling that also needs to be replaced as well as the light switch that is falling out of the wall.

Bathroom? This is the worst room ! Complete renovation is needed. There is a square hole in the floor that have just a few old industrial tiles and floor boards showing. FIL used pressboard under the laminate flooring when pressboard was new. Back then no one knew not to use it in a bathroom. Duh!!! Cheap pink and gray wall tiles that go up half the wall all around the bathroom. The tiles surrounding the tub have been peeling off and FIL has just been gluing them back on . The tub is put in backwards and the faucets are out of the wall rather than in like they are supposed to be.

Paint (boat paint none-the-less) peeling on the ceiling with a little bit of mold in them (yes there is a fan in the room), the main light that is connected to the fan is hanging down and was never put in properly with a cover, wallpaper that desparately needs to be replaced (pink and brown colors in a floral design with big flowers - I can't stand pink and brown).

The sink is actually ok, but the cabinet underneath is also pressboard and is breaking apart and flaking. The medicine cabinet is a bit rusty and the lighting that is attached to it has one broken socket. Oh, and the toilet needs to be replaced as it's leaking around the back and there is a square hole in the wall on the side of the window so that FIL could install something. Never fixed the hole.

Upstairs was re-done about 4 years ago but we recently found out there are still leaks. One in our DS5's room and one is the small bedroom next to his. Both have had the paint literally peel right off the fairly new sheetrock after it bubbled (the paint). The small bedroom needs to have one whole wall replaced due to the leak and the mildew that has grown on it. The wall even gets soft and wet around the newly replaced window. The other window in the room still needs to be replaced and has the glass pane broken for who knows how long.

Amazingly, our room is the only room in the house that is ok. No problems with leaks or anything else.

Oh, and one other thing. The house is poured concrete, is 15"-18" thick and is about 100 years old. FIL is the second owner of the house and has owned it since 1954. A mason owned it prior to FIL and used bricks in the walls upstairs (don't ask ) which caused the middle of the floors to sink in.

Argggggghhhhhh!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

How do people do it? Well you don't let it pile up....it is the only way.

I finally had it out with DH over our first house, we are in our 3rd, and he hires it out if he won't do it. Or meet my timeline.
While that sounds simple it really had to impact my brain that DH hated "remodeling" in any shape or form.

Begin with things that need immediate attention. Grout falling out requires immediate attention. It will lead to other problems and make it more costly.

The stove doesn't work properly, get a new one or get it fixed.

Siding is improper, then get it fixed.

The key is to always be fixing and upgrading all the time & base it on your budget.

Make a schedule of repair and then go for it.

Right now we are in hell....everything has decided to hit us. The house is only 2 yrs old.
However we are plodding thru....

Roof is leaking (had them out once, not fixed yet )
Microwave is going out
Pool deck is being redone
Pool light being redone
Carpet is bulging in places

I think we have a ghost.

 

[Disney-Kim]

I am with you...thats a LOT of stuff to do.

We have a 58 yr old house and there are things that just stop working or fall apart
honestly we take one thing at a time that is dire...like the a/c going out...we live in Phoenix and this was a MUST. we used HELOC to pay for that and other repairs.
credit makes these big repairs much more doable for us. Using our savings is not what I want to do either...its too hard to replace.

ps..no judging or comments on the debt...too each his own. its helpful for us.

 

[Christine]

we used HELOC to pay for that and other repairs.
credit makes these big repairs much more doable for us. Using our savings is not what I want to do either...its too hard to replace.

ps..no judging or comments on the debt...too each his own. its helpful for us.

No judgements either, but I feel like I can't get out of the HELOC I am in. I had to stop it and convert to a loan because the interest (which was wonderful for 4 years) went through the roof. I finally locked in at 5.9% when the HELOC was hitting 7.9%! I borrowed approximately $22,000 on the HELOC and was making bigger payments than I needed to. Darn thing wouldn't go down. I finally converted it and now I have 4 years of a $320 payment on it. Between that payment, my car payment (just one thank god), the kids' braces, and everything else, I am terrified to get another loan. Truly, I am at my max on paying the bills and don't want to borrow more.

I have not problems doing the HELOC thing if you can pay it back. I just feel like I can't and I already have one loan going on.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

I was just feeling this way this weekend. We are a year into the first home we've ever owned and it's been an eye-opening experience, for sure.

We're used to renting and then moving when it all goes to hell.

Hope things get easier for you.

 

[KDIPIAZZ]

Save as much $$ as possible before starting. Research and have a realistic budget to minimize surprises. Know exactly what you want and research online and at brick and mortars to find the best deal possible. DIY as much as possible to save as much as possible. Keep an eye out for sales and make friends with your local appliance shop - I got a better price on Aga, Miele and Jenn-Air appliances at a high end appliance store then I could have gotten on mid-priced brands at Lowe's or Sears... and the high-end store threw in a year's supply of detergent for washer and detergent, salt and rinse aid for the dishwasher.


We completely gutted and remodeled not one but two houses. We did one room per year using bonuses, overtime, tax refunds and any found money. We took advantage of 6 and 12 month same as cash offers at Lowe's and Home Depot to do everything except the kitchen, windows and roof. The first "room" we did was the exterior of the house. The first home equity loan (NOT LOC as I've seen too many people get into trouble with a line of credit vs a fixed amount loan) took care of 27 windows and a new roof. As we paid that, we worked on one room at a time upstairs. By the time the upstairs was finished, the first HEL was paid off. We worked downstairs room by room until we got to the kitchen and took out another HEL.

The house is now completely renovated, but it's time to go back through room by room and do general maintenance, so in 2008 we'll be replacing faucets, lights and countertop in the bathroom, painting and replacing things like towels and rugs. The bedrooms won't need more than paint, so we'll either squeeze that in in '08 or wait until '09 and replace the carpet in the hallway and stairs at the same time.

Home maintenance is ongoing. Take it one thing at a time and it's much more manageable.

 

[Stepht5]

I see so many people in my neighborhood doing TONS of repairs. We are not wealthy people here. It is just me and my best friend (who also lives in my neighborhood). We can't afford anything!! I wonder if people are just easier with borrowing money than I am.

Or they are like us and bought way below what we quailified for so that we could always afford to pay cash for everything! LOL!

I would never take out a loan for flooring or anything that depriciates in value. We bought our home new (also 2700 sq ft but, no basesments here!) 16 1/2 yrs ago. We've redone the flooring twice in that time, new cabinets for kitchen & downstairs bath, new counters for kitchen (silestone) and downstairs bath, new a/c system (they tipically only last 15 yrs), beautiful new backporch that spans the width of the house (41') with 3 ceiling fans that help keep it cool when we are sitting out there, painted the outside last year.... in the next couple of years we are completely redoing the upstairs -- new bathroom cabinet/counters in both bathrooms, new flooring, new bathtub surround (it is a *garden* tub surrounded by marble) and possibly a few other *nonessentials*. All paid for with cash.

And we are not wealthy. We are comfortable but, not wealthy. Our home is in a very ordinary neighborhood.

We've been looking at buyin a new home and I have been appalled at how many people do not keep their homes updated! YUCK!

 

[klmall]

I agree with posters above. Fix the windows first (wasting energy) and then the siding. Look into possible deals and/or payment plans for windows from your local energy company which is how we bought ours several years ago.

We've lived in our house 21 and a half years and we're on our third kitchen/dinette flooring and our third set of appliances.

In the last two years (in preparation for retirement and sale) we've done the following for our 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home:

---whole new roof
---all new kitchen appliances (had to buy top of line to fit awkward spaces)
---redid 2.5 baths completely floor to ceiling
---redid lighting in kitchen and dinette
---put travertine tile in foyer, kitchen, dinette, powder room (unifies chopped up space nicely but was expensive)
---new carpet in all bedrooms, stairs (a must-do and worth every penny)
---painted every room in the house professionally
---installed closet system in small master bedroom walk-in closet
---new furniture for family room and two bedrooms
---new heat pump and AC (old died 2 weeks after warranty ended)
---sealed and redid 250 foot driveway (got a great deal but still cost $6800)
---had the front of the house professionally landscaped (but it died due to poor watering!!!) so need some replanting

We did luck out since my brother is a contractor and he did all of the bathroom updating and flooring except carpeting at a deep discount but a conservative estimate for all the above would be $100,000.

Still need to do the following:
---renew or replace deck out back
---power wash the siding
---I'm sure there's more......

And worst of all, I'm now retired so there's less money and yet to sell, houses have to be in top condition around here.

 

[sewer]

Not to be mean, but welcome to home ownership! The only thing I can say, is do the things that protect the house from the elements first. That will prevent major damage, the rest is cosmetic, and can be done at a pace that won't break your budget