Home Repair Woes…I’ve Got ‘Em

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We’ve hit the point where our home IS a money pit. No two ways about it. We are constantly spending money on repairs. And I am not talking about remodeling or anything remotely fun like that. Nope. Any money that we might want to spend on remodeling the kitchen or expanding the upstairs is spent on repairing appliances and fixing toilets instead.

Stuff works or it doesn’t. Appliances are chugging a long nicely or limping a long or dead as a doornail. The dishwasher though newish is aggravating…dishes needs to be handwashed before AND after. So what is the point of the dishwasher anyway? This is the second spring in 7 or so years where the AC unit has conked out. I “think” we have replaced something in the heatpump…probably during a blizzard or snowstorm. And don’t get me started on the water system. I DON’T want to think of how much we have sunk (pun intended) in to our plumbing, septic, and well. Yikes. The manifold or manifest (who knows!?) of plumbing pipes has been replaced. Wow, was that repair a whole lotta money. We’ve added a water treatment system and softener. And still our toilets don’t flush effectively. I know that the wonky toilets have more to do with our septic and well than with the plumbing, but really the whole sorry mess makes me want to pack up and move somewhere new.

But, this is a new house. Or it was new 19 years ago. So not that new, but I love it anyway. We were newly married…had outgrown our first home…a townhouse…wanted to start a family…and knew we wanted to build a new home. We didn’t even look at older homes. But, because we were so young, we could afford only the least expensive model home…and that wasn’t a cheap house by any means. To make the base model a bit more homey and roomy, we added a family room (the home had a kitchen, living room, and dining room on the first floor), switched the linen closet from the master bath to the kids’ bath, installed a doorbell (yes, our very cheap builder considered a doorbell as an “extra”), and signed off on a two-car garage. Almost 20 years later, we have definitely outgrown our home. Two of the kids’ rooms are teeny. The kids’ bathroom is too small. The upstairs hallway is dim not to mention narrow…and could benefit from a window or some other source of light at the top of the landing. The downstairs hallway is even grimmer. I have the hall light on all day long. We need a glass front door, but then I worry if that is unsafe. Maybe a side window panel, but the space in the hallway seems so narrow. I’m so obsessed with home improvements that I added it to my 2013 Resolutions!

But, back to home repairs…I’m daydreaming of what I would do with my money instead of being realistic about what I am spending my money on. On today’s repair docket…the AC guy is fixing the AC compressor, installing an air filter. The upstairs master toilet needs to have the flusher or whatever you call it fixed. The master bedroom fan needs a new light fixture or maybe the wiring is off. The kitchen sink only has cold water.

Ugh. Home repairs are draining to the budget. Make me feel better and tell me what home repairs you are in the midst of. You know what they say about misery living company…

12 comments for “Home Repair Woes…I’ve Got ‘Em

  1. April 26, 2013 at 9:03 am

    I feel your pain. Our home is 11 years old and simple upkeep is expensive!

  2. April 26, 2013 at 9:06 am

    We have been living in rental houses for the past 6 years and I miss owning our own house… until I see posts like this 🙂 It’s not always nice to be renting, but we just have to try to get the best out of what we have. Me not having home owner’s issues – you for at least owning a place of your own that you CAN do what ever you want to!

  3. April 26, 2013 at 9:09 am

    It seems like home repairs are never ending, if only we didn’t “live” in our home and it sat unused the wear and tear would be much less… but alas my kids scuff up the walls and break things and clog drains…
    Hopefully you’ll get everything in working order so you can do some fun home improvements.

  4. April 26, 2013 at 9:40 am

    OMG I so hear you!!! Everyday I feel like there is SOMETHING else that is broken in our house– it is over 100 years old and yes i agree it is a bit of a money pit– but still bright side at least it’s YOUR MONEY PIT!

  5. April 26, 2013 at 10:14 am

    We have so many things that need repair in our house. We are the second owners of our 35 year old townhouse. We’ve been here for 15 years and have done so much work. It really is exhausting!

  6. April 26, 2013 at 10:18 am

    OMG You are the kinda girl I seek to empower. My whole passion in life (after my hubby and sons) is to save you chicks from just that kind of house trouble. We need to chat! Please check out what HIP Chicks is all about. DIY help for the gals! Basically I teach women how to screw… and caulk and nail. You get the idea. We girls can do it and be smart, capable and confident homeowners. Have a better day!

  7. April 26, 2013 at 3:54 pm

    It stinks when you have to put all sorts of money into the house but it’s in areas where nobody gets to see the results!

  8. April 26, 2013 at 4:32 pm

    I know exactly what you mean! Ours is coming up on 40 years old. We need a new breaker box most recently, but have had to replace stove twice, fridge, washer, dryer, lawn mower, weed whacker, and furnace in the last couple of years. It adds up quick.

  9. ConnieFoggles
    April 26, 2013 at 10:26 pm

    I’m just where you are with my home. Add to it that there are sinkholes all around us and we can’t afford the insurance. Our AC needs to be replaced soon and our dryer just broke. Yikes!

  10. April 28, 2013 at 5:31 pm

    Oh man, I feel yah, I really do. Darn these home repairs lol

  11. April 29, 2013 at 12:02 am

    It’s amazing how what was perfect at one point in our life doesn’t fit our needs later in life. Good luck with your renovations!

  12. April 29, 2013 at 1:21 pm

    I hear you! Our house is 100 years old, there’s always something around the corner.

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