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We bought a house back in October that had some serious maintenance and update needs. I have anxiety and I tend to "see" problems that other people don't. I suggest trying to frame this to yourself as a positive. Why weren't any of these issues addressed previously? Why were no updates done? Here's why: because none of those people saw, knew about, or cared about any of those issues. Houses and buildings in general need people to live in them and care about them. A vacant unmaintained house is a knockdown in a couple years, just from water and pests. Nobody else gave a poo poo about that place and did half-assed temporary fixes at best. That's where you come in. You and your partner are going to save that house by pure force of will. My wife and I made a categorized, prioritized list in Google Docs of what the house needs or we want. The categories are in descending priority as are the actual work items. 1. Problems that present an immediate risk to life, health, or the integrity of the home. This is where fire hazards, water leaks, exposed electrical wiring, vermin infestations, gas leaks, sewer backups, etc go. When my wife and I moved in there were non-GFCI outlets next to the sinks and the electrical panel was deficient. 5 days after we moved in we had an electrician come in and address a laundry list of issues including replacing the panel. 2. Issues that can pose serious issues for the house if not mitigated, but can be worked around for the immediate time being. Our roof needs to be replaced since it's old, but it's ok for now. The deck was really wobbly, but I installed a diagonal brace and it's ok for the immediate time being. 3. Issues that present major livability concerns. This is things you can technically do without but really affect your quality of life in the meantime. We wanted to use the basement as an office but we couldn't till we ran Ethernet cable This is where a non-essential appliance (like a dishwasher) breaking goes 4. Issues that are actively bothersome. Most of the doors in my house stuck like crazy. The master bedroom carpet is hideous indoor/outdoor grade scratchy poo poo 5. Minor annoyances. Our oven is too small to use a full size baking sheet. We want a new oven. 6. Future upgrades. We want to repaint most of the house We want a nicer shower stall It's ok to do items from lower down! They're usually cheaper and faster and it's really worth it to make the house your own place that works for you. Whenever you see an issue, categorize it and write it down. You won't forget about it and it's much easier to keep from mentally dwelling on something when you can remind yourself "Yes it's an issue but it's written down, we will get to it and it's not an emergency in the meantime". The list is a good place to keep cost and time estimates. The basement takes 16k, we're saving X dollars a month, we can get to it by this time.
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Jun 16, 2021 21:15
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 06:08 |
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I'd also try making a list of what isn't a problem, stuff that's working fine. You haven't said anything about your plumbing, is that ok? Plumbing makes the house livable- if yours is fine that's a huge deal. Does the water taste good? You aren't getting sewer backups which is great because those are disastrous. Your neighbors sounds like decent people, that's a big deal. Your brains are going to filter out the train sounds in a few weeks if they haven't already. You've got a functioning home surrounded by plants and wildlife. The air [hopefully] smells good outside. Take a seat on your porch steps in the evening and have a cold drink. In my experience the people with big expensive decks never use them, but people with some beat-up lawn chairs in their front yard are out there every evening watching the light filter through the trees.
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Jun 16, 2021 21:29
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That gap between the kitchen backsplash and window looks like a job for some $4 per tube latex caulk. Is any of the surrounding wood squishy to the touch? If not, throwing down some caulk to keep water out is all you need. That's just from water splashing on the wall a bit while you're washing dishes.
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Jul 8, 2021 20:07
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Ball Tazeman posted:My partner and father pulled up some deck boards and found a massive mouse opening to seal up. This is great news! Mice can't teleport, if you find the holes they're using and seal them that will keep them out. They're pesky devils but they don't have access to home depot. They can't get through steel mesh and steel mesh is cheap and easy to work with.
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Aug 15, 2021 17:35
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Awesome work taking a swing at the plumbing! So glad the drain was just a ball of hair AND you guys took care of it yourselves. That's a plumber service call saved, right there.
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Sep 27, 2021 16:30
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