I have always been someone who believed that anything that needs to be done should be done right, and I'd rather spend more money to fix something to last than to do it on the cheap, and have to replace or redo it every few years. Now, however, I don't make as much money as I did when I was in my twenties, thirties, or forties, and I don't have the energy or the strength to do everything that might need to be done for myself; and now that I am nearly seventy, I find myself considering that if something will last another twenty years, that should be long enough. If I were to die, I don't think my wife would continue living here if she had a choice because maintaining a big house wouldn't be something she'd want to do, and I don't think that anyone we might leave the house to would even visit it before they put it on the market. I haven't let any major things go that I could afford to do otherwise with but, when I am putting together lists of things that need to be done, I am pretty much working on a twenty-year timeframe, and I think that's being awfully generous since I doubt that I'll still be alive and maintaining a house at ninety years of age.
Even though we rent our home my Honey does a lot of the maintenance just because he likes too. Of course we call our Landlord for big issues, but everything we can handle ourselves...we do. If it involves using a ladder we have adjusted by making sure I hold it steady. If it involves close up work I sometimes have to do it because of my Honey's poor eyesight. We work as a team on home maintenance now days and if we don't feel like doing something we let our landlord handle it.
It may be a gender thing, or the fact that girls didn't get to take shop and learn how to use tools beyond the all purpose butter knife in my era, so I've acquired a handyman or two. Now as they get more expensive I may have to resort to something drastic, like watching YouTube DIY videos, or, gasp, ask my ex for help. I did manage to weather strip my front door, but the left over roll is now stuck in an apothecary chest and I can't get the drawer open. I also managed to squirt WD-40 into my mail box lock when it wouldn't open, but then the HOA installed a new community box thingie with more package cubicles with locks. They never said if my WD-40 forced that decision.
For most things, we still do our own maintenance. Finding more and more that hiring someone isn't such a bad idea. Also, we have three sons, one of them is a contractor so if he can't do something, he has a crew that can.
I can't think of anything I might do where I'd be rolling the dice over which of us would expire first. The only item that has such an extended useful life might be roofing. I don't think I'd skimp on longevity, because the incremental cost from a 10 year roof to a 20 year roof (or a 20 year roof to a 30 year roof) would likely not be all that great. I don't think I'd go cheap on anything because I would not want it to break again when I was really too old to deal with it. I can still do most things, but I find my energy level is not what it used to be. I've talked about hiring a plumber to replace a drain line I could do myself, except I don't have the skills & knowledge to tie in the roof vent, and I'm really sick of working in crawlspaces. There are things I could likely do to work on regaining some energy. It's not health, per se...it's sloth that's got me in this shape. The funny thing is I helped my neighbor build a deck last December, and worked 10 hours straight through with no problem, only taking 15 minutes out to eat the lunch his wife prepared. There were 5 of us on the job...that helps with the motivation.
Living in apartment has some advantages - if it breaks or needs repair we call office for repair work order. Mark told me a few years ago, he did not give up a house just to do repairs in apartment that is costly to start with. When he fusses about the outside noise of lawnmowers and blowers going, I remind him - hey they are doing your lawn . I still do all the daily chores, but Mark does help me make the Queen size bed, or haul in grocery, or sit the heavy trash outside the door for pick up. Auto repairs are taken in for repair. just last week have hired my GD to come here (when her mom brings her) and clean the two bathrooms and tubs are the main problems. I might get down but getting up is a killer. Hope to have her also at least help with cleaning baseboards free of dust and grime. Otherwise I can still maintain a clean home and clothes
I ague with myself over this often: Side A: I wonder what I could do with my time if I were in the extreme end like Lon's situation. No cleaning, cooking, maintenance. Side B: I like having control. My last apartment experience was not so good. One day I came home from work to find the cabinet door under the sink wide open and a big hole cut out in the wall under there. There was a mess of water and drywall dust on the floor. I went into the bathroom and my bath towel was on the rack, dripping wet and covered in drywall funk. Apparent a leak had sprung into the apartment below, and the maintenance guy came into my apartment to fix it. After he did so, he went into my bathroom, took my towel, sopped up the mess as best he could with it, then hung my [now funky] towel back upon the rack as though I would not notice. So when you take situations like Side B and add in having inconsiderate residents surrounding you, I'll suffer the trials & tribulations of home ownership. I have never experienced Side A.
@John Brunner pros and cons to both sides. We decided years ago, we di not want to mess with yard and house maintaince after we saw what our parents had to deal with. it is a personal choice I think. You were just dealt a bad situation in your apt. living ,not all are like that.
The one downside or risk I have always wondered about is getting kicked out. I wouldn't want someone to tell me I got 60 days to leave the home I'm in and find another. It feels too insecure.
We still live in the house we had built 16 yr ago but it is lots of work,which I'm glad we built it when we were already seniors.It was built strong for storms and with florida fires in mind too. IHubby was ill with back surgery so I was owner builder myself and contractors I hired, I couldn't have done it without my wondeful archetec who also was a commrcial engeneer so it was built strong and safe,one of my contractors said ' this is overkill ' .I said good thats what I want. Our archetec was also my inspecter along with country of course who didn't like owner builderdlike myself. We had 4 trees fall during Elsa several weeks ago. One still on fence thats huge so that needs repair. We got up the other 3 trees used pickup to drag them to side of trail.We just have 12 acres but mowing is a job [hubby is our mowing now]. We talk about moving and selling before we get to where we can't do or the home sales crash or worse but he wants to stay. We do need to do some clearing like bikes we never ride ask bike shop yesterday he was really interested can't find bikes inventory is low to none.
I have always done it all, but at age 62, I marked anything requiring crawling under the house off of my DIY list. Just last year I did under sink repairs for the last time. I should have given up years ago because of my neck, I didn't until my neck surgeon said no more Faye or after the next surgery, your neck won't have much flex. So on the last trap and food grinder replacement, I used Vector Seal so no leaking from grinding vibrations, but to replace it now would require a hacksaw. Channel locks wouldn't do the nut loosening trick as they have previously. I can still do any electrical except in the attic, but it should last another 50 years so not an issue. I had my roof reshingled with 50-year asphalt/rubber shingles so that doesn't worry me. I can still do some appliance repair, but I think maybe I am finished with that except for easy dishwasher repair and maintenance. So yes, my whole DIY lifestyle is finished for the main part. I still mow my lawn and weed-eat and edge it, but I am getting a bit cranky about that. I basically rebuilt this house from age 45 to 65 so not much needs done. If I stay here another 5 years, I will need a new hot water tank as 12 years is the maximum for a tank here due to all the sludge in the water. I will have to have that all done by someone else, as the last replacement had me flirting with the undertaker and language that would ban me from entering the pearly gates. So yes, my home repair DIY is changing daily with age. As you can see from my avatar, I had rather sit back and enjoy the show than be the star. With my home DIY lessening, my vocabulary has improved and abusive language is less frequent, but my bank account is dwindling.
Faye you sound like an amazing laady who gets it done. I'm pretty good at things too but hubby does most of the techical jobs.
I learned a long long time ago that if I didn’t know how to do something then I’d have to pay someone else to do it. Thus far I’ve managed to do whatever I want to do. I’m presently renovating another house and I have all the equipment, knowledge and strength to do it so why not? All my parts still move so I guess there’s no excuse for not maintaining our house and a few others to boot. Welding is about the only thing I do not get enough practice doing but I’ve managed to run a couple of good beads and a few not so good too. That said, I can sweat a copper pipe with the best of them but still, arc welding is not something that I really need to know for a renovation but knowledge is power and I really hate to open my wallet and give that power to someone else when I do need something welded.
I used to be pretty good at welding, but it's been nearly forty years since I've welded anything. Every now and then, I think about getting a welder, but I doubt that I will.
It’s a little irritating at times but when my dad was 19 he taught welding at a local school and worked at a machine shop till he was about 23 or 24 but since he didn’t own any equipment he never taught me. He did however teach me how to use oxi-acetylene for cutting stuff up which is why I got stuck with cutting all the #5 rebar on one of his job sites after he became a contractor.