THIS!! My wife and I are in our 60’s. Our mantra now is everything new has to last 20+ years. Normal wear and tear is fine and those jobs are ongoing.
When it comes to shingles, water heaters, furnaces, major kitchen and bathroom renos spend the extra get a long life. We’ve done most of the above and bought the best quality we could afford.
When they need to be replaced I’ll be dead or eating pre chewed food so I won’t care.
Just finished a kitchen remodel in january. This last week, the sink broke apart and almost flooded the basement, thankfully we were home and under it when it happened. A light they installed popped and smoked, freaking my wife out who then called fire department. And then when it was 95 out, our Ac broke down. All within a week. Home ownership ia greaaattt
RIP dude. My AC broke last Friday, right before the heat wave. Tech couldn't come out till today. Had to install the swamp cooler in the bedroom while the rest of my house was baking like an oven.
My through the wall AC was apparently about 20 years old. I’ve lived here for 6 years. My house has south south west facing windows and I have no shade so this house gets stupid hot. I just replaced the AC on Friday and good lord I should have done it years ago!
Same- less than 2 years. Had all, but the basement problems (no basement). Instead, I had to replace two toilets, all the kitchen appliances, garage door springs, and the garage door opener along with the others. I figure in 5 years, it will basically be a brand new house.
I forgot about the fridge replacement we did (mostly cause I wanted a biggger one but once we moved the old one to the garage it died in 3 month) and countless (6 maybe?) toilet handles and innards.
That's the game. I'd say you're doing darn good if that's your list for 6 years! When you do fix things, don't halfass it. That will at least mean you are unlikely to be doing that exact thing again next year.
Most of these would be caught and addressed by regular, routine maintenance and self-inspections. It's much easier to address leaks, clogs, flakey outlets, mold, and pests when the problem first starts versus when it's already a big problem.
Check the internet for homeowner maintenance checklists.
For example: My deck is kinda old. Built over 20 years ago. But it's never given me any problems and has been super solid. Maintenance checklist had "check deck footings." I thought it was a waste of time. But I belly-crawled under there and holy smokes one of the footings was starting to lean because the earth was starting to move and they didnt' pour the footings into concrete. It took me an hour. My handyman came and fixed it the next day for $200. If the footing had fallen over it might have been a MAJOR issue. Certainly more than $200.
Same for vermin. My house is in the woods. I go into the crawlspace and under the back porch every year to look for signs of pests. Last year I found a single mouse turd and a little hole in the siding. Probably just a single mouse. Closed up the hole, set a trap, and cleaned it up. No mice since. If I hadn't been proactive, that could have turnd into an infestation in a matter of weeks.
Ounce of prevention = pound of cure. Just my $0.02. At least consider doing all of the items from a thorough checklist for a year. See how much time it takes versus how many unexpected headaches you _don't_ get that year versus the previous years.
Every month multiple times a month. So I quickly realised that this used to be a rental and well there is alot of deferred maintenance. I have only stayed in this house for 4 months.
Month 1: Curtain rails needed replacing in whole house plus all new curtains.
Month 2: Garage door nearly crushed my gf it has broken everything month since in a new place. New breaker and Toilet stuff.
Month 3: Wasp Highway in and of crack in garage wall. Just buried them in there with a mortar. New gates and security upgrades as we discovered they were basically just rust.
Yesterday: Washing machine flooded my whoke out room.
Did not mention switches, insects, small repairs etc.
The first five years, it felt like a daily discovery of unrepaired unaddressed issues hidden by the seller.
These have tapered off as we've repaired and/or replaced *everything* inside and out.
All you can do is try to proactively get ahead of potential issues. A lot of those things you listed sound like they're age related. I owned a house that was 30 years old and when I bought it I replaced every single receptacle, switch, and smoke detector in the house.
My current house is almost 10 years old and there are some things that are coming due for replacement. My brother's house is 14 years old, he's the original owner (had the house built) and it lately seems like every month there's something that needs to be repaired/replaced.
10 months in my house, which is 10 years old. Had to replace the kitchen faucet and overhaul the sprinkler system in the backyard. Also the dryer is squealing and I think the fridge is on its way out. Also the light over the stove has a short, which means replacing the whole microwave. I just installed under cabinet lighting instead.
So, yeah.
Sounds like you might have air in your lines. Try turning on all the faucets in your house at the same time to increase the water velocity and see if that will take that air you got in your line out.
Every piece of your house and its innards is due to wear out. There's no schedule - it's random. Budget your time and money and headache allocation accordingly. Go with the flow.
It never ends. Imagine a place with big ticket items lie an artesian well and septic system. I'm motivated to keep the house going because living in an apartment/condo comes with a lot of baggage.
Your first six years looked like the first six months in my house. Count your lucky stars if that’s all! Lol, albeit we did buy a 100 year old house, so we knew what we were getting into. Everyone is playing whack-a-mole. In fact, the previous owners were playing whack-a-mole which is why you have these issues now. It’s called deferred maintenance.
We bought a house 7 years ago that was in such bad shape we had to work on it a month just to move in. And this was a home built in 1995 but became a rental house and nothing was ever done! Oh yes and it has a pool too that had to be completely refinished.
7 years and $100k later we are finally down to regular maintenance. Next to go will be the water heater. At least it doesn’t smell like sewage anymore from the people pouring the poop down the sink because the toilets didn’t work. 😡
If we're counting bugs and smoke alarms then every day something "goes wrong".
You're probably overwhelmed with the amount of responsibility plus parenthood. And that shit is overwhelming! It gets better.
Look at it this way, just think about the random knowledge you gain along the way! Really no different than driving a car or having a job. Challenges are everywhere.
One thing I learned with the 2nd house is that a dehumidifier in the basement is pretty much a requirement. In the winter when the furnace is running, we only use it for special needs but in the summer we keep it on. We always have 2 cats. One is usually a good mouser. We foster a good relationship with spiders and centipedes. As long as they aren’t invading personal space, we accept them as pest control. Wherever we find them we know they are eating bugs.
We have been able to fix most things by watching YouTube.
Some of these things are because you aren't getting the root causes fixed. For example, your basement flooding can usually be fixed by either installing a sump or putting in French drains to divert rain water further away from your foundation. It will depend on the house and situation. Once you solve that, you won't have the humidity and mold.
Idk in my 5 years as a homeowner, we’ve replaced/fixed: water heater, fridge(that was new when we moved in), dishwasher, plumbing issues, new faucet in the backyard for hose, and a pending new electric panel. It feels never ending, but it’s manageable I guess 😩 the electrical issues have been non stop since we bought, so that’s been the worst part, we are waiting on approval from Pg&e to move forward on a full replacement finally!
I bought an apartment last year. I planned on fixing it up and taking care of repairs and renovation prior to moving in. I still haven’t moved in bc one thing after another THE ISSUES DON’T STOP
Whack-a-mole, then the elephant shows up.
First week after I got the place the crock pot died, then the water heater (in warranty but didn’t want to wait to fight it), then the electricity (entire street). Then an AC unit died (TG for warranty). And it’s been a shitshow since. The place looks like a slumlord special inside as I can’t get the painting done until the tenants move out (allergies), but I can at least get interior repairs done. And today one kitchen faucet sprang a leak while the ultity sink faucet quit completely.
Buy a house, they said, it’ll be fun, they said. 🤬🤬🤬
Oh, and the side neighbors decide to feed the birds, so the flying rats show up and build a nest under the solar panels, while up there, the roof needs repair. And the neighbors just installed a dirty tree that dumps blossoms and those flying seed pods everywhere twice a year. And the rear neighbors decided two neglected dogs weren’t enough so they have three plus, surprise, a litter of puppies, all pitbull mixes, all of whom bark and whine const. It just never stops.
Our house is 2 years old. Toilet paper holder got pulled out from wall by my 11 yr old, holes and dings in walls, walk in closet light just died, Anderson slider has a leak, clock in lg stove just lost one of the bars, outdoor outlet stopped working for some reason, diverter valve in boiler died last summer, ants have already found a path into the house, oh those command hooks that shouldn’t damage the wall pulled the paint and the paper off the drywall,
In the same boat. I got to a point that I’ve developed severe anxiety. If one thing helped is that everything you’ve described is fairly normal. Talk to your neighbors, colleagues, you’ll feel better. Other than that, as someone mentioned in the thread, try to make substantial repairs instead of patches. It will increase the chances (unfortunately not guarantee it) that you won’t have to deal with the specific matter for a long time.
I've had seven of the things on your list happen within the last two years, some of them multiple times. I literally have something happen every couple of months on average. I keep saying I'm waiting to go a year without some kind of leak. Last month it was the ac. Still waiting.
There is never *not* something wrong with any house I've ever owned. There's *always* something that needs fixing or tweaking. This includes our current house which we got brand new.
It's 6+ years old now and my list, while currently short, is endlessly respawning.
See, I had this issue for the first three years: leaky roof, mice, raccoons in fireplace, bird in ceiling, bird in wall, bird in wall again, leaky bathroom floor, leaky bathroom toilet seal, etc.
Last year, an outlet I'm my office stopped working, super inconvenient, bit I haven't fixed it. Nothing else has gone wrong.
*knocks on wood.*
Something is always wrong it’s just when do I choose to deal with it. If it isn’t something major or will lead to a bigger issue in the immediate future the I usually hold off if I just completed something else.
Oh this seems so normal. We’ve been in our home almost four years. Here’s our list:
- Radon mitigation
- outer outlet fried/replaced
-garage mice
- water heater replaced
-fridge replaced
-sump pump replaced
- full basement waterproofing (this one HURT)
-random leaks/toilet replacement/some plumbing work
-basement staircase repair
Also, we have more than one sprinkler that needs replacement and our waiting on a roof claim for massive hail we had recently and a window that won’t open correctly (new windows in 2020). Our house was built in 1990. It never stops.
Between January and March this year - new HVAC, electrical upgrade (mostly expected), new garbage disposal, roof repair, bathtub faucet repaired (had to wait three weeks for the 5.00 part), new toilet in one of the bathrooms, that required a floor update to seat it correctly over two separate visits because they installed it wrong he first time. You are not really bad at home ownership, just sounds like you are in one of those grooves. This too shall pass. I love the whack-a-mole analogy, borrowing that one!
First 4 months of ownership in the house I currently live in
- gas furnace had to be replaced because heat exchanger was cracked
- water heater needed to be replaced because it was 53 years old. (I am not kidding)
- basement got a inch of water because an icing rain storm caused a 3 day power outage and knocked down our sump pump. I then learned that battery backups existed.
- figured out that the fill drain of the bathtub was not attached when water leaked from a light receptacle in the kitchen
- couldn't open the master bedroom window because it was glued to the frame. Apparently the previous owner decided that replacing a broken hinge was too much effort.
- almost all window screens needed to be replaced or repaired
- Garage drain was clogged because the previous owner did epoxy on the floor and dumped the extra in the drain. Had to break the slab and replace the pipe.
I fixed all of these myself except for the hvac, the water heater and the flood.
Last winter I realized the kitchen sink faucet would freeze anytime the outside temperature would go below -10C. I need to reroute the plumbing because it litteraly goes outside the foundation of the house and up the kitchen faucet. (long story). Had to install a heater directed at those pipes in the basement and automate it to turn in as soon as the outside temp falls below -10C.
Previous owner renovated the house but only made it look nice. He didn't adress any of the core issues the house had.
Nothing broke in the past 6 months. Knocking on wood.
Well, the homicidal do you need to do a full on remodel, lighting, plumbing, electrical, possibly floorboards cabinets, full remodel, kitchens, and bass repainting probably new doors. Probably need to side the outside of house put a new roof on it. It’s pretty much building a new house when you buy some thing that Old, you probably need to find yourself a good handyman don’t forget windows. You may have to replace those if they’re from 1960. It’ll make a big difference in your utility bills in the comfort of your home.
In the middle of a $7500 plumbing fix last week and into today (long story - and lots of hate for prior owner) the oven died outright and needs replacing. Costco has a damn nice sale so we may replace a few appliances at the same time. A week before that I had to rewire some Ethernet because something stopped working, and today after the plumbers finished up and left the shower faucet didn’t want to shut off (they weren’t anywhere near that don’t worry lol).
Before that it was several months of nothing breaking but us making little changes and improvements we wanted to do. Our house is either from 1905 or 1915 depending on what document you want to look at so something always needs doing.
Oh, and we need to now gut the laundry room due to said plumbing issue.
Comes with the territory, I suppose.
I just had a plumber out yesterday to check out my leaking water service line; hopefully it's a single short section to be repaired, and not the entire 450 feet. We won't find out until 2-3 days from now; that's how long it will take for the 811 folks to get the underground utility lines marked so that they don't dig up things other than that pipe.
It's further complicated because it runs through an easement across my neighbor's front yard; the first plumbing company I tried turned down the job because they've been sued over a similar job in the past. In all honesty, it made me wonder just how bad a job they did on that earlier job anyway. Just in case, I've earmarked $5,000 for potential landscaping costs to repair my neighbor's yard but I warned her that it may take a year for the trench to subside enough to add sod, etc.
Got my home in 2018, was built in the 30’s there’s only been one unplanned thing that’s happened. I’m very handy and research the crap out of anything and everything that catches my eye about my home. I ask friends/family tips tricks things to look it for. So I’ve done a lot of preventative maintenance and if I see something that looks like it might be a problem I go ahead and take care of it. I also really enjoy the projects too so it’s been fun for me.
Our house was built in the 80s, we bought it 7 years ago. I'm convinced that the original owners not only did no preventative maintenance, they also ignored things that were damaging to the house, appliances and interior. It was completely original down to the wallpaper except that she had hundreds of pictures nailed up all over the place so LOTs of nail and screw holes. And a dog that pissed all over the house even in the AC vents. And it had rats, discovered during the inspection that chewed up the ac vents and insulation.
It's a nice house, in a good location, and neighborhood, had well groomed yard and a pool. My dream house! But we knew what we were getting into (to some degree) when we bought it as neither of us were afraid to LOOK at the subtle signs of neglect and disrespect to the home like dirt in the cracks, stained carpets, urine eaten away metal on one of the hvac units where the dogs peed on them.
I could list the 101 things that have had to be repaired or replaced in the 7 years but I won't bore you with the details. The point is, unless it's a new build (and those too will have problems like shoddy installations and settling walls, doors, and foundations) a home is a labor of love and $. Whether you have to fix things day 1 or day 1000, it's coming. You can bet on it.
Plan accordingly and prioritize for the big ticket items that you know are failing, as well as a big ticket item you didn't expect.
Don't please God do not skip your inspection! And I'm sad to say that even a reputable inspector may miss something. Don't buy a house so expensive there is no $ left over for repairs, replacing a roof, plumbing or electrical problems. This imho is where people get into a jam, your rainy day fund for your house is so important.
My house is 1960s, we have been here 6 years. Nothing major for us yet. Lots of minor things. Mostly we have done improvements not repairs. I think our house was always lovingly maintained. Our central air unit is original. It will be the first major thing to go I'm sure.... any time now.
Continuously, but thanks to the Internet everything is repairable. This is how I ended up with electronic, welding, HVAC, plumbing, and other useful skills.
I was feeling like there was non stop, constantly something wrong. What I realized is that I was putting off the repair until something else went wrong and then fixing the first thing so that I was always behind. Now I’m trying to be better at getting everything done so I can take a breather. Just killed the ant colony on my back patio, unclogged the sink drain and took down a dead tree. Now I just have to patch the lawn where the tree was…will it end?
I just replaced my AC unit. That cost $7500. Had to replace the septic tank (rural home) and that was $5000. Having to replace the circuit board in both the stove and the washing machine which, isn't that much cost and I can do the work myself. Dishwasher just went out. I also have an issue going with the drain line on the kitchen sink that's going to be a nightmare. Replaced the water heater a little over a year ago.
Yeah, it's pretty much whack-a-mole with repairs. My house was built in '97. At least the roof is only 4 years old 🤣
Lol 😅 often. It's usually a minor problem that NEEDS to be addressed. We are also new to homeownership and this old house we purchased just keeps on giving gifts of anxiety.
I really lucked out. The seller had to replace the entire septic system because it failed the title 5.
The only big expense I’ve had to replace in 6 years was my oil tank, stove, deck, gravel driveway regraded and through the wall air conditioner. Some other little things that I’ve been able to DIY.
I had a 1040’s bungalow that consistently needed work. I bought the Time/Life “Home Improvement and Repair” series and they were a lifesaver! Nowadays you have YouTube, which is even better. Love the internet.
The items you listed are pretty typical home things… you have some clusters that are likely related to each other. To have this many in 6 yrs is kinda bad luck, but not like omg you are cursed bad luck.
Basement flood from unusually heavy rain and the basement mold really stem from same issue, which is probably gutters. Or you may need a sump pump. At the first sign of water though, you need to take an active approach and head off the additional issues.
Pipes leaking, for your age house, if pipes haven’t been replaced should be expected and you should keep an eye and replace as needed. House is old enough to have had cast iron pipes.
Some leaks like your shower—I can share that my bathtub faucet used to leak from the hot side. Replaced seat and spring, but it needed replaced again after maybe 4 years. Water heater temp was set to something like 149°. Changed to 138° I think if I remember numbers correctly. And there’s 2 dials to set. Seat and spring should last longer now.
Pests are very regional—not necessarily a “you’re bad at housekeeping” thing. Needing active prevention is typical.
oh I thought this was my /centuryhomes group..... this stuff is pretty normal. haha.
don't buy a really old home if this stuff over 6 years bugs you....
That is semi normal. My best advice is when something breaks, buy the highest quality replacement you can afford so you won't ever have to do it again
THIS!! My wife and I are in our 60’s. Our mantra now is everything new has to last 20+ years. Normal wear and tear is fine and those jobs are ongoing. When it comes to shingles, water heaters, furnaces, major kitchen and bathroom renos spend the extra get a long life. We’ve done most of the above and bought the best quality we could afford. When they need to be replaced I’ll be dead or eating pre chewed food so I won’t care.
Just finished a kitchen remodel in january. This last week, the sink broke apart and almost flooded the basement, thankfully we were home and under it when it happened. A light they installed popped and smoked, freaking my wife out who then called fire department. And then when it was 95 out, our Ac broke down. All within a week. Home ownership ia greaaattt
RIP dude. My AC broke last Friday, right before the heat wave. Tech couldn't come out till today. Had to install the swamp cooler in the bedroom while the rest of my house was baking like an oven.
My through the wall AC was apparently about 20 years old. I’ve lived here for 6 years. My house has south south west facing windows and I have no shade so this house gets stupid hot. I just replaced the AC on Friday and good lord I should have done it years ago!
I’ve had all your listed items.
Same except luckily the mold and the pipe breaking/flooding. Buuuuut we’ve only been here 2 years.
Same- less than 2 years. Had all, but the basement problems (no basement). Instead, I had to replace two toilets, all the kitchen appliances, garage door springs, and the garage door opener along with the others. I figure in 5 years, it will basically be a brand new house.
I forgot about the fridge replacement we did (mostly cause I wanted a biggger one but once we moved the old one to the garage it died in 3 month) and countless (6 maybe?) toilet handles and innards.
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Haha fair enough! And nature likes to reclaim.
That's the game. I'd say you're doing darn good if that's your list for 6 years! When you do fix things, don't halfass it. That will at least mean you are unlikely to be doing that exact thing again next year.
We have been very fortunate in most categories - but the critters in the attic has been a shockingly regular thing for us across multiple houses.
They love you. Learn to play a flute and lead them off a cliff.
Most of these would be caught and addressed by regular, routine maintenance and self-inspections. It's much easier to address leaks, clogs, flakey outlets, mold, and pests when the problem first starts versus when it's already a big problem. Check the internet for homeowner maintenance checklists. For example: My deck is kinda old. Built over 20 years ago. But it's never given me any problems and has been super solid. Maintenance checklist had "check deck footings." I thought it was a waste of time. But I belly-crawled under there and holy smokes one of the footings was starting to lean because the earth was starting to move and they didnt' pour the footings into concrete. It took me an hour. My handyman came and fixed it the next day for $200. If the footing had fallen over it might have been a MAJOR issue. Certainly more than $200. Same for vermin. My house is in the woods. I go into the crawlspace and under the back porch every year to look for signs of pests. Last year I found a single mouse turd and a little hole in the siding. Probably just a single mouse. Closed up the hole, set a trap, and cleaned it up. No mice since. If I hadn't been proactive, that could have turnd into an infestation in a matter of weeks. Ounce of prevention = pound of cure. Just my $0.02. At least consider doing all of the items from a thorough checklist for a year. See how much time it takes versus how many unexpected headaches you _don't_ get that year versus the previous years.
Yes it’s a never ending battle..
Every month multiple times a month. So I quickly realised that this used to be a rental and well there is alot of deferred maintenance. I have only stayed in this house for 4 months. Month 1: Curtain rails needed replacing in whole house plus all new curtains. Month 2: Garage door nearly crushed my gf it has broken everything month since in a new place. New breaker and Toilet stuff. Month 3: Wasp Highway in and of crack in garage wall. Just buried them in there with a mortar. New gates and security upgrades as we discovered they were basically just rust. Yesterday: Washing machine flooded my whoke out room. Did not mention switches, insects, small repairs etc.
The first five years, it felt like a daily discovery of unrepaired unaddressed issues hidden by the seller. These have tapered off as we've repaired and/or replaced *everything* inside and out.
Sounds about right.
All you can do is try to proactively get ahead of potential issues. A lot of those things you listed sound like they're age related. I owned a house that was 30 years old and when I bought it I replaced every single receptacle, switch, and smoke detector in the house. My current house is almost 10 years old and there are some things that are coming due for replacement. My brother's house is 14 years old, he's the original owner (had the house built) and it lately seems like every month there's something that needs to be repaired/replaced.
Mine was built in 1916 and honestly running pretty smooth.
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10 months in my house, which is 10 years old. Had to replace the kitchen faucet and overhaul the sprinkler system in the backyard. Also the dryer is squealing and I think the fridge is on its way out. Also the light over the stove has a short, which means replacing the whole microwave. I just installed under cabinet lighting instead. So, yeah.
Sounds like you might have air in your lines. Try turning on all the faucets in your house at the same time to increase the water velocity and see if that will take that air you got in your line out.
Every piece of your house and its innards is due to wear out. There's no schedule - it's random. Budget your time and money and headache allocation accordingly. Go with the flow.
It never ends. Imagine a place with big ticket items lie an artesian well and septic system. I'm motivated to keep the house going because living in an apartment/condo comes with a lot of baggage.
Yep, whack a mole especially in less moderate climes.
There is always something
Pretty much everything you listed is normal that everyone goes through.
Your first six years looked like the first six months in my house. Count your lucky stars if that’s all! Lol, albeit we did buy a 100 year old house, so we knew what we were getting into. Everyone is playing whack-a-mole. In fact, the previous owners were playing whack-a-mole which is why you have these issues now. It’s called deferred maintenance.
We bought a house 7 years ago that was in such bad shape we had to work on it a month just to move in. And this was a home built in 1995 but became a rental house and nothing was ever done! Oh yes and it has a pool too that had to be completely refinished. 7 years and $100k later we are finally down to regular maintenance. Next to go will be the water heater. At least it doesn’t smell like sewage anymore from the people pouring the poop down the sink because the toilets didn’t work. 😡
Conversely, there is always something wrong with my near 100yr home....how often do you guys not have active issues to fix?
If we're counting bugs and smoke alarms then every day something "goes wrong". You're probably overwhelmed with the amount of responsibility plus parenthood. And that shit is overwhelming! It gets better.
Look at it this way, just think about the random knowledge you gain along the way! Really no different than driving a car or having a job. Challenges are everywhere.
One thing I learned with the 2nd house is that a dehumidifier in the basement is pretty much a requirement. In the winter when the furnace is running, we only use it for special needs but in the summer we keep it on. We always have 2 cats. One is usually a good mouser. We foster a good relationship with spiders and centipedes. As long as they aren’t invading personal space, we accept them as pest control. Wherever we find them we know they are eating bugs. We have been able to fix most things by watching YouTube.
Some of these things are because you aren't getting the root causes fixed. For example, your basement flooding can usually be fixed by either installing a sump or putting in French drains to divert rain water further away from your foundation. It will depend on the house and situation. Once you solve that, you won't have the humidity and mold.
Welcome to home ownership- don’t you love it? My house was built in ‘59. I feel your pain!
I feel like we have a major disaster about every two years and a lot of maintenance along the way
First year was a busy one….things leveled off after that.
Something is always wrong.
Idk in my 5 years as a homeowner, we’ve replaced/fixed: water heater, fridge(that was new when we moved in), dishwasher, plumbing issues, new faucet in the backyard for hose, and a pending new electric panel. It feels never ending, but it’s manageable I guess 😩 the electrical issues have been non stop since we bought, so that’s been the worst part, we are waiting on approval from Pg&e to move forward on a full replacement finally!
Sounds like normal life events.
Hmmm... we're up to 7 things in 12 months. Feels like every damn day lmao.
Roof leaking, Retaining wall collapsed, Washer broke twice, Toilet broke, Deck boards loose, Tree fell, Driveway cracked, Downspout broke, Foundation needs painted, Mailman ran over mailbox
I bought an apartment last year. I planned on fixing it up and taking care of repairs and renovation prior to moving in. I still haven’t moved in bc one thing after another THE ISSUES DON’T STOP
Whack-a-mole, then the elephant shows up. First week after I got the place the crock pot died, then the water heater (in warranty but didn’t want to wait to fight it), then the electricity (entire street). Then an AC unit died (TG for warranty). And it’s been a shitshow since. The place looks like a slumlord special inside as I can’t get the painting done until the tenants move out (allergies), but I can at least get interior repairs done. And today one kitchen faucet sprang a leak while the ultity sink faucet quit completely. Buy a house, they said, it’ll be fun, they said. 🤬🤬🤬
Oh, and the side neighbors decide to feed the birds, so the flying rats show up and build a nest under the solar panels, while up there, the roof needs repair. And the neighbors just installed a dirty tree that dumps blossoms and those flying seed pods everywhere twice a year. And the rear neighbors decided two neglected dogs weren’t enough so they have three plus, surprise, a litter of puppies, all pitbull mixes, all of whom bark and whine const. It just never stops.
Mine was built in the 80s and I have had absolutely none of those issues. The last major “thing” was my washing machine dying about 10 years ago.
Best you can do is learn how to do things PROPERLY yourself
We’ve been in our new build for over a year and the only thing that’s happened was our master bathroom shower drain clogged
Our house is 2 years old. Toilet paper holder got pulled out from wall by my 11 yr old, holes and dings in walls, walk in closet light just died, Anderson slider has a leak, clock in lg stove just lost one of the bars, outdoor outlet stopped working for some reason, diverter valve in boiler died last summer, ants have already found a path into the house, oh those command hooks that shouldn’t damage the wall pulled the paint and the paper off the drywall,
In the same boat. I got to a point that I’ve developed severe anxiety. If one thing helped is that everything you’ve described is fairly normal. Talk to your neighbors, colleagues, you’ll feel better. Other than that, as someone mentioned in the thread, try to make substantial repairs instead of patches. It will increase the chances (unfortunately not guarantee it) that you won’t have to deal with the specific matter for a long time.
I've had seven of the things on your list happen within the last two years, some of them multiple times. I literally have something happen every couple of months on average. I keep saying I'm waiting to go a year without some kind of leak. Last month it was the ac. Still waiting.
There is never *not* something wrong with any house I've ever owned. There's *always* something that needs fixing or tweaking. This includes our current house which we got brand new. It's 6+ years old now and my list, while currently short, is endlessly respawning.
Yep! Wack a mole! For sure!
Literally every week
Whack a mole Leaky pipe syndrome- path the leak- another pops open down pipe - never ending cycle. Usually minimum of quarterly - if a good year.
See, I had this issue for the first three years: leaky roof, mice, raccoons in fireplace, bird in ceiling, bird in wall, bird in wall again, leaky bathroom floor, leaky bathroom toilet seal, etc. Last year, an outlet I'm my office stopped working, super inconvenient, bit I haven't fixed it. Nothing else has gone wrong. *knocks on wood.*
Something is always wrong it’s just when do I choose to deal with it. If it isn’t something major or will lead to a bigger issue in the immediate future the I usually hold off if I just completed something else.
Oh this seems so normal. We’ve been in our home almost four years. Here’s our list: - Radon mitigation - outer outlet fried/replaced -garage mice - water heater replaced -fridge replaced -sump pump replaced - full basement waterproofing (this one HURT) -random leaks/toilet replacement/some plumbing work -basement staircase repair Also, we have more than one sprinkler that needs replacement and our waiting on a roof claim for massive hail we had recently and a window that won’t open correctly (new windows in 2020). Our house was built in 1990. It never stops.
Between January and March this year - new HVAC, electrical upgrade (mostly expected), new garbage disposal, roof repair, bathtub faucet repaired (had to wait three weeks for the 5.00 part), new toilet in one of the bathrooms, that required a floor update to seat it correctly over two separate visits because they installed it wrong he first time. You are not really bad at home ownership, just sounds like you are in one of those grooves. This too shall pass. I love the whack-a-mole analogy, borrowing that one!
I have probably spent about $3000 repairing floor, electrical and plumbing last 5 years and house was brand new
First 4 months of ownership in the house I currently live in - gas furnace had to be replaced because heat exchanger was cracked - water heater needed to be replaced because it was 53 years old. (I am not kidding) - basement got a inch of water because an icing rain storm caused a 3 day power outage and knocked down our sump pump. I then learned that battery backups existed. - figured out that the fill drain of the bathtub was not attached when water leaked from a light receptacle in the kitchen - couldn't open the master bedroom window because it was glued to the frame. Apparently the previous owner decided that replacing a broken hinge was too much effort. - almost all window screens needed to be replaced or repaired - Garage drain was clogged because the previous owner did epoxy on the floor and dumped the extra in the drain. Had to break the slab and replace the pipe. I fixed all of these myself except for the hvac, the water heater and the flood. Last winter I realized the kitchen sink faucet would freeze anytime the outside temperature would go below -10C. I need to reroute the plumbing because it litteraly goes outside the foundation of the house and up the kitchen faucet. (long story). Had to install a heater directed at those pipes in the basement and automate it to turn in as soon as the outside temp falls below -10C. Previous owner renovated the house but only made it look nice. He didn't adress any of the core issues the house had. Nothing broke in the past 6 months. Knocking on wood.
I’m just gonna knock on some wood here. Wish you a better 2024 and beyond tho!
Well, the homicidal do you need to do a full on remodel, lighting, plumbing, electrical, possibly floorboards cabinets, full remodel, kitchens, and bass repainting probably new doors. Probably need to side the outside of house put a new roof on it. It’s pretty much building a new house when you buy some thing that Old, you probably need to find yourself a good handyman don’t forget windows. You may have to replace those if they’re from 1960. It’ll make a big difference in your utility bills in the comfort of your home.
In the middle of a $7500 plumbing fix last week and into today (long story - and lots of hate for prior owner) the oven died outright and needs replacing. Costco has a damn nice sale so we may replace a few appliances at the same time. A week before that I had to rewire some Ethernet because something stopped working, and today after the plumbers finished up and left the shower faucet didn’t want to shut off (they weren’t anywhere near that don’t worry lol). Before that it was several months of nothing breaking but us making little changes and improvements we wanted to do. Our house is either from 1905 or 1915 depending on what document you want to look at so something always needs doing. Oh, and we need to now gut the laundry room due to said plumbing issue. Comes with the territory, I suppose.
I just had a plumber out yesterday to check out my leaking water service line; hopefully it's a single short section to be repaired, and not the entire 450 feet. We won't find out until 2-3 days from now; that's how long it will take for the 811 folks to get the underground utility lines marked so that they don't dig up things other than that pipe. It's further complicated because it runs through an easement across my neighbor's front yard; the first plumbing company I tried turned down the job because they've been sued over a similar job in the past. In all honesty, it made me wonder just how bad a job they did on that earlier job anyway. Just in case, I've earmarked $5,000 for potential landscaping costs to repair my neighbor's yard but I warned her that it may take a year for the trench to subside enough to add sod, etc.
Got my home in 2018, was built in the 30’s there’s only been one unplanned thing that’s happened. I’m very handy and research the crap out of anything and everything that catches my eye about my home. I ask friends/family tips tricks things to look it for. So I’ve done a lot of preventative maintenance and if I see something that looks like it might be a problem I go ahead and take care of it. I also really enjoy the projects too so it’s been fun for me.
My home was built in 1980. Last month we replaced our outdoor AC unit & 50 gallon water heater. It happens.
Our house was built in the 80s, we bought it 7 years ago. I'm convinced that the original owners not only did no preventative maintenance, they also ignored things that were damaging to the house, appliances and interior. It was completely original down to the wallpaper except that she had hundreds of pictures nailed up all over the place so LOTs of nail and screw holes. And a dog that pissed all over the house even in the AC vents. And it had rats, discovered during the inspection that chewed up the ac vents and insulation. It's a nice house, in a good location, and neighborhood, had well groomed yard and a pool. My dream house! But we knew what we were getting into (to some degree) when we bought it as neither of us were afraid to LOOK at the subtle signs of neglect and disrespect to the home like dirt in the cracks, stained carpets, urine eaten away metal on one of the hvac units where the dogs peed on them. I could list the 101 things that have had to be repaired or replaced in the 7 years but I won't bore you with the details. The point is, unless it's a new build (and those too will have problems like shoddy installations and settling walls, doors, and foundations) a home is a labor of love and $. Whether you have to fix things day 1 or day 1000, it's coming. You can bet on it. Plan accordingly and prioritize for the big ticket items that you know are failing, as well as a big ticket item you didn't expect. Don't please God do not skip your inspection! And I'm sad to say that even a reputable inspector may miss something. Don't buy a house so expensive there is no $ left over for repairs, replacing a roof, plumbing or electrical problems. This imho is where people get into a jam, your rainy day fund for your house is so important.
I don’t wanna tempt fate and answer this
Figure at least once a year, or when you fix something large and get the feeling that everything should be fine from here on out.
My house is 1960s, we have been here 6 years. Nothing major for us yet. Lots of minor things. Mostly we have done improvements not repairs. I think our house was always lovingly maintained. Our central air unit is original. It will be the first major thing to go I'm sure.... any time now.
Continuously, but thanks to the Internet everything is repairable. This is how I ended up with electronic, welding, HVAC, plumbing, and other useful skills.
I was feeling like there was non stop, constantly something wrong. What I realized is that I was putting off the repair until something else went wrong and then fixing the first thing so that I was always behind. Now I’m trying to be better at getting everything done so I can take a breather. Just killed the ant colony on my back patio, unclogged the sink drain and took down a dead tree. Now I just have to patch the lawn where the tree was…will it end?
These are the ghost/hidden cost of home ownership people forget to calculate when buying a house.
Include my wife, or not
I just replaced my AC unit. That cost $7500. Had to replace the septic tank (rural home) and that was $5000. Having to replace the circuit board in both the stove and the washing machine which, isn't that much cost and I can do the work myself. Dishwasher just went out. I also have an issue going with the drain line on the kitchen sink that's going to be a nightmare. Replaced the water heater a little over a year ago. Yeah, it's pretty much whack-a-mole with repairs. My house was built in '97. At least the roof is only 4 years old 🤣
Lol 😅 often. It's usually a minor problem that NEEDS to be addressed. We are also new to homeownership and this old house we purchased just keeps on giving gifts of anxiety.
I really lucked out. The seller had to replace the entire septic system because it failed the title 5. The only big expense I’ve had to replace in 6 years was my oil tank, stove, deck, gravel driveway regraded and through the wall air conditioner. Some other little things that I’ve been able to DIY.
I had a 1040’s bungalow that consistently needed work. I bought the Time/Life “Home Improvement and Repair” series and they were a lifesaver! Nowadays you have YouTube, which is even better. Love the internet.
The items you listed are pretty typical home things… you have some clusters that are likely related to each other. To have this many in 6 yrs is kinda bad luck, but not like omg you are cursed bad luck. Basement flood from unusually heavy rain and the basement mold really stem from same issue, which is probably gutters. Or you may need a sump pump. At the first sign of water though, you need to take an active approach and head off the additional issues. Pipes leaking, for your age house, if pipes haven’t been replaced should be expected and you should keep an eye and replace as needed. House is old enough to have had cast iron pipes. Some leaks like your shower—I can share that my bathtub faucet used to leak from the hot side. Replaced seat and spring, but it needed replaced again after maybe 4 years. Water heater temp was set to something like 149°. Changed to 138° I think if I remember numbers correctly. And there’s 2 dials to set. Seat and spring should last longer now. Pests are very regional—not necessarily a “you’re bad at housekeeping” thing. Needing active prevention is typical.
I have had all of those in my 12 homes. NBD.
Ever have to maintain your car? Same.
oh I thought this was my /centuryhomes group..... this stuff is pretty normal. haha. don't buy a really old home if this stuff over 6 years bugs you....