The joys of being a homeowner

[Kimmyt]

Sigh.

This is my first run-in with stupid stuff that happens and you have to deal with when owning a house. Before, it was just 'call the property owner and they'll take care of it'.

The Boy and I were starting to winterize our deck the other day. We turned on the water to the hose in the back and waited for it to come out. And waited. Hmm. I heard water, but where was it coming out?

So, down to our (finished) basement filled with fun electronic stuff where we spend all summer hiding from the heat (it stays perennially 50degrees and cool down there) and where I house my wine due to the neutral temps.

To find, rushing from the ceiling, a waterfall of epic proportions. So we shut off the water and set up coolers under the leaks to catch the drainage. A few hours later, more water in another part of the ceiling starts to flow.

Sigh.

At least my job is understanding, and I was able to take the afternoon off to deal with the insurance adjuster, the plumber, the restoration company and oh yeah the random glass guy that The Boy asked me to have quote us for a stray broken window we'd been meaning to get around to fixing.

The floors are shaking as drywall is being torn down in my (formerly) lovely basement and I'm wondering just how much this is gonna cost me. Well, hopefully the insurance adjuster will do his job.

Sigh.

Being a homeowner stinks sometimes. But at least I have Masters Swim class tonight to take my mind off of it (and if the Plumber and glass-man get here soon maybe I can leave them unattended while I go for a quick run to get rid of this tension!)

K.

[indysteel]

Sigh.

This is my first run-in with stupid stuff that happens and you have to deal with when owning a house. Before, it was just 'call the property owner and they'll take care of it'.

The Boy and I were starting to winterize our deck the other day. We turned on the water to the hose in the back and waited for it to come out. And waited. Hmm. I heard water, but where was it coming out?

So, down to our (finished) basement filled with fun electronic stuff where we spend all summer hiding from the heat (it stays perennially 50degrees and cool down there) and where I house my wine due to the neutral temps.

To find, rushing from the ceiling, a waterfall of epic proportions. So we shut off the water and set up coolers under the leaks to catch the drainage. A few hours later, more water in another part of the ceiling starts to flow.

Sigh.

At least my job is understanding, and I was able to take the afternoon off to deal with the insurance adjuster, the plumber, the restoration company and oh yeah the random glass guy that The Boy asked me to have quote us for a stray broken window we'd been meaning to get around to fixing.

The floors are shaking as drywall is being torn down in my (formerly) lovely basement and I'm wondering just how much this is gonna cost me. Well, hopefully the insurance adjuster will do his job.

Sigh.

Being a homeowner stinks sometimes. But at least I have Masters Swim class tonight to take my mind off of it (and if the Plumber and glass-man get here soon maybe I can leave them unattended while I go for a quick run to get rid of this tension!)

K.

I feel your pain. I've been a single homeowner now for about 5 years and have, so far, "dumped" a good $14k into the house to fix things that my flipper/seller did wrong and/or my home inspector didn't catch. My basement has flooded several times, although thankfully it's really just a glorified storage area. It took several disasters before my initial reaction wasn't to cry or call my father. Now my initial reaction is to grab the checkbook!

I've learned over time that I absolutely have to save a good 3-5% of the purchase price each year to cover big ticket items and repairs. Hopefully, one of these years I'll be able to move on to something fun, like getting hardwood floors or getting rid of the icky tile in my bathroom.

Good luck. One of piece of advice. Start compiling a list now, before you might actually need them, of experienced and dependable plumbers, electricians, carpenters, roofers, handymen, locksmith, general contractors and the like. Having someone trustworthy that you can call in an emergency or when you need a project done quickly and correctly, lessens the pain.

[teigyr]

That sounds horrible. I rented a house with the option to buy and as I saw more and more what needed to be done (eventual roof replacement, plumbing problems, etc) it scared me. I own a house now but it was DH's house before we were married. He's good at working on things and he knows the house very well - he grew up in this house. It's an old 1930's brick house and just to replace the windows is something like $30K

I am so sorry you're going through this but hopefully it'll get sorted out and will be a one time problem. The joys of being a grown-up, huh

[singletrackmind]

All I know is I've learned a heck of a lot of do it myself as a single home-owner for 15 years and now not so single home-owner for 5. From broken pipes on Christmas day to building a new kitchen complete with dishwasher to fixing the everyday sorts of happenings.

And I get to plant gardens wherever I wish.

[salsabike]

THAT is a classic story if there ever was one.

I was just thinking yesterday that it was almost a year ago that the builders flooded our basement, right after the big remodel started and we moved down into said basement for six months. And just before I broke my toe from living in too small a basement bedroom and whacking my toe into the wall....etc.

Indysteel's advice is very good. Get names now from friends or co-workers of good pros in all the major house-gone-wild areas so you can call someone you trust when the time(s) come.

Just remember that as a homeowner, at least you no longer have to listen to fellow apartment dwellers stomp around over your head or play horrible loud music on the other side of your bedroom wall. There are real pluses to homeownership...and all the broken stuff WILL get fixed eventually.

[Zen]

that sounds like a major headache and one of the reasons I'm trying to sell my place and move to a condo.

More riding time.