Night Elf Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Over the past few years we've had to repair and replace major house components. Yesterday our smoke alarm system went haywire. I called the house alarm people but it wasn't their system. I had to call an electrician. DH had to come home from work. The alarm was going off intermittently and was so loud! He finally traced it to the alarm in the garage. It had gone bad and was going off and every time it did, it set off all the other alarms in the house. The company I called is versatile. We are under a maintenance contract for heating/air with them and they also do electrical and plumbing. So I called them to come out and diagnose/repair the smoke alarms and a plumber to fix the hall bathroom toilet. Total cost for the day was nearly $400. I had ignored that toilet for a month but since I had them on the phone, I figured why not! So now I'm wondering what on earth will happen next. I guess appliances will start going. I'd love a new dishwasher. We have the one that came with the house we bought 11 years ago and I don't know how long the previous owners had it. It's old! Oh well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myra Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 And now it's time for you to get familiar with home repair videos on you tube! We use them seriously all the time to see if we can trouble shoot and repair things on our own. Even though we are clueless, we have repaired the fridge once, the washing machine once, and the dryer 4 times! And that's just appliances!!! We also found a discount appliance part store that let's us come in and chat about the problem & buy the parts needed (with lots of encouragement and instructions on how to fix the problem) A few times they even let us return the part when it didn't solve the problem! This morning we are busy re-caulking around the front door and treating an ant nest near it - all by following you tube videos! Good luck, Myra 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Over the past few years we've had to repair and replace major house components. Yesterday our smoke alarm system went haywire. I called the house alarm people but it wasn't their system. I had to call an electrician. DH had to come home from work. The alarm was going off intermittently and was so loud! He finally traced it to the alarm in the garage. It had gone bad and was going off and every time it did, it set off all the other alarms in the house. The company I called is versatile. We are under a maintenance contract for heating/air with them and they also do electrical and plumbing. So I called them to come out and diagnose/repair the smoke alarms and a plumber to fix the hall bathroom toilet. Total cost for the day was nearly $400. I had ignored that toilet for a month but since I had them on the phone, I figured why not! So now I'm wondering what on earth will happen next. I guess appliances will start going. I'd love a new dishwasher. We have the one that came with the house we bought 11 years ago and I don't know how long the previous owners had it. It's old! Oh well. Stuff used to last a LOT longer. In a 50's house I am renovating, I have some 70's appliances. I hope they all work properly. Haven't tried the dishwasher yet, but it was a tiny family and it looks almost unused. Today, stuff is built to replace in a few years. It's all about the money. As far as alarms, I like mine independent, so I can just shut off the alarm and remove them. The new ones with the lithium batteries - I just found out- are useless once you shut off an alarm. They are one time alarms. Are you kidding me? Here I was thinking that it would be great not to have to replace a battery but no, you get to replace the whole unit if it goes off. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 We recently bought a 20 year old house. I know that's not anywhere near really old, but it's the first house either DH or I have bought that wasn't brand spanking new. So it's been interesting (in a good way). We had a thorough inspection done before buying, so we knew what systems needed some work or not. Thankfully many things had already been updated. In general smoke alarms are only good for about seven years (says my volunteer firefighter brother). We had some fail at our former house when they were around that age. We ended up replacing them all. It's an easy do it yourself job. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Our house is about that age. We replaced the roof last fall. My neighbor's house was built the same time as mine, and he just replaced his AC unit. I'm afraid ours will go soon. Once it starts, it's like a domino affect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted August 27, 2016 Author Share Posted August 27, 2016 So far our most expensive repair was to the foundation. It was cracking and it required steel I beams to shore it up. We had the roof replaced about 4 or 5 years ago and paid for by the insurance company because it was damaged in a hail storm. We had to replace the heating/air system last spring. We had to replace the water heater a couple of months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Mine is a mid-century build of 45 years. Some of the original major appliances are still in place. We have a list by priority of things that are at or past the end of their service life expectancy, and try to set aside enough cash for The Next Thing. I'd love to make a lot of cosmetic improvements, but have to keep a enough funds set aside for keeping the bones healthy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 My mum's twin tub washer lasted from 1956 to 1986. She replaced any broken parts herself. Appliances are more complex now and don't last as long. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 We've *lived* in our house more than 20 years; it's been 136 years since it was built. You live in new construction! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 So far our most expensive repair was to the foundation. It was cracking and it required steel I beams to shore it up. We had the roof replaced about 4 or 5 years ago and paid for by the insurance company because it was damaged in a hail storm. We had to replace the heating/air system last spring. We had to replace the water heater a couple of months ago. I think you've hit most of the major stuff so you should be good for a while. We've done the foundation piers and are currently in the middle of replacing the upstairs AC. My guess is the roof is next year's project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Yes, welcome to my money pit. Our house was built in 1938. We have lived here for almost 19 years. The kitchen was renovated 5 years before we moved in. So far we have replaced the roof on the main house. The garage roof 2x. It is a flat roof. Two years ago we fixed a few cracks in the foundation. Replaced the dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer. Converted to gas heat in 2000 and just replaced the water heater we intalled at that time. I am hoping the refrigerator continues to work as I can't afford to replace it at this time. I wish the housing market would turn around in my area so I could sell. I am ready for a townhouse or apartment where I don't have to deal with landscaping and roofing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 We have had a lot of little things breaking on our home in the last ten years and yes, it's a little over 20 years old now. Home ownership can really add up when it's a drip drip drip every month or two of yet another issue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Yes, welcome to my money pit. Our house was built in 1938. We have lived here for almost 19 years. The kitchen was renovated 5 years before we moved in. So far we have replaced the roof on the main house. The garage roof 2x. It is a flat roof. Two years ago we fixed a few cracks in the foundation. Replaced the dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer. Converted to gas heat in 2000 and just replaced the water heater we intalled at that time. I am hoping the refrigerator continues to work as I can't afford to replace it at this time. I wish the housing market would turn around in my area so I could sell. I am ready for a townhouse or apartment where I don't have to deal with landscaping and roofing. Hugs to you! That's a lot of money and repairs, but my piano teacher's home is from the same era and they've replaced and renovated about the same amount of stuff. It still stinks though. We are big fans of building new and out of concrete and steel (not modern styling, just in terms of the structure) precisely because of maintenance issues. My husband talked me into an ICF home design for the place we end up building at some point with remarkably little effort. And I'm all about the natural landscaping :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Yeah, it stinks. Such is the life of a long-term homeowner. :grouphug: When we sold our last house (over a decade ago) to the disclosure form I attached a 5 page detailed list of all repairs made, warranties that might transfer, things that were only temporarily repaired so would need to be addressed sooner rather than later, etc. We only lived in it 7 years but in that time we practically rebuilt the house. So many things were a mess that did not show up in our inspection and had to be repaired/replaced/etc. I ended up with a contractor's discount at several local places because I was working so much on that house. I wanted potential new owners to know and be reassured that most things had already been taken care of and I did NOT want them to be hit with surprises they were not anticipating. House owning can be sooo expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 My mum's twin tub washer lasted from 1956 to 1986. She replaced any broken parts herself. Appliances are more complex now and don't last as long. So true. My parents bought a refrigerator when they married in 1976. It moved with us through two houses, and they had it painted once, from lovely '70's harvest gold to a more neutral ivory color. When they renovated their kitchen about five years ago, it was still chugging along, but they wanted all stainless appliances, so they moved the oldie to the garage as a spare. It last two or three more years out there. The ice maker on the new, VERY high-end stainless steel fridge went out within three months. My dad was LIVID. He'd picked that fridge specifically for the ice maker (he's picky about ice -- don't ask!). The repair man came twice but was unable to fix it. Now they buy a bag of ice at the grocery store and dump it into a plastic bin in their freezer. We just passed up buying a 40-year-old house. It had been recently renovated, so we thought all the major systems would be good (except we knew we would need a new roof within a couple of years). Boy, were we surprised when the inspection turned up a whole HOST of problems that the current owners had caused during their remodel. We estimated we'd need to spend at least $10,000-$15,000 to fix them. Never assume that newer is better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Hugs to you! That's a lot of money and repairs, but my piano teacher's home is from the same era and they've replaced and renovated about the same amount of stuff. It still stinks though. We are big fans of building new and out of concrete and steel (not modern styling, just in terms of the structure) precisely because of maintenance issues. My husband talked me into an ICF home design for the place we end up building at some point with remarkably little effort. And I'm all about the natural landscaping :lol: In spite of all the $$ we have put into out home I do love a lot of things about it. I am just older and tired now. Tired of repairing things ourself, tired of hiring people to repair things we can't. I am ready for the next chapter. Ds has been dropped off for his freshman year of college and dd has two more years before she leaves for college. I can see the empty nest and I am kind of looking forward to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 (edited) My house is 110 years old. We have lived here 22 years. We have replaced the furnace, roof (insurance covered most - a huge tree fell on our house!), fixed some plumbing issues, and had the hallway/staircase ceiling/walls repaired (cracked old plaster). A/C unit and water heater that came with the house still working fine. Appliances - we have replaced washer/dryer once, dishwasher once, stove/oven once, fridge twice! Now, dd's townhome, we had to put about $15,000 into it as it was poorly winterized (sat empty for a year or so) and every joint of every plumbing fixture leaked. Plus needed new a/c, water heater, furnace, dishwasher, stove/oven and microwave. So far the fridge (which looks about a decade old) works. Edited August 27, 2016 by JFSinIL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 We recently bought a 20 year old house. I know that's not anywhere near really old, but it's the first house either DH or I have bought that wasn't brand spanking new. So it's been interesting (in a good way). We had a thorough inspection done before buying, so we knew what systems needed some work or not. Thankfully many things had already been updated. In general smoke alarms are only good for about seven years (says my volunteer firefighter brother). We had some fail at our former house when they were around that age. We ended up replacing them all. It's an easy do it yourself job. I smiled when I read your post--in 2013 we bought a house that was 18 years old. It's the first house we have had that was this NEW. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 20 years is not an old house. My house is 44 years and I don't think that's old. Is the house in a neighborhood built by one developer? If so, the easiest way to find out what will go wrong next is to talk to your neighbors and compare notes on repairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Our house is about that old plus 100! Twenty seems young. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 And I'm all about the natural landscaping :lol: OMG, yes! We've spent so much money, time, and effort trying to get grass to grow in our heavily treed backyard. We have too much shade for most grasses. I have no idea what to do with that space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooksandBoys Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 (edited) 20 is old? My parents built our house around our ears and it's only 25 years old. I consider that new! The first house I owned was 60+ years old (50s construction), solid, well built. The second home I owned was 50 years old (70s construction...yep, I'm getting older). Still solid, but construction was not as excellent. I've lived in rentals that are over 100 years old. Things don't last as long as they used to; I'm sorry you are stuck with repairs. We are renting again. I'll admit that I like knowing that I'm not responsible for major repairs! Edited. I must stop typing in my phone. Edited August 28, 2016 by BooksandBoys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Living in a 100+yo house those things strike me as routine maintenance. We had the local gas utility out preemptively replacing gas lines on our street for free a couple weeks ago since copper gas lines get clogged with sulfites after ~45 years. Unfortunately, they had a plumber video scoping all the sewer lines to prove they hadn't perf'ed them... our original 100yo clay pipes are apparently mostly collapsed and our line is full of rocks. We haven't had problems but the plumber is amazed it works at all... that is a few thousand dollar expense coming our way in the next few years. Our house already has a new water line, which only last about 100 years. A couple years ago our neighbors line failed and we had to cross plumb their house using a garden hose after shutting off the feed in the basement. This gave them enough pressure to use the sink and toilet in the bottom duplex and toilet only in the upper duplex while waiting a few days for a new line to be installed. That was also a few thousand dollars and more drama than needed since our hose hack was outside in November in MN. Anyway, appliances and painting are routine... boilers, roofs, etc are predictable, water/sewer lines, tuck pointing brick, etc are unpleasant expenses but should have been built in to the price and ideally discussed by your realtor/inspector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Half of our house is 20 years old, and the other half 12 years old. I consider the house new. We fix / do everything ourselves and built the house sturdy with the expectation that it will last longer than our lifetime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Well, maybe that's the good thing about living in an almost 200 year old house -- no central AC to go bad! (We did replace one window unit after about eight years though.) I believe dh said he found newspapers in the walls from the 1950s when he renovated (which is a kind term -- he went beyond gutting) the upstairs bathroom, corroborating his belief that that's about when they put in the indoor plumbing. (The old outhouse is still on the property. We've never used it but haven't torn it down because historic.). So lots of money, and a huge amount of time, but I have a beautiful new bathroom. We've done massive remodeling, enclosing a large hallway to be an office, removing a set of stairs, and redoing several bedrooms and my schoolroom, and a kitchen remodel is on the list for the next couple of years. Thankfully, this is what dh does professionally, so the only thing we call professionals for is pumping the septic. As for appliances, sixteen years ago we bought our first house and a slew of new appliances. Moved them to our next house two years later. They were six years old when we sold that house and left them. Never had a single problem with any of them. We brought the chest freezer with us to this house, and it has never given us trouble even a little bit. But in ten years, we've been through three dishwashers (because of the hard water), two stoves, two fridges, two dryers, a washer, and two microwaves. The repairmen telomeres things don't last anymore because people want the newest model after about four years, so they don't bother with longevity. I think that is sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Hahahahahaha! Ours is nearly 140. Oh, the ongoing construction zone going on 10 years... no end in sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm919 Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Hahahahahaha! Ours is nearly 140. Oh, the ongoing construction zone going on 10 years... no end in sight. Ours is about the same. I hate it and dream of living in a "new" home (anything built 1980 on) but realistically I know that there are advantages of a new home, like we couldn't afford a new home with the same quality of wood. But, I expect this house to be "under construction" for at least 30 more years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 i'm not saying my house is old! Only that it's typical for stuff to be breaking down and wondering what will happen next. The other two houses I lived in were totally new construction. We were the first owners. And we didn't live there long enough for any type of expenses like we've had in this house over the past year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 ladybugs Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Our refrigerator is older then your house! We think our refrigerator is from 1993. Though we can't tell. It is a White Westinghouse. Our house was built in 1950ish and we have lived here 8 years. Biggest improvements we have made is we replaced the driveway installed insulation (had a foil that was considered insulation), removed all the wall paper that had been painted over, and refinished the hardwood floors. Our kitchen is in a time warp (original for the most part), and we need to get a new roof in a few years. Hoping we can put a steel/whatever metal when the time comes. :) Kitchen remodel to me is after we get a camper so we can have a place to cook when the kitchen remodel goes over on timeline. Which I am expecting it to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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