Community Chat

[RainCityWoman]

Yes, owning a house is a never ending gouge to the pocketbook. I am good at fixing a lot of things, or I'd go broke hiring  people. Still and all, there ARE some things that require a professional: plumbing, roofing, windows, etc. 

[Drythe]

I love my home.

But, living here in hurricane alley, we have to expect some type of damage every year.  I guess we are performing a service by slowing them up before they move on up the E coast.

It does become costly though.

Right now we are enjoying loud rolling thunderstorms. 🌩💨💦

[Its Me LuLuBelle2]

@gidgetgh, I feel your pain.  Our house is over 60 years old - an old mid century modern.  We love it, but we've sunk a bundle into it the last few years.  A new roof, all of the glass in all of the windows replaced, a new oil burner, a new oil tank.  I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things.  

The good news is my husband and his nephew are handy so a lot of things they're able to do.  Right now they're dealing with a plumbing issue in the upstairs bathroom, but luckily no one needs to use it.  The other good news is we have no mortgage so we're ahead of the game.  And when you own a home this old, problems are to be expected.

[Miss Shelly]

We are in the same boat with home improvements/updates.  Our house was built in 1978.  We are the 2nd owers and have been here 18 years.  When we moved in we replaced the roof and did some cosmetic stuff.  Now things are falling apart.  Need new windows, soffit/fascia/gutters, lanai and front entry need re-screened.  Lost some shingles in last year's hurricaine and probably need to replace roof to get coverage when policy comes due.  One bathroom needs a new shower.  Oh the joys of home ownership.

[Newgate]

A home is a money pit!  We have put many thousands into our house in the 27 years we have been here! We do it because we love our home!   If you can afford to repair then repair and enjoy the results!   Good luck!

[homedecor1]

@Newgate

I agree!  Ours certainly wasn't a money pit but the home was 25 years old when we bought it & knew major things would need to be done.  We got the home at a great price (private estate sale) & I absolutely am amazed what the villas are selling for in this community & how fast!.  I live on a golf course premium lot size, no homes behind us just beautiful woods, and we have big oversized birdcage lanai.  (Over $80,000  more than what I paid in 2010 for exact same home & specifications.)

My friends stopped by today (from out of town) they were surprised how different the house was with the remodel.  My friend asked why would you spend so much & do a remodel.  Duh,🙄 we live here & I made the changes for our lifestyle not resale value.  

My home is my "happy" place & Im always finding someway to update or change it! (and my brain is always thinking...which could be a bad thing for my pocketbook...lol😉)

[BeccaLou]

You have my sincere sympathy. I know first hand how horrible this can be. My prayers and hugs to You  !!!   

[151949]

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@RetRN wrote:

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@151949 wrote:

Our home is only 8 years old so we never expected to need to do any major money repairs yet but within the last year we've had to buy a washer, get a new AC, and a hot water heater. The AC & hot water heater were broke down within days of each other. They kept the AC limping along til the new one arrived by coming every day and putting in freon but it ran constantly and when the electric bill came - ouch!

Fortunately, we don't have to replace the roof. Our HOA does that every 15 years. We also needed dryer and dishwasher repairs that could have been expensive but my cousin is our appliance repair man and he was able to fix those.

For those with these major plumbing and roof issues, I can feel your pain.

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An 8 yr. old home with all of the problems you have had was obviously cheaply and poorly built. 

In my area the homes were quality construction done 20-25 yrs. ago and have truly stood the text of time. With only routine maintenance they are such nice homes. 

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Actually there have been no problems at all with the actual structure of the house. Roofs withstood a cat 4 hurricane last year with no problem. Lanai went thru it well too. The issues are with the mechanics - appliances ( which everyone complains about now a days) and the heat pump & water heater. Well, we bought the very best water heater and heat pump available so we expect them to last now, hopefully the rest of our lives. Here in Florida the quality of building is pretty much guaranteed to you because of the 2002 Miami Dade hurricane resistant building codes that all structures are required to adhere to. Structures have to be very solidly built, and as we watched them build homes here we were very impressed. They are built like fortresses, and how they attach the roofs down to the foundations is very impressive.

[gidgetgh]

Work is progressing on our bathroom. We just finished 96 hours of blowers and dehumidifiers in the bathroom and garage. They removed the equipment just before 3. I was grateful for the silence after their removal. They were loud. 

In a few minutes someone is coming to remove the shower floor so that the shower pan will be exposed. Heaven knows what they’re going to find with that. Then tomorrow, a plumber is going to come to remove the pan. 

This is so not my thing. Like at all. I’m not an “embrace the experience” go with the flow kind of girl. I’m not a remodeler. And I’m the lead on this. My husband isn’t up to it. And I literally have no idea what I’m doing.  But I’m plugging along. We’re not to the point yet of picking out new shower materials and tile and stuff like that.  The tile in the entire bathroom will need to be replaced. 

And I didn’t open the insurance claim after all. Apparently, if you open the claim, even if you end up not filing, it counts against you which I think is bizarre.  So we’ll be paying for this repair, unless they find something catastrophic, which they're not anticipating.