Owning a home STINKS!

[SpaceGal]

Ugh I'm so annoyed with things lately. I never thought I would be this frustrated with my home.

So we built a new home and now we're at our 6 year mark just about...and along with that comes things just breaking down. I know things don't last forever but all at once...it's just so maddening!! Why are things so badly made now.

First was our fridge...ugh...it just stopped working. We went back and forth with it and now DH is going to have a go at fixing it because we have figured out what is wrong and I hope that fixes it. We don't quite want to buy a new fridge and make more landfill garbage plus the money for a new fridge. Then the lawn mower had an oil leak so that's at the repair shop. And then today I find out the dehumidifier is iced up...and I'm like what week right after my warranty expired!! SOOOOO ANNOYING!!! I haven't told DH about the dehumidifier since he's been so stressed with work and the fridge and worried about the cost to repair the lawn mower. I know I won't bother to repair the dehumidifier cuz usually the cost to fix is not worth it might as well get a new one.

I want to go back to renting!

Thanks for letting me vent.

[citymama]

Well, that makes me feel better. We just got outbid for the third time in a month, trying to buy our first house. Maybe renting isn't so bad after all!

Sorry about your home ownership woes. Sounds frustrating!

[elektra]

I feel ya. Our AC is out right now, and we just had to get a new dishwasher today. Fridge was repaired two months ago. It's no fun. Still not sure what to do about the AC.

[SpaceGal]

I feel ya. Our AC is out right now, and we just had to get a new dishwasher today. Fridge was repaired two months ago. It's no fun. Still not sure what to do about the AC.

Oh man if our AC went out that would be crazy. I hope you aren't in the heat wave or super hot area.

Thank you for commiserating with me.

[hellokitty]

ITA! I am lucky that my DH and FIL are pretty handy, so a lot of times if something breaks, they can fix it themselves. HOWEVER, I have family members who are/were over-eager to buy a house and now it's painful watching them be homeowners and resisting the urge to say, "I told you so." Ppl don't realize how much maint is involved in owning your own home, and it seems like things just aren't made to last like they used to, so maint is an even bigger issue than before.

[KrisM]

I hear ya!

We've been here 5 years, although we bought used. We are pricing roofs. Now there is something I don't want to spend a ton of money on, but I have to. I get no enjoyment out of our roof, really.

[hillview]

I can so relate. Been in our house for almost 3 years. We have:
Replaced the roof
Replaced the gutters
Replaced the fridge (it stopped working)
Replaced the washer (it stopped working) and dryer
Replaced the dishwasher (it stopped working)
Never mind the cosmetic stuff etc
/hillary

[HIU8]

We have been in our house for 6 years. It's 40 yrs old this year. Since we have moved in we have:

-replaced the furnace (to the tune of $4,000)
(we had replaced all the appliances since they were sooooo old)
-The NEW washer has been fixed 2x already
-We had the entire house copalumed (house is copper wiring and people in the neighborhood have had fires b/c of this. We brought it up to code without having to rewire the entire house)--That was extremely expensive
-The fridge has been fixed 2x already (I was told by the repairman not to expect more than 7-10 yrs from it, b/c they are not made to the same quality standards as they used to be. Hence, it will not last 20 yrs like our parents fridge did).
-gotten the basement RE-waterproofed (what the previous owners had done has failed)
-Replaced the hot water heater which was literally about to blow
-We had the guest bathoom toilet removed and snaked all the way to the street
-We had the gutters re pitched so we would stop getting a backup at the front door
-We had a leak in the hall bathroom and ended up having to bring all the bathroom plumbing up to code (2 upstairs bathrooms)

We are waiting to replace the A/C (it's 11 now). We will need a new roof in about 5 years.

we are lucky that my dad can fix anything (DH sucks at fixing stuff). Plus, my dad knows people who do the work he can't do (or has no time to do) for a lot cheaper than if we called someone.

[Wife_and_mommy]

I'm with you too. No matter how much you do there's more to be done.

[hillview]

OH shoot forgot the boiler that died. Another 2k!
/hillary

[sste]

Yikes, we have had our share of things die to but not after 6 years! That is ridiculous. FWIW, while not the best for resale, our sears/kenmore appliances are total workhorses with no repair issues. I think part of the reason is they are simpler so there are less things on them to break.

[HIU8]

We have a Kenmore dishwasher (not part of the recall) that was a year old when we bought the house. It is the ONLY appliance we kept. It's now 7 yrs old and going strong. We ended up buying GE appliances. The fridge, so far, is the only thing we have had issues with in the kitchen. the ovens and stove and microwave have not had any issues yet (boy I hope I'm not jinxing myself here....).

Our Kenmore washer has been fixed 2x. our Kenmore gas dryer is great.

[ShanaMama]

My BFF's ( who posts on here and might chime in!) DH does appliance repair and sales. IIRC he always says that the newfangled hi tech computerized appliances break easily & are costly to repair. That has nothing to do with the pain of roof, plumbing, ac or other major repairs. We put alot of work into this house when we bought so I hope that bought us a few years of peace and quiet.

[dcmom2b3]

My BFF's ( who posts on here and might chime in!) DH does appliance repair and sales. IIRC he always says that the newfangled hi tech computerized appliances break easily & are costly to repair.

Yes, this. I'm almost afraid to post, b/c the fricken fracken fancy appliances are probably smart enough to detect my thoughts, but when they go, they'll be replaced with the lowest-tech stuff I can find.

[ThreeofUs]

Yes, this. I'm almost afraid to post, b/c the fricken fracken fancy appliances are probably smart enough to detect my thoughts, but when they go, they'll be replaced with the lowest-tech stuff I can find.


:yeahthat:

My DH has never been a work-on-the-house guy, and this old house has beaten any will he once had into the dirt. I love to work on the house, but with 2 kids any time I have to address even the smallest problem is really constrained.

I'm starting to look longingly at the penthouse apartment friends of ours moved into - they're paying *less* each month than they were paying for their house across the street. And they have a personal handyman, paid for by the building, to do all their work.

Having your own home is a real pain when you're a parent with no time.