Our home plus yard and the objects that make them work and furnish them not only take a lot of time to manage but can be both a source of frustration and well as comfort. Of all material goods it is also our biggest asset and the one needing the most care.
House & Yard - We spent our first year in this house fixing lots of things plus adding upgrades. At this point it is ongoing maintenance and a few minor improvements to make it operate more efficiently and feel like we want it to.
TO DO:
- Have an energy audit done, replace weather stripping on front door, fix attic door, etc.
- Decide when to have patio repainted and railings added
Systems & Major Appliances - Everything is working right now thankfully. The oldest item is the gas water heater and next oldest is the gas stove and I think the dryer is about as old as the stove.
TO DO:
- As part of energy audit get options for replacing water heater with a gas on demand one vs switching to an electric heat pump vs getting a similar gas unit. Plan for proactive replacement.
- Same for stove. Again question is switch to electric or keep gas.
Service Providers - We have a pretty good list at this time with a few gaps.
TO DO:
- Find service providers for window cleaning and trimming of neighbors’ overhanging trees.
- Decide if going to have chimney and fireplace inspected.
Furnishings & Tools - Our house now needs some cozying up and replacement of old furnishings. So far with tools we have been able to borrow what we don’t have from our son although some kitchen items may need to be replaced or added.
TO DO POSSIBILITIES:
- Add some indoor plants and possibly other things to the living room to cozy it up
- Add a nice size table and some storage in the family room for games, art, puzzles, etc.
- In office, replace my desk chair and file cabinet and improve closet storage/organization
- Start a list of possible kitchen items to add/replace
- Decide if I want to add a full length mirror and any curtains to the bedroom
We have always had all-electric homes, and Carey has always said never again, but it's the norm here, and converting to gas is expensive. He would beg you to really think about whether switching stove and/or water heater to electric would be the best thing for your area. We have lived with electric outages due to hurricanes, floods, and ice storms, and that means no boiling water for safe drinking water, no cooking, no hot showers (in this house no showers at all actually, because our well pump runs on electricity too). Just food for thought.
ReplyDeletePS: I always recommend a bungee desk chair. If you have a Container Store near you, they have them in stock that you can sit in to try out...lightweight, cool, and pretty inexpensive.
DeleteThere are a lot of incentives in CA to switch to electric and solar in part because of the risk of fire from gas lines after earthquakes. We should switch to an electric heat pump water heater but that requires a lot of space and new wiring. Still something to research. I see there is a Container Store in the region so will research that chair online. Thanks.
DeleteNot sure about a gas stove, I have heard various things good and bad about them. We will need to replace our dryer very soon, but considering we bought this one on a garage sale site for $100.00 we have gotten many years of use from it. Perhaps we will consider purchasing another one that way. An on-demand water heater is what Harvey would like as well, this is another item that will need replacing very soon.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Hope you find another dryer the same way!
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