Owning a Home…

A few loyal followers may remember that several years ago I wrote a blog entry about how I was fed up with apartment living. Since that time, my wife and I have purchased a home in the suburbs. And while I thought that it was going to be so much better, I have learned that owning a home is not quite the maintenance-free living that I thought it was going to be. Below is a list of an almost exhaustive list of everything that I have either done myself or paid someone to do on our house since buying it 4 years ago:

Outside

• Replaced all the exterior porch lights
• Completely re-mulched the front and side flower beds three times
• Replanted the flower beds in front of the house two times.
• Paid to have the asphalt driveway resealed two times
• Replaced multiple broken boards on our fence as well as re-tighten with either nails or screws any loose boards
• Removed approximately 5 stumps from the backyard
• Reclaimed and reseeded about 1800 square feet of lawn
• Paid TruGreen to aerate and reseed our entire lawn
• Removed a derelict swing set from the backyard
• Pressure-washed the front and sides of the house
• Replaced the hose bib on the outside hose spigot
• Repainted the porch railings and pillars
• Dug out and replaced the mailbox
• Painted the exterior doors
• Mowed the lawn,weed-whacked, and trimmed the shrubs on the entire property dozens of times
• Added solar lights to the flowerbeds twice
• Pressure-washed the back patio
• Had the gutter lines to the street snaked
• Changed the outdoor locks twice
• Replaced the back patio screen door
• Had the coaxial cable replaced from the service box to our house
• Painted the patio steps
• Replaced the roof

Inside

• Replaced all the hall and bathroom light fixtures
• Added overhead lights to 3 bedroom fans
• Replaced the sump pump
• Bought a new washer and dryer
• Repainted 3 bedrooms, the kitchen, the half bath, and the family room
• Painted the entrance way accent wall 
• Fixed the shower door in the master bedroom as it was not sliding properly
• Repaired the master shower faucet stem
• Caulked the master shower twice
• Had the garage door opener fixed once and then eventually replaced
• Paid to have the carpets professionally cleaned
• Replaced a heating element in the oven
• Fixed the kitchen faucet
• Installed a new tub faucet in the guest bathroom
• Rehung one closet door
• Paid to have the furnace fixed
• Had the air conditioner repaired after our thermostat melted
• Added bamboo flooring to the dining and living rooms
• Installed new thermostats twice
• Re-plumbed the entire half bathroom toilet
• Replaced the toilet-paper holder and sink tower rack in the half bath
• Changed the chandelier in the dining room