Misc. Repairs - Fix or Wait?

[Becks]

I have run into a small plethora of items that are no longer in working order around the house. First it was the ice-maker, then the stand alone hot water tap, after that the dishwasher. None of these items are essential to me, nor did I have them before I moved from apartment to house.

I know at some point, if I sell the house, the dishwasher will need to be dealt with for resale. It will probably cost at least $75 for a service call at the least. Personally I prefer to do dishes by hand since I don't have a house full. The ice-maker I can live without since I feel the fridge will need to be replaced in the next couple of years anyway. I still have the old stand by ice cube trays. The hot water tap was a small perk, but once it died, I just reverted to heating water in a kettle or microwave.

How do you justify, or not justify, small repairs around your home?

[Apple]

I just had an issue with my oven. It died, right when I went to put dinner in I can't go without an oven as I cook/bake way too much. So, pulled the element, it was good, more checking and I determined it was a bad switch. So after rewiring it so that when I select "broil" the bake element comes on (and now not having a broiler) I tried to find a new switch for it. The correct one will cost $165! So, I'm going to just live without a broiler. If I decide I really need it I can go buy a toggle switch (like a light switch but smaller) so I can broil again. It's just not important enough to get a new one or spend that much money to fix it.
When I sell the house I might throw in "$500 toward the cost of a new stove" in negotiations, but I may replace it, not sure which would be better yet. The new owners could convert to a gas stove easily, so maybe they'd want to go that route or would appreciate getting to select their own brand new stove...?

[Malarky]

If you need it now, fix it now.
There's a substantial leak in my mud room from an ice dam. I won't address it now because I need to completely redo the mudroom at some point and we can limp along with it in it's current condition. It isn't damaging anything else so it isn't a priority. Actually, it's giving the water a place to go that I don't really care about.
No hot water would be addressed yesterday in my house.
All a matter of what your priorities are.

[Becks]

Oh I have hot water, it's just an additional tap off to the side of the regular faucet for "hot steaming water in a second". I'd never have wasted my money in the first place.

[Deleted]

I lived too long with things broken or not working or unfinished. I found it sucked the soul out of me. I can't do it now. At all.

[debtheaven]

I think it's bad karma to leave broken things in one's home. I think if you can, you should get these things fixed. I wouldn't go into debt to do it (unless it was causing more damage) but I would definitely consider it a priority.

[Malarky]

I'm good at waiting. I have a plan for the mud room, but I don't yet have enough money saved to execute it. Ideally, I wouldn't have a leak at all. I won't claim it on insurance because I don't want my rate to go up. I won't settle for the fix. I'd rather wait until I get what I want.
If it were imperative, I'd be right on top of it. Since it isn't...

[writer88]

Funny you should ask...

I had a list of about 20 repairs that needed fixing. All of them were things I couldn't do or didn't want to do myself. (Glueing legs back on to wooden chairs; replacing cloth pullies in window shutters; moving the washing machine and dryer from DD's bathroom into the utility room off the kitchen). I had even scheduled a time for my favorite fix-it guy to repair them when suddenly I found myself in over $4800 in debt (long story...) and had to cancel. This was last August. The debt is gone, now, but I'm still holding back on getting things repaired. I don't know why.

[Tiny]

It depends on how inconvenient the "broken" thing is... I managed 2 weeks without a bathroom sink - the drain failed (more broken than I could repair myself) and I waited for my handy man brother to come over and fix it. We had some good quality time working together to fix it... it needs a unique customized piece to make the drain work.
It was alittle inconvenient using the kitchen sink for brushing teeth/hand washing. I probably wouldn't go more than than 2 weeks like this though. I went alittle over a month without a dryer (it was during the summer so it was easy to hang sheets outside) while I waited for my Handy Man brother to come and confirm that it was dead and then for me to find a sale on dryers and get a new one delivered. I could have gone longer - but wouldn't want to live without a dryer.
One of the pull chain light fixtures in the basement died... and I didn't fix it for months. The same kind of fixture died in my main closet and I fixed that almost immediately - it was REALLY annoying to not have a light. (my handy man brother showed me how to replace the pull chain light fixtures the year before when a different one failed - so I could do these on my own.)
I fix/repair/replace things based on this scale:
1.) Is the broken thing doing damage to the house - a leaking drain on the only bathtub in the house for instance or broken window that lets in rain - FIX ASAP
2.) Is the broken thing not hurting anything and do I have a workaround? If yes, I'll set up a timeframe to get it fixed based on how inconvenient the workaround is.

[wackyaunt]

Regarding the replacement stove...a realtor friend of mine has said time and time again...if you call attention to an item that needs replaced, you are more likely to recoup the costs if you replace before the sale and NOT bring attention to it...otherwise deferred maintenance on the the "small" things translates to deferred maintenance on the the "big" things and some folks won't take the chance on your property. So IMO I would watch for a sale on stoves and replace as inexpensively as possible and use it.

[upstatemom]

Feb 6, 2011 18:23:55 GMT -5 Apple said:

I just had an issue with my oven. It died, right when I went to put dinner in I can't go without an oven as I cook/bake way too much. So, pulled the element, it was good, more checking and I determined it was a bad switch. So after rewiring it so that when I select "broil" the bake element comes on (and now not having a broiler) I tried to find a new switch for it. The correct one will cost $165! So, I'm going to just live without a broiler. If I decide I really need it I can go buy a toggle switch (like a light switch but smaller) so I can broil again. It's just not important enough to get a new one or spend that much money to fix it.
When I sell the house I might throw in "$500 toward the cost of a new stove" in negotiations, but I may replace it, not sure which would be better yet. The new owners could convert to a gas stove easily, so maybe they'd want to go that route or would appreciate getting to select their own brand new stove...?

Apple, Karma for you for even attempting to fix the stove on your own. If I could double Karma I would for the fact that your fix worked!

[bobbysgirl]

Feb 6, 2011 21:33:37 GMT -5 @justaposter said:

I lived too long with things broken or not working or unfinished. I found it sucked the soul out of me. I can't do it now. At all.

Ditto

[Gardening Grandma]

If you need it now, fix it now.

That's our philosophy. We've been managing for several months with the central vac hose duck taped and a couple of parts missing. Got fed up and ordered the parts ($87).

Found a small crack in the shower pan a few months ago. We've decided not to simply repair it, but to replace the whole thing - later this year. It's still usable.

[Agatha]

My house is about 70 years old so it's full of idiosyncrasies. I expected that. After all one can expect an endowed matron to waltz but one shouldn't expect her to break dance.

But I'm not handy. Oh, I can replace a sink sprayer, hang pictures, put up drapery hardware, and replace selected toilet innards but I can't do a lot. So I "work" around it. After awhile it becomes second nature and it takes other folks to bring it to my attention. So minor or misc repairs take some time around here. If the guys tell me they can fix I just tell them to hop to it and the tool box is in the laundry room. But I simply cannot afford to call out a handyman for every little thing so some things have to wait until I can.

I'm not neglecting my home. She got a new a/c and heating last year and a stunning new roof. In a couple of years she's going to need scraping and painting. And the poor dear needs some insulation, and possibly radiant heat barrier, before summer really hits. I guess it's just a case of priorities based on a couple of questions.

Is it damaging other areas? Fix it now!
Is it simply an inconvenience? Let's wait until the budget can take it on.

Meanwhile I keep a list so I can plug in things.

[tiredboomer]

If my husband can fix it, it gets repaired right away. If we have to call in a professional, it depends on how much we need it.

[Becks]

All things considered I do consider myself handy, but all of my current issues require plumbing work and for me that's just a step below electrical. Did I mention am "it" around here with no back-up? I do have some good people around me who will help fix the snowblower or lawn mower. Yet when it comes to some of these projects, I may have little choice than to find someone with more experience. Cha Ching!

None of my issues prevents me from going about my daily life without interruption, BUT I will investigate further. So in these instances I will temper budget against need and possible ability to fix on my own. Hopefully that does not require a professional once I am done with any of it.

It has been interesting to see the mindset and approach that you all have individually on the topic!

[olderburgher]

Fix don't wait! Fixing later never gets cheaper only more expensive.

[Deleted]

I hate "broken" stuff. It just really bothers me mentally. My DH laughed at me the other day because one of two fluorescent bulbs in the bathroom fixture burned out. Yes, we had one still working. But I had to immediately go get another one (well, DH convinced me to wait until the weekend).

It is too easy to learn to just live with or ignore the stuff that needs repairing. I'm all for making a list and having a handyman come in all at once if you or your husband can't do it. But I can't just ignore it. It makes me feel that the house is falling down around me, one shingle at a time.

[busymom]

Bwa-ha-ha! My DH would wait! (Unless it was an urgently needed item, like a car!) Drives me crazy 'tho. I know the man is busy, but when you end up with a list of things that need repairs, it gets kinda depressing. Fortunately, I can do some things myself.

[motherto2]

Llike most, it really depends on if it's a necessity that is damaging something, or if it's something I use alot. But, if the a/c went south and it's September, I'd probably wait until April to get it fixed. That happened with those little safety valves on the water spigot. They both popped because the ex didn't take the hoses off before a good freeze (and I got tired of doing everything in and around the house, plus I didn't realize they were still attached). Well, that's not something you would need to use around here in winter, and when I went to use one in March/April and found the damage, I had to hire someone. FF to the following fall, and shame on me I dreamt I had disconnected the hoses, and even assured my folks I had, and lo and behold, I hadn't. Well, one popped that time. So I waited until it was time to start using the hose and had it repaired. I can do alot of things around the house, but after looking at how to repair it online, I realized I'd never do it myself, mostly because the house water shut off valve is under the house and all the way on the opposite side of the crawl space entry. I will NEVER get under the house to shut that off, so I hired someone. Luckily, my folks paid for a plumber to move it so now I can reach right in and flip a handle. Best birthday present ever

[tcu2003]

My DH is pretty handy, so luckily he can fix about anything. We walk a moving balance between fixing it when I want it fixed, and when he wants to get to it. If it's something I use a lot, then he'll usually fix it sooner (i.e. when our ice machine broke last fall), but he tends to leave stuff until he wants to get to it. Of course, now that we're getting ready to sell our house, it's coming back to bite him.