So far this year we have had the plumber over to our house 4 times. The first time to fix a toilet, the second time to fix three faucets that were not working correctly. All three had to be replaced.
The 4th and what I hope is the final visit for 2014 was to replace the shut off valves for the outdoor faucets, and while he was at it I had him fix the faucet at the washtub that I have not been able to turn for at least a decade and while they were at it I had them replace the rubber washer hoses with braided stainless steel.
Everything wears out and even though we spent a lot on plumbing this year we did not increase the value of our home because what we did was maintenance. We have now lived in our home long enough to have replaced every single appliance. We have never had any electrical work done but have had every other kind of work done and have done a lot of work on our own.
Part of owning a home is maintaining it and spending a bunch of money on plumbing or heating isn’t always a lot of fun. Home improvements are more fun than maintenance items. No one is going to see the shiny new plumbing in the basement but I’ll know that everything down there is working and nothing is leaking or broken.
If I had added additional plumbing fixtures that would have been considered a home improvement and may have increased the value of our home.
For those who own an old house like mine it is wise to have a repair or maintenance budget and to have a plan to spend some of it each year to maintain the home and to protect your investment. Everything wears out eventually but if we are careful it won’t all wear out at once.
