I’m a paid subscriber so I will imagine one solitary roof shingle is named after me. Home should be our soft landing and you and your family are now weaved into your home’s history, ain’t it grand?!
I was so enjoying this essay right up until the last line:
“Leave this place better than you found it.”
when “Boomer guilt” hit with a vengeance. Easily enough said and done for finite, well boundaried material objects, especially those within our possession. But how absolutely glorious I would feel if, at my passing, I could say that about our world.
You maintain a house with a history. It's old so one would expect constant upkeep. It's worth the investment IMHO.
My 20-year-old house requires constant care. Built entirely with builder grade materials in 2005, it started to decay five years ago. This year alone the screened in back porch had to be rebuilt. The upstairs AC unit replaced. The baths were remodeled due to the fiberglass tubs and shower stalls turning an awful yellow and the floor tiles cracking. A new hot water heater to replace the original and roof repairs. Now the gutters need replacing. As a retiree the maintenance alone sucks away at my limited retirement investments.
I looked at selling and moving into a 55+ community (those homes are built with even worse materials and care) or a retirement home (gag). The monthly costs would far exceed my mortgage plus the repairs. I am stuck maintaining a spec home that won't be on any historic register in 50 years. It likely won't be here at all in 50 years. Appreciation? With inflation that's not all it's cracked up to be. All the homes in my area are hyper inflated so my house won't be a greater bargain than the one next door.
As a divorced-late-in-life grandmother with tenuous funds, I wonder if it's worth it. Living the American dream but with a heavy sigh.
Simple math problem…..get an actuarial table and see whose longevity needs taken into account (Martha’s). Compare that to the warranty on the new roof. It will be shorter than Martha’s expected life span. Multiply by the expectation of a direct hit by a hurricane (2%) and the likelihood of an insurance company paying on a claim (0%). I’d defer that decision which is exactly why I live alone
After reading the comments on your last article and discussions in other related spaces, we have gotten a little disrespectful to our neighbors (and I’ve not been 100% demure). Thanks for the reminder that America is for you and me.
Thank you for sharing this with us. It's always a delight to read your thoughts and I can picture all the work being done on your lovely pink-ish home.
I’m a paid subscriber so I will imagine one solitary roof shingle is named after me. Home should be our soft landing and you and your family are now weaved into your home’s history, ain’t it grand?!
Thank you for being a paid subscriber and yes, it's pretty grand.
It's interesting, how much I hear that, way out here on the wicked coast. That Savannah is the most haunted city in the country. Why is that?
I was so enjoying this essay right up until the last line:
“Leave this place better than you found it.”
when “Boomer guilt” hit with a vengeance. Easily enough said and done for finite, well boundaried material objects, especially those within our possession. But how absolutely glorious I would feel if, at my passing, I could say that about our world.
You maintain a house with a history. It's old so one would expect constant upkeep. It's worth the investment IMHO.
My 20-year-old house requires constant care. Built entirely with builder grade materials in 2005, it started to decay five years ago. This year alone the screened in back porch had to be rebuilt. The upstairs AC unit replaced. The baths were remodeled due to the fiberglass tubs and shower stalls turning an awful yellow and the floor tiles cracking. A new hot water heater to replace the original and roof repairs. Now the gutters need replacing. As a retiree the maintenance alone sucks away at my limited retirement investments.
I looked at selling and moving into a 55+ community (those homes are built with even worse materials and care) or a retirement home (gag). The monthly costs would far exceed my mortgage plus the repairs. I am stuck maintaining a spec home that won't be on any historic register in 50 years. It likely won't be here at all in 50 years. Appreciation? With inflation that's not all it's cracked up to be. All the homes in my area are hyper inflated so my house won't be a greater bargain than the one next door.
As a divorced-late-in-life grandmother with tenuous funds, I wonder if it's worth it. Living the American dream but with a heavy sigh.
Take care of Savannah. It's a jewel in the South.
Simple math problem…..get an actuarial table and see whose longevity needs taken into account (Martha’s). Compare that to the warranty on the new roof. It will be shorter than Martha’s expected life span. Multiply by the expectation of a direct hit by a hurricane (2%) and the likelihood of an insurance company paying on a claim (0%). I’d defer that decision which is exactly why I live alone
After reading the comments on your last article and discussions in other related spaces, we have gotten a little disrespectful to our neighbors (and I’ve not been 100% demure). Thanks for the reminder that America is for you and me.
Thank you for sharing this with us. It's always a delight to read your thoughts and I can picture all the work being done on your lovely pink-ish home.