Household repairs

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-22-1999
Household repairs
5
Fri, 02-04-2005 - 10:29pm

Because of debt, have you been putting off any important household repairs until you can afford them without charging them? How long have you been waiting to make the repair or how much longer until you can afford the repair without credit? How have you been coping, living around the situation needing repair? Is this a repair you could do yourself or is it too difficult, complicated, needs a professional? Was this needed repair due to an accident, usual wear and tear, vandalism, a poor repair job done before?

Please share! Littlesbigs

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2004
Sat, 02-05-2005 - 1:33am

I put off fixing my icemaker for a looooong time. Actually, I had it fixed about a year ago, and it was $120 to thaw out the water line that fills the ice maker. So when it froze up again shortly after, I thawed it out myself with a hair dryer. It worked for awhile and then I had to rethaw it with the ol' hair dryer again. When it froze up, yet again, I decided to give it up and just started buying bags of ice at the store. Depending on where I bought them, it could be anywhere from .99cents to $1.29 for each bag...two bags a week.

Finally, last week, DH said to me, "We really need to get that icemaker fixed", and because we've been watching our spending so much since December, I was able to say, without hesitation, "Sure. I'll call when we get home". I did, the repairman came, and for $142, I a new pump with both a parts and labor warranty, and the icemaker is working wonderfully.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-30-2003
Sat, 02-05-2005 - 3:17pm

Did you drive by our house or something??? ROFL!!

Umm, my answer would be YES, we have put off repairs. Lots of them. You name it, it could probably be used to be fixed! Single-pane old wavy-glass windows, many broken...Stair treads that you can see through where the riser meets the step...the back porch from h-e-double toothpicks-it is truly a work of art, lol...the ceiling in the living room where the laths are poking through the plaster due to an 'unfortunate incident' when we dropped a beam while fixing our bedroom floor up above...or the front fascia which looks, umm, lovely...

On the plus side, we did get our elctric system updated a couple of years ago (paid cash & LOTS of it), so we're ahead of the game there.

The house will get fixed. Someday.

~Lisa

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-27-2004
Sat, 02-05-2005 - 4:14pm

Mine's not so much repairs as still haven't gotten around to it or saved the money up for it.

I really need a very large vertical blind to cover the patio door in my kitchen, the sooner I get this the sooner my woodwork and things in that room will quit fading! My whole place gets flooded with light each day.

The other thing is that when I moved in the entryway from the garage was not finished, they wanted like $1,000 to do it, and I said no way. I have painted it and I have the title for the floor, I just need to get the carpet and trim and I have someone who will do the labor and put it all together for free.

Ah...one day right?

Avatar for cl_phocid
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 02-05-2005 - 5:59pm

Oh Lisa - single pane wavey glass windows - I want to come to your house! :)

All my best,
Danni

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-14-2003
Sat, 02-05-2005 - 6:43pm

We have put off landscaping our yard. The previous owners had the house painted and it does not match the rock that is all around the house, so we would like to replace that. There are some flower beds that I would like to replace, but the dirt has too much clay in it, so we will need to dig out the dirt and replace it with some black dirt. Our backyard has no trees or shrubbery of any kind and looks barren. At least the grass grows. We would like to extend our patio and build and awning. All in due time...

Windy