$180

To say we’ve had a lot going on with our house since we moved in is like saying the 2024 political climate is somewhat polarized. There’s been a lot to deal with, and a lot to learn. Today’s was a comparatively small issue and a pretty quick fix. By a long shot, the least expensive home repair we’ve had done so far.

I thought it would be fun to review the issues, and the numbers.

I say “fun” and I mean fun for you. Seeing as how it’s our checkbook, time, and stress. Enjoy!

Sewer pipe

Our first major problem. The basement started flooding right before Easter weekend (why is it always holidays and weekends?). The drain in the laundry room was backing up, and nothing we flushed was going down. Gross. The plumbers had to dig down about 8 feet to find that the old clay pipe from 1948 was being destroyed by tree roots. The pipe was replaced, hydro-jetted, and a clean-out access pipe put in; all of which the house probably needed about 40 years ago.

Total = $9,441

Bats

Stop me if you’ve heard this. We took a short trip back to Los Angeles to help our teen say goodbye to his friends by way of a home school dance. Who says homeschooling isn’t social? Not United Airlines and Marriott.

When we returned, I went out the back door and saw a pile (pile!) of… poop. Squirrel? Opossum? Rat (please don’t be rat poop, please don’t be…). The poop was also covering the second-floor window sill. Weird. You probably guessed by the heading, but it was bats. We had bats living in our attic. There are laws against killing bats (of which I’m glad), so the exterminators had to extract them by means of a “bat valve” that lets them escape but not get back in.

They also discovered that we had essentially no insulation in the attic. Fun fact.

Total = $8,595

Shower Leak

Few things are more disturbing to one’s inner peace than being in the shower and having someone bang on the door. It’s jarring in the best of circumstances. In the worst, it’s someone telling you, “The shower is leaking into the basement!” Just what I was hoping to hear this morning.

Sure enough, the upstairs shower was leaking into my office. If you’re questioning my sanity in putting my computer lab full of sensitive equipment directly underneath drain pipes, then you just joined my tiny club. Welcome.

Another fix that should have been done before Nixon resigned, but here we are.

Total = $1,558

Garage Door

Today’s error involved the garage door that wouldn’t close all the way — unless I disengaged it from the automatic opener and closed it manually. I took about 45 minutes inspecting it and tried various solutions before I decided to call someone. And I kick myself for calling a pro every time, because I consider myself a DIY-type of person. If I can’t solve a problem myself, I feel a little less-than. But Jenni reminds me that sometimes it’s not worth beating your head against a wall and it’s okay to call an expert. So I did. And he was great. And it turns out it was a simple fix that I suspected, but didn’t act on because I was nervous I would get it wrong and make it worse. But at least the garage guy gets the award for the least expensive fix we’ve had done to date.

Total = $180

$19,774

That’s what we’re in for to date. Almost $20K in fixes. And we know there’s more to come, like raising the driveway slab that’s causing the basement to flood in heavy rain. So we’re kicking ourselves for the negotiations during the home purchase process. Then again, we’re very new to this experience. And we’re grateful that we are able to foot the bill for this stuff, because if we couldn’t finance the fixes, we would be swimming in sewage, not using the shower, and living with flying mice.

Consider us fortunate.