Low maintenance ideas for your own house
Biff_Loman
| Posted in General Discussion on
I’m wondering what kinds of bright ideas you guys might have had to reduce maintenance on your homes and yards.
At work, none of our clients are the type who would do their own maintenance. Writing checks is easy, I guess. 😉 That being the case, some of these homes seem like maximum maintenance scenarios. Sometimes I wonder if future generations will try and reduce the maintenance load on these properties.
In five days, we take possession of a 150-year old farmhouse. I guess that isn’t the behavior of a man who wants to reduce maintenance. 😀 Eventually, I’d love to re-side it with Hardie.
I want to hear all your bright ideas, from eliminating gutters to mulching around buildings, etc.
Replies
We replaced all the carpet in the back of the house with tile floors.
Now clean with broom or blow it out with the 18v Makita blower.
The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
<<We replaced all the carpet in the back of the house with tile floors.
Now clean with broom or blow it out with the 18v Makita blower.>>My wife completely wigs out on me every time I use the leaf blower to clean the house but it is hands down the best way to get the cob webs off the ceiling fans and art work. I've never tried one of those 18 volt gadgets, just use the same 120 volt one I use for leaves.------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
I've never tried one of those 18 volt gadgets, just use the same 120 volt one I use for leaves.@@@ It's new to me - got last month. Love it. Small, blows well, let's me clean up on the jobsite, blow the dust off the saws at rollup, etc. Now I never leave home without it.<http://www.amazon.com/Makita-Cordless-Electric-Variable-Speed-UB181DZ/dp/B000056OXC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hiqid=1234234835&sr=1-1>
The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
That thing is adorable, maybe I'll get it for my wife for valentines for cleaning the ceiling fans and stuff ;-)------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
That thing is adorable, maybe I'll get it for my wife for valentines for cleaning the ceiling fans and stuff ;-)@@@It is cute. Quite compact. Mine wife wants to use it on the patio. Half to be weekends. Work days, it's with me.The wife might be expecting something more like diamonds or flowers.Mine is trained. If I were to offer flowers, she would go into high alert. Something is seriously wrong. What is it?The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
My wife completely wigs out on me every time I use the leaf blower to clean the house but it is hands down the best way to get the cob webs off the ceiling fans and art work. I've never tried one of those 18 volt gadgets, just use the same 120 volt one I use for leaves.
Go big or go home....
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Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Edited 2/10/2009 8:32 pm ET by Dinosaur
There is something a little suspicious about that pic.
I'd swear I can see a JD emblem on the front of that Hoover.... Either that or I didn't know the 2 companies were connected. :-)
A friend of mine made borders around his trees and plantings, dividing everything up into distinct rectangular shapes. He said he cut his mowing time down considerably.
I live in a dry climate and native plants reduce maintenence considerably.
My pet peeve is many houses are hard to work on. Bushes planted up against the wall etc.
The best advice I ever got was--Never have a lawn bigger than your wife can take care of.
concrete house, concrete floors, cover all exterior wood with tin
I think that would work well.
I enthusiastically agree about using native plants. I did a studio addition on a house down in Colorado Springs about 15 years ago. The place had a perfect golf course-like lawn, and an annual $17,000 yard maintenance bill. Whenever you have a situation like that, it's a hint that you may be trying too hard to fool ol' Ma Nature. Just getting to know the site and trying to not offend it much (this pertains to building the house as much as landscaping) is perhaps the main part of creating a sustainable place.
I've finally hit upon my ideal home maintenance situation -- I rent.
}}}}
$17,000. Wow! I could never see putting so much water, fertilizer, insecticide and labor on a crop you harvest and throw away.
Ever hear of a high maintenance woman?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Fertilization dang sure doesn't help that situation.
Nor does keeping her barefoot and pollinated...LOL
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Replacing wood with metal siding, no lawn, lots of cedar chips, gravel/grass driveway, concrete floors, never wash the car, wish I had never installed gutters.
No gutters. I just built a 1200 sft addition. I didn't have gutter on the old house . I'm going to try to get past the final inspection without gutters. Have one over the man door on the garage. A gutter around maples are whirly bird magnets.
AZEK or similar. Don't paint. Base of house, mulch with bank run, there for ever and no splash back.
Stucco
Clad windows
Minimal lawn
Make friends with neighbour's kids.
Base of house, mulch with bank run, there for ever and no splash back.
What is "bank run"?
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
He left off the word, "gravel."
http://www.gernatt.com/Tools/Portfolio/frontend/item.asp?type=0&size=0&lngDisplay=0&jPageNumber=30&strMetaTag=
But in all fairness, you don't want to use bank run as a mulch. Washed stone is better. Bank run is ideal for gravel driveways and roads.
Where I come from driveway gravel is referred to as PEA gravel.
Which is why you gotta check with your supplier to just what you're getting.
PEA gravel in the places I've been is about 1/4" to 3"/8" washed little pebbles. Used around landscape drains and others.
Where I come from "Bank Run" is what you would find in brooks etc. Nicely radiused stone, gray, blue gray, greens, maroons. Inch and a half to three inches. Smooth and natural. PEA gravel is used in driveways here. Alaska has a gazillion million tons of bank run in all their braided rivers albiet on the large side.
Low maintenance? To a certain extent it's more "pay now ...or pay later!"
An example is shrubbery. Folks want 'green- NOW!' so they plant many little fast-growing shrubs near the house. Naturally, in as few as five years, they have a jungle, with trndrils pushing into the siding, and it's impossible to reach the gas meter. Planting slow growing shrubs, farther from the house, never seems to occur to them. Nor, for that matter, does regular pruning / grooming / removing bushes.
You say you're taking over an old farmhouse. Lots of luck! Such homes typically have a maze of too-small rooms, oddly shaped floor plans, and lots of stuff on the outside of the house. Adding to the joy is that 'standard' materials and lumber sizes are unknown in them. Finally, they typically have multiple layers of poorly applied paint, and generations of haphazard DIY 'improvements.'
My first thought is to take lots of pictures, let the local fire department burn it down, clear the lot, and build a new house that looks similar to thew old one.
Alas, I assume you are not willing to do that. Then, my next suggestion is probably just as distasteful: Open up access to, and clean out, any crawl spaces, basements, attics, etc. Your maintenance and remodelling guys will be spending a lot of time in those spaces, and good access makes all the difference. While you're at it, add decking and lighting, even a receptacle or two for them to use.
Some manner of cement siding will last nearly forever, without painting ... yet will also hold paint better than any other material. The only caution is to place obstacles in any place where a parked car might bump into it and break it.
I like the idea of synthetic deck materials, but I have only used Trex. Some of the other stuff looks better. Whatever your plans, again, make sure there is good access and easy entry for the trades during the remodel.
Your next step is to take a real close look at the place, and try to determine the original layout, and what was added later. Follow this with an honest look at the intended use of the building. Only then can you decide what walls to open up, and what utility work you need.
Uh, the house has been substantially upgraded in the last century-and-a-half. The city grew up around it like 100 years ago.
As silly as it may sound, i want a compressed air connection on each floor so that i can easily connect an air hose and blow the dust and cobwebs off the light fixtures, picture frames, window coverings, etc.
Vaccum once everything falls to the floor.
Don't have it yet but it's on my wish list.
From a historic preservationist: water water water! the fluid of misery!
Spend the time on a french drain and other drainage methods around the foundation! It's a cheap solution (relative to foundation costs).
Trim or remove overhanging trees and bushes to create a 15 ft. Barrier between them and the house. Roots, leaves, and branches can all be pretty destructive!
Steel roofing lasts a long time for it's cost, and is well worth it. It might even fit the style of your farmhouse.
Plumbing is the biggest pain in the neck! Make sure your plumbing is draining properly. 150 years of settling might make some drains run close to level. Galvanized pipes fill with rust and hard water. Have a plan to replace all or parts of both drain and supply systems. If you keep it, expect problems.
Concrete has its drawbacks too: It will crack if not done right, it's expensive, and can funnel water in places it should be draining. If you have a choice, get rid of water with gravel (like in the driveway)
Remember too, that somethings are worth a little bit of work or money. Good paint and good painters can do more to help with wood preservation than just making your house look nice.
Spend a little more money to have a job done right! What you spend and do up-front will more than pay for the headaches and unexpected convenience. Get several estimates. These people on this site know what they are talking about, and it is a great resource to use as well.
I know this isn't the answer you are looking for but....
1/2 the house and 1/2 the yard = 1/2 the maintenance and 1/2 the energy usage.
Also... I'd say my house exterior is relatively low maintenance. Brick with fascias and freeze boards wrapped in metal. Soffits and porch ceilings are vinyl - faux bead board. Only exterior paint is on the doors, door frames, and front porch columns.
OTOH, my back porch is stained PT lumber - that is a PITA. Needs to be restained now. Stamped concrete is bad from a maint perspective too - needs to be re-sealed every 2 years and that sealer is expensive... Maybe $175 for 5 gal.
Well, I hear you about less yard and less house, but we're making this move because we just didn't have enough house, or enough lot.Our little bungalow (with almost no parking space) would have been great for two people. But we plan on having kids now. For about a year we worked on ideas on how to live in our current house longterm. All our ideas sucked.Our new home is 1800 ft^2, and I suspect it'll fill up fast once we have a couple kids. I think it'll be just enough.The yard is overlarge, though, which I don't like. But lots of parking!
1800 sq ft isn't extravagant. Ours is ~3200 for 2 people and some pets and I think it is redicleous. We are looking at (smaller) houses but have to sell this one first.
I'd say try and get the major home improvment projects done before the little ones arive though as you money will be tighter.
Yesterday I spent $450 on mulch... (bought and installed) so the yard stuff gets expensive.
The yard is overlarge, though, which I don't like. But lots of parking!
Down here in New Mexico people seem to collect dead school busses.
Gotta find one so I don't look like a "come here"
Joe H
Biff,
I read your initial post and it reminded me of a client I once had. We worked on the house for well over a year and I guess my old boss still is. He's a partial list of the chores that they pay to have done:
dry cleaning picked up and delivered daily
lunch delivered daily
cars washed at the home weekly
lawn mowed bi-weekly
snow removed when necessary
chopped wood delivered monthly
furnaces (3 of em) inspected twice a year, filters replaced (7 of em), dampers adjusted
house cleaned every day for 4 hours
windows washed inside and out twice a year
switch out storm windows for screen windows twice a year
trees pruned yearly
softener salt delivered regularly
Ipe decks oiled yearly
cedar siding inspected, replaced yearly
rugs steam cleaned twice a year
I'm sure there's more, that's just the ones I saw and can remember
DC
Installed marmoleum in the kitchen. Best low maintenance floor out there.
A few more ideas re landscaping...
Choose any shrubs and trees very carefully so as to select varieties that won't become quickly overgrown for their location. Most landscape plants have a finite life, but having to prune them regularly and replace them every 8 years just exhibits poor planning.
Someone above said something about borders around planting beds, trees, etc. Make sure these are designed so that you can mow right up to them. This may likely mean that these borders are flush to the height of the turf. Having to weed wack every time you cut the grass is a time consumer.
Some people say minimize turf areas as it is high maintenance. This works if you can accept letting the areas in question going completly natural. Personally, I feel that buying and maintaining landscape plants, weeding planting areas, spreading mulch 1x or 2x a year, etc is more work than a quick pass with the mower and a semi-annual application of fertilizer. Really the answer to this one is either let it go all natural, or have a smaller lot.
Biff,
if you reside it in Hardie I promise you that sooner or later the Hardie will be pulled off and something else put on.
Hardie is one of those seems like a good idea that will fade as the obvious weakness show up..
Why not put either brick or stone up? (real) you don't have to do anything to those (other than an occasional hose off to remove cobwebs and dirt) that adds more value than your hardie will,, does't add all that much cost.. IF I can do it.. (I've never done any brick or stone work before) at age 60 you should have no problem doing a great job..
Come on Frenchy, this is getting tiresome: simply because you did something on your house doesn't mean it is the right solution to everyone else's problem.
How is he going to add a brick or stone veneer to his house? Pour a new foundation? Add a steel ledger to his wood walls? Does applying a stone cladding miraculously convert his house from the hated disposable stick frame to a thousand year building?
Fingersand toes..
He decided he wanted to go low maintinance.. I applaud that idea!
I haven't seen his house and cannot comment on if a ledge or suplimental foundation would be best.. (I did both in differant spots on my house)
But frankly we all have replaced or pulled down fads. What does not fall out of style is Stone or Brick..
I'm not sure why you would resist having someone consider an option other than the same old same old!
Fear of the unknown shouldn't be the reason a process is selected but too often it is..
I had no experiance at all doing masonary work but that did not prevent me from doing it.. I read a book, watched some pros and figured out how to do it..
Please don't feel that I'm superman.. honestly it wasn't that hard! I spent more effort at trying to be artistic and hide some humor than just doing the work.
As for money I'm sure the price I paid for my stone is pretty close to what that siding costs. At least it was back when I looked at them..
The people who built my house succumbed to the clapboard fad in 1860.
What's your schedule? I'll start collecting rocks any time that would suit you.
Let's get right on that, and create a look that's truly timeless.
Have not read the rest of this post, but will take a pix out my front door yard when I get home (company travel again this week) and post it, all natural, zero maintenance except picking up branches fate windstorms.