Home repairs, home maintenance insurance or you got a guy ?

How to account for home repairs as you age

  • I’ll move when I can’t maintain home

    Votes: 22 36.7%

  • I got a guy for chores I can’t or don’t do any more

    Votes: 37 61.7%

  • Home insurance like home shield

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • That is why we have kids

    Votes: 1 1.7%
  • Total voters
    60
RetireBy90

RetireBy90

Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
1,916
Location
Cville
Just been thinking about home maintenance chores. I know some who are less mobile and can’t really do maintenance chores any more.
Some of friends have a guy they call for different tasks even to changing light bulbs in ceiling or minor repairs. Others have Home Shield insurance.
Today at 70 I am able to do most tasks, but thinking ahead when I may not be as limber. (Let’s use that nice term)
Some I know cover this by moving to rental home or apartment to avoid the chores.
How do you account for this today and your plans as you get less limber
 
We call a plumber, an electrician, a painter and a handyman, depending on the work that needs done. We have housecleaning service and yard service that comes every two weeks. Regardless of our age, that's how we have always done.
 
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We have always been self supportive at the homeplace. But I am now leaning towards paying someone to do stuff I can't.... My biggest issue is I did it to last.... hired folks do it for a dollar....
 
Looking to get a guy. We had a plumber come in to do some work we knew we could’t do. One of the tasks was to replace the wash machine fill line valves as one valve was frozen and one was hard to operate. Well to do it he had to remove the box in the wall and install a new one. It ended with a hole all the way around in the dry wall that the flashing doesn't cover. So, I’ve patched dry wall. All thats needed is cut a square cut a smaller square hole in it and split in half and install. Easy. Right? Haha, three hours later and still hadn't got it. Wife's texting a friend that has a handyman as I write this. Where i messed up is should have disconnected hoses and put in the patch so i would not have to split it. Install, reconnect hoses and done. Too tired to deal with now. Probably try it again before shucking out the money for someone else. Im getting to the point where pay somebody to do this stuff so we can just relax and not do this.
 
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Home repairs for appliances, electrical, plumbing etc can be covered by insurance but maintainance is another matter. No insurance for cleaning gutters, resealing the driveway or trimming trees. I am engaging more and more handymen and landscape contractors these days. I can’t get over the cost for cutting the grass, a job we performed at 12 yrs old is pretty lucrative these days. We’ve had about 4 different home repair contracts and the performance varies widely. Two of them started out OK but performance dropped off when we actually filed claims. One was bought out and became instantly worthless.
 
Housekeeper every two weeks, weekly lawn maintenance (cutting, weeding, plantings, edging, blowing, spring and fall cleanups), snow removal, window cleaning 2-3 times a year, monthly mosquito treatments, routine automobile maintenance & repairs. We also hire electrical and plumbing as needed. BTD!
 
Three out of four. No way I'm buying into something like home shield. Right now, I do things myself and will get some help from the kids (actually the son in law). I also hire out things I can't handle - basically plumbing and electrical. Also, significant remodeling like we're starting with our kitchen, we'll basically have everything hired out. However, when the time comes, I do plan on moving. In fact, I've already done that. There were other reasons for the move, but I moved from a single family house to a condo. They cover all outside maintenance and repairs. We plant some annuals and I still did some shoveling this winter, but I am not required to do anything. We own the inside. At some point, we'll probably move to an apartment or assisted living arrangement of some sort. We'll adjust as time takes its toll.
 
We'll have to move sooner or later and it'll likely be into a CCRC but for now I can't stand the thought of sharing walls, ceiling, etc.
 
rk911 said:
We'll have to move sooner or later and it'll likely be into a CCRC but for now I can't stand the thought of sharing walls, ceiling, etc.
Click to expand...
You maybe able to find a CCRC where you actually own a standalone cottage with a garage. Eskaton at Carmichael Village in Sacramento area has this option.
 
On this topic, my neighbor was mentioning that he had a few light bulbs that he could not reach and he was considering buying one of those telescoping arms. I volunteered to help him if he wanted, but I think he wanted to do it himself, as he has family to help him to do such things living nearby.

I believe the CEO of Lowes stated that they are going to roll out a new subscription service called HomeCare+, That it was a successful pilot program. It sounded like a good plan for someone not physically able or wanting to complete home repairs themselves.

 
triangle said:
On this topic, my neighbor was mentioning that he had a few light bulbs that he could not reach and he was considering buying one of those telescoping arms. I volunteered to help him if he wanted, but I think he wanted to do it himself, as he has family to help him to do such things living nearby.

I believe the CEO of Lowes stated that they are going to roll out a new subscription service called HomeCare+, That it was a successful pilot program. It sounded like a good plan for someone not physically able or wanting to complete home repairs themselves.

Click to expand...
I've got one of those telescoping poles. Sometimes I can get the bulbs out and back in, sometimes not. I don't like dragging the ladder out and my wife gets nervous everytime I climb it so we're changing all the bulbs to LED fixtures. Hopefully they will last as long as we're here.
 
triangle said:
On this topic, my neighbor was mentioning that he had a few light bulbs that he could not reach and he was considering buying one of those telescoping arms. I volunteered to help him if he wanted, but I think he wanted to do it himself, as he has family to help him to do such things living nearby.

I believe the CEO of Lowes stated that they are going to roll out a new subscription service called HomeCare+, That it was a successful pilot program. It sounded like a good plan for someone not physically able or wanting to complete home repairs themselves.

Click to expand...
This is incredible! Thank you for sharing! I have not heard about it but I sure am going to sign up for the program.
 
I do almost all of the work around the house and property. But I am looking to have a painter stain our soffit and fascia. And I had a roofing company put our new roof on a few years ago. I can do everything I did 40 years ago, but much slower and with more aches and pains.
 
We have been blessed over the years with having "a guy" who we trust to handle the stuff we can't or won't do. It's not always cheap, but we feel reasonably comfortable with the process.
 
rk911 said:
I've got one of those telescoping poles. Sometimes I can get the bulbs out and back in, sometimes not. I don't like dragging the ladder out and my wife gets nervous everytime I climb it so we're changing all the bulbs to LED fixtures. Hopefully they will last as long as we're here.
Click to expand...
Do some research and make sure you get some good LED lights. Also, if any of them are on a dimmer switch, make sure the switch and the bulbs are rated to work together. I've had quite a few LED bulbs go bad. It pays to pay a little more and get better bulbs rather than just assuming that all LED's are made the same. I have, so far, had good luck with Feit brand bulbs from Costco, but they don't get great reviews online. I have some high bulbs I want to replace so I'll have to so some research to be sure I have a good chance at them working well and lasting because, like you, I hope it will be something I don't have to do again.
 
I asked this question here in 2021 and started a long thread on the subject. Now, as then, I cast a vote for moving. Though it would probably require renting, the selection of non-suburban condos in our city is quite limited.

Home Maintenance and Aging - What happens when I can't be the Handyman?

We're retired, in our early 60s, in a recently purchased suburban single family home where I'm doing the maintenance, inside and outside. This is just as I have done for the past 30+ years, on several different houses. I have the strong feeling that, when I can no longer do it myself, I'd...
www.early-retirement.org www.early-retirement.org
 
I used to be 100% DIY. No more. Life is so much more fun just hiring someone - yes, I'm willing to spend that $$$ nowadays. I still do VERY easy DIY stuff. I recently changed the gasket for my dishwasher door, and just a couple of days ago I did a spackling/painting job of one inside corner of a small rarely used closet. That's about my limit these days. Oh, yeah, I'm also spot seeding some bare spots in my lawn, but I'm paying my landscaper to dig out and replace a bush.
 
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Recently hired housecleaners, DH is contemplating lawn service probably within the year.
We have a handy SIL, but he is busy with their stuff so we don't ask very often.
We hire out: painters, plumbers, electrician, etc. depending on the work needed.
 
I am even giving up chores that I enjoy like mowing because I can use that time for other needs and wishes like going to a ballgame. I much prefer to cut my own lawn but not having to make the time frees up my schedule.
 
Relative just sold her house of ~40 years after she felt she couldn't maintain the yard work anymore.

She needed a commercial deck mower to handle mowing!

Moving soon to a one-level home with a nice backyard, but with outside maintenance included.
 
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