Tuesday, August 13, 2013

In the Gutter

image found on Facebook
Just had an interesting conversation with the fellas putting gutters on the front and back of our house.  I must admit that I really didn't know much about gutters and still don't consider myself any sort of expert.  However, we now have seamless gutters.  That means that the gutter cannot leak in the middle anywhere.  We are hoping that it will prevent the flood that builds at our front door every time it storms.

Two weeks ago, there was a particularly long and hard storm that brought the water level almost up to the door.  Another half inch and we would have had water inside the house.  That was a creepy feeling, to say the least.  It is also the reason the gutter people are here.  Really.Don't.Want.To.Do.That.Again.

The last 9 months have been filled with contractors and home repairs.  Seriously hoping that this marks the end of that!

Have you ever gone through a period where everything needed repair at once?

18 comments:

  1. Been there, done that. We actually lived in a house where the basement would flood each time it rained - that was horrible! I figure home repairs are a reality of home ownership and they beat sleeping in your car.

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  2. Yes. Everything always happens at once around here. All or nothing. So I know that feeling real well :)

    Love the image!

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  3. Ack- home repairs! A necessary evil for sure and yet when they do come all at once, you just want to scream.
    When we moved into our house it ended up needing a roof right away- in December! And then the kitchen appliances started to go one by one every couple of months. Since we had stretched to afford the house it really wasn't fun. But the good thing is that we eventually got through that and I really hadn't thought about it in years. So, hopefully that will be the case for you- that you will soon be enjoying the home without giving all this trouble a thought! :)

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  4. Yes, we replaced to major appliances, our windows, and carpeting in one year. Not fun. I'd be nervous with water that close to coming into my house as well. Hope the new gutters do the trick.

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  5. Yup. It comes in bunches - like bananas. It seems like we are forever fixing things - the chipper, the tiller, the lawn mower, yadayadayada. The money would pile up on us otherwise - ar ar ar. Take care.

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  6. I'm there now, but we'll have to go in stages. It's like bad luck that when one thing breaks, everything else follows. :(

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  7. This is that kind of year for me...new roof, new paint, fix balcony (basically rebuild) and I just spotted a wet spot on the ceiling (upstairs tub leak) and a wet spot in the front yard (sprinkler leak).

    Boy do I wish I was renting....

    Larry

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  8. Steven ~ I didn't think of it like that. I live in the south. Sleeping in the car would be Hot.

    Carol ~ Yes, I think we have replaced or fixed everything but the roof. And we actually did have a minor roof repair, too. The roof itself should be good for a few more years. All or nothing. Definitely.

    Jasmine ~ I am not even going to get into all of the things we have replaced or repaired, but it is safe to say that we are reaching the end of the line in terms of money.... so everything else better HOLD.

    Alex ~ It sounds like it does pour when it rains. I am hopeful about the gutters, too. If not, we are going to have someone out here building a trench. Gah.

    Myra ~ Yes. We will have to go into Saving Mode for the next round of repairs. Yikes.

    J.L. ~ Bad luck indeed!

    LC ~ I feel your pain. These are the JOYS of home ownership. Are you feeling it yet???

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  9. I hope the gutters solve your water problem. I'm to that point now with this old house. I'm just going to live with it because this house should be bulldozed down and I'm certainly not going there, I just got rid of 2 really neat houses to move into this. Go figure. LOL

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  10. Ah yes, I have. We did flood and it is no fun at all. Water level up to the knees. Worse thing was that we didn't disconnect the fishtank and the water reached the plug. It would give us mild electric discharges whenever we tried to pull the wire. And not to mention the furniture...nasty business. I hope you never go through that.

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  11. This reminds me of the period when electrical appliances just seem to give out all at once - the toaster, the iron, the hot water (flask), the microwave.. then the washing machine (which thank God was repairable)... and then the fridge ...like dominoes. that was a year+ back.. .. and a big hole in the pocket.

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  12. Manzanita ~ Bulldozed, you say? I can totally understand why you sold your other houses then... Ha!

    Al ~ Yes, that is precisely the sort of disaster we are trying to avoid. Sorry that it happened to you!!!

    Helen ~ Appliances do seem to last longer. Of course, we just replaced all of ours, so I am sure that when they go (in the future) they will all go at once! Hope it's a long way off!

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  13. Those household repairs seem to come in groups, don't they. We need some gutter work too though it's not yet an emergency.

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  14. I do hope this solves the problem for you. Getting flooded isn't nice.

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  15. Home repairs can get really stressful. BTW I'm still laughing at partyboob.

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  16. At our previous house we had the same problem you have. And we got the same seamless gutters installed that you did. It helped a lot. But we took it a step further and dug trenches from the base of every gutter downspout all the way to the curb, then attached tubing and ran them so that the water went from our roof, under the yard, and out into the street. Now THAT helped TONS. But it was a ton of work, too. Still, if you are coming that close to flooding your house I highly recommend it.

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  17. Susan ~ It is nice if you can do things like gutters in the fall/winter when you get a discounted rate (because it isn't their busy season).

    Patsy ~ No, it isn't nice.

    Brandon ~ I know. Partyboob. Hahaha.

    Steve ~ We got a heavy rain last night and the gutters did help, but the problem isn't solved. Trenches were the next step for us... funny that you mention that very thing. Glad that it worked so well for you!!!

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  18. I have a HUGE amount that needs to be fixed in my flat. Unfortunately/Fortunately my hubby's working at a hotel in a nearby city, and lord knows I can't deal with the lazy, overcharging workmen myself, so everything's on hold until the time my hubby loses his job. (Which may be soon judging by recent events. Egypt isn't the great tourist spot it once was...) I'm glad your home is now ship-shape! Have a dry rainy season. :-)

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