Takeaways From The House Issues

Yesterday, I shared what went on with our fireplace. It seems like it has been one thing after another since we bought this house. We were so close to finishing up on all the major projects.

We were so close to getting new floors. All I wanted were new floors!

And then the hot water line broke, and the roof needs fixing, and the fireplace needed fixing. Ok, the fireplace wasn’t too bad, but redoing the water lines was an expense we didn’t anticipate, and we don’t even know how bad the roof is yet.

This house just feels like a big money pit. We’ve been doing 40 years of house maintenance in a span of 3+ years. It really adds up. After all this, we think we would have been better off tearing the place down and starting new. But as the saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20.”

Before we bought this house, his parents offered to sell their house for the same amount as this house, and they would buy this house instead. I wasn’t too keen on that idea. But supposedly, the offer still stands to swap houses. I’m not sure how that would work out in legal terms, but with each new dilemma popping up, I have thought about it.

When we went over for visits, I would really look at the place.

Sure, there were some perks. More spaces indoors and outdoors for one.

But then I thought about how I’d have to paint every single wall. We already did that in our house. I’d like to switch all the light switches and plug-ins to white. We already did that in our house. We’d have popcorn ceilings again. That was a lot of work taking the popcorn off our ceilings.

I was starting to appreciate all the work we had already put into our home. If we switched, we’d have to do it all over again. Talk about spending more money!

So we will make do with what we’ve got for now, with the hopes of one day, years down the road, building us our dream home.

Darn it, I still want new floors though!

Maybe if the roof needs a complete overhaul, we’ll just add a second story to the house while we’re at it.

So while dealing with all the house craziness, I couldn’t help but to ask God why. While I didn’t receive a direct answer, there are a couple lessons I took away from all this.

First, the importance of maintenance. Not just home maintenance, but maintenance in all areas of our lives. Health, spiritual, relationships. Our culture teaches us that we can just do whatever we want, and then when we’ve finally had enough, then we can try fix it all at one time(usually by spending lots of money.)

I wouldn’t recommend that method. Not only does it require a lot more work than steadily keeping maintenance as you go, sometimes, it doesn’t even work at all.

Second, at the end of the day, these are just material things and they will not last. My eyes should be focused with an eternal perspective and not set on things of the world. Oh how many times I have told myself I’ll be happy when such-and-such happens. But 1 Timothy 6:8 comes to mind.

Hopefully, the surprise problems will subside soon enough. Until then (and continually, really), I will try my best to focus on the things I can control and on those that are most important.

I’m Hebrew Housewife. Remember, be diligent.