Is Maintenance-Free Living All it’s Pumped Up to Be?
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Bill Primavera
The other morning, I entered the elevator at my condo complex where I rarely see any other residents. But this time there was a fellow in the car when the doors opened.
I had never seen him before so I asked whether he was a new owner; he responded that he had been my neighbor for more than two years. I shared that I had lived in the building for more than six years.
When I asked how my fellow passenger liked the place, he said he enjoyed the fact that it was maintenance-free and that he didn’t have to worry about yard work anymore. I heartedly agreed.
But was I being totally honest, if not with him, then with myself?
For many years, I lived in a high-maintenance house, as high-maintenance as it could be: an early 18th-century colonial with very few modern updates when I first bought it. In fact, there was still an outhouse on the property when we moved in. I’m not sure how long indoor plumbing had been installed, but the waste pipe was held up in the basement by wire hangers, which collapsed our first week in the house.
During our first night, we had a huge rainstorm and the roof leaked, so right away we had to replace the roof with our first equity loan. The list went on and on with upgrades that we did slowly but surely over the years.
We upgraded the electrical system to be assured that the house wouldn’t burn down. The boiler system that had originally burned coal and was later converted to oil (and was covered with a mixture of asbestos and cement, which had been applied before the prior owners could have known about the dangers of asbestos) was next to be replaced. Just having it removed from the house was a major project.
When I asked my contractor about the disposal of the asbestos, he simply said, “Don’t worry about it.” But all these years later, I still sometimes worry about it.
The bathrooms were next. We were lucky that the former owner had a thing for kitchens and completely rebuilt the one in this house, combining two rooms into one. It’s what sold my wife on the house. Rolling her eyes when we first saw it, I knew that she was sold on buying the property. Didn’t I read someplace that the kitchen and its condition is the main determinant among women in buying a house?
The exterior needed to be painted and the windows, not being insulated, needed to have storm windows installed each fall and taken down each summer while air conditioners were lugged down from the attic and placed on the sills of the windows.
Outside, the lawn needed to be mowed and the gardens needed to be tended, and we didn’t have the money when we first moved there to have contracted services take care of these chores. When I wasn’t working my full-time job, I was commuting an hour each way, or I was working on the house or property. There was no time left for anything else.
But there were advantages to all the maintenance work; it was my exercise program. I was never in better shape than when I did all my own yard work from all the bending, lifting, digging and carting. Inside, all the physical activity related to the sanding, going up and down ladders and climbing stairs between the attic and the basement for supplies had me on the move all the time.
During those years of high-energy activity, I sometimes fantasized about the day when I might live in a maintenance-free situation or I might be able to outsource all the work. Slowly, as I got busier and had more income, I was able to outsource some, but not all the chores.
Finally, a few years ago, I sold the high-maintenance house and moved into a condo building where, literally, there is no maintenance burden whatsoever on my part. The landscaping is done by a crew. Internally, every need is tended to. All we have to do is keep the interior of our unit clean.
Am I delirious with joy over this situation? Not exactly. The perils of maintenance-free living are that I’m certain I must be lacking in Vitamin D in that I get outdoors very seldomly to get my fair share of sun. Also, I’ve gained weight owing to the lack of outside work; that had been my primary source of exercise for a long time. It’s much more satisfying to get exercise while accomplishing home improvement at the same time, more so than a boring exercise in a gym.
The landscaping is maintained by an expert crew, and my only participation is to enjoy its beauty.
So there you have the pros and cons of maintenance-free living, demonstrating once again that getting what you wish for is not always without a downside.
Bill Primavera is a realtor associated with William Raveis Real Estate and founder of Primavera Public Relations, Inc., the longest-running public relations agency in Westchester. To engage the services of The Home Guru and his team to market your home for sale, call 914-522-2076.
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