Your home may be your castle, but at times it can be a real headache. If you’ve been spending a lot of time in your house due to the shelter-in-place recommendations, you may find that what used to bug you a little is now bothering you a lot.
Drips and Leaks
If you’ve got a drippy faucet, you can burn a lot of blood pressure points wondering if you should tackle it yourself. Instead, do a search for “faucet repair near me” and get someone out to take a look at the drip. While you’re waiting for them, pull your belongings out from under the problem sink and sort through the items. When the plumber is done, only put back what you want to keep and discard the rest.
Dark Corners
Many homes suffer a lack of natural light and end up with dark corners and dim hallways. Treat yourself to a pretty nightlight to plug in, or put a battery-operated light on a small table. You can also green up the problem by putting a solar-powered light in a window during the day while you’re out, then powering up the light and hanging it or placing it in the dim corner when you get home.
Hot or Cold Spots
Hot and cold spots in your home can make you crazy. If your bedrooms are on the second floor, they may be too hot in the wintertime because your thermostat is in the great room downstairs. If your house is old, the upstairs may be too cold instead. The problem may be related to poor airflow, which your HVAC professional can help you determine.
A simple and immediate fix for this problem is the installation of an electric fireplace. Rather than worrying about the safety of an electric space heater, hang an electric fireplace or treat yourself to a free-standing unit with a mantel. These units are quite durable and can be very pretty when lit up.
If areas of your home get overheated in the summertime, you can start with a window unit air conditioner or a free-standing unit that will vent out the window. Take care to do this installation right. Air conditioning units will need to drip outside the house. Make sure that any condensation isn’t running down inside the wall.
Know When to Make A Big Investment
Many fixes for annoying features can be done simply. However, some annoyances are actually hazards. If your home is older and you have serious electrical limitations, it’s time to call in a professional.
For example, if you can’t make toast downstairs while your spouse runs a hairdryer upstairs without tripping breakers, you’re probably going to need a new fuse box. Updating the fuse box may require new wiring or new service to the house. Do your homework to find out what needs to happen and make the investment for the safety of your family and home.
Accept the Mystery
The older the house, the more quirks you may have to deal with. Odd light switches that do nothing and outlets that have never worked are high on the list of things that can make you buggy. The amount of time it will take to chase these mysteries down may be worth it to you, or not. If not, you may simply have to accept it as the quirk of an older home.
Learning to love your home, warts and all, can take time. Fix what you can’t stand and look for workarounds on annoyances that make you uncomfortable. Be ready to call in a professional if the problem is causing you great unhappiness or posing a risk to your family and home.
