The Money Pit

Some of my readers may remember the Tom Hanks movie The Money Pit from 1986. Now, I haven't had any bathtubs fall through the floor, but I have spent an inordinate amount of money on my house this week. The one positive is that we have a savings account for household upgrades and repairs, although it's seriously depleted at the moment.

It all started with a sprinkler system. For the 13 years that we've lived in this house we've hauled hoses across the yard, hooked them up to sprinkler heads, and had to be around to get all of the watering completed (yeah, total first-world problem). So we've been saving and decided that this spring we'd get a sprinkler system installed. We got a couple of quotes and decided to go with the company who told us our water pressure was a little low so we should have a plumber out to look at that.

I asked my husband to talk with the plumbers about our water heater while they were out. About 10 years ago we got a tankless water heater installed, and it was wonderful. Then about 8 years ago the plumbing company (which is no longer in business) told us they could make our home really energy efficient by putting in an air-handler and setting up a heat exchange system instead of having a furnace. They told us it was new technology. What they failed to tell us was that it was using a water heater in a way it had never been intended to be used. We've had problems with having enough water pressure to keep the tankless water switched on ever since when we're doing dishes or showering.

So the plumbing company came out to increase our water pressure, and broke the news to us that we really need a boiler (which is really expensive) if we're using a heat exchange system. Also, since we'd been essentially overworking the water heater all those years, it was nearing the end of its life. That meant a new furnace and a new water heater. I put my foot down at a new air conditioner; we told them they could just service the existing unit. When they installed the new water heater, we were reminded about an improperly wired outlet. We knew about that one before, but it hadn't mattered for a long time. So then the electrician had to come out and fix that.

Now we're finally getting the sprinkler system installed, after spending significantly more money than we'd ever planned on; and now I'm feeling like I'd rather rent again! My husband keeps trying to comfort me by reminding me that there shouldn't be anything else in the house that will break any time soon. I sure hope he's right!!