Everyone who is a homeowner knows that upkeep can be costly. Even minor repair costs can add up quickly. Last year about this time, Kevin and I had a new roof installed on our home. Then, this summer, we had to have work done on the ceilings in three rooms. The coating on the plaster had begun to crack and fall off the ceilings. We've had other smaller things to fix along the way. And, of course, we try to make the repairs properly at the lowest cost.
We researched to find the right people for the work we've had to hire out. We relied on the suggestions of family and friends or information sourced from online resources. The smaller jobs we try to take care of ourselves. Recently, we decided to give our kitchen cabinets an overhaul. The formerly stained cabinetry had been painted before we bought the house. The paint has been chipping off, particularly around the handles and pulls. As an experiment, we decided to strip off the paint to see what the cabinets would look with their original wood finish. We decided we liked the look, so Kevin has been working to strip and stain all of the cabinets.
Kevin has also had to strip the paint from the hinges of doors. They were painted over, too. We could just buy new hinges, but by spending a little extra time to clean these up, we're saving at least $75-100. Others would have just chucked out the cabinets as a whole and had new custom ones installed. By working with the ones we have, we're saving at least $12,000.
I've said this before, we don't have a mansion, we have a home. We don't need designer treatments and high-end furnishings to be content. We do, however, want to make sure our house isn't falling down around us. With a little elbow grease and ingenuity, we won't have to break the bank to keep the place up.