Homeowner troubled by ongoing maintenance
Q. Since we bought our home, we've had an endless stream of maintenance problems. The house is only about five years old, but everything seems to be going wrong. For example, two of the faucets started leaking. Then one of the toilets became clogged. After that, the front door began rubbing against the jamb, making it hard to close.
Last week, I noticed a number of cracks in the stucco at the rear wall of the house. And finally, this morning, the dishwasher started making a weird noise.
This is the first home we've ever owned. We hired an inspector before buying it, but none of these problems was disclosed in the report. What can we do, now that we're stuck with this lemon?
A. If the problems on your list were serious or unusual, 98 percent of the homes in America would be lemons. In fact, the symptoms you have noted would tend to make your home as normal as mine. If faucets, doors, dishwashers did not require periodic maintenance, that would be a noteworthy abnormality. It might even be an ominous sign of impending calamity: the calm before the storm, as it were.
A common misconception among first-time homebuyers is the expectation that homeownership is a turnkey operation, that a well-built house in good condition will tend to remain that way without timely offerings of effort by the owners. Homeownership, in a sense, should be viewed as a part-time hobby, one that requires ongoing participation and weekly contributions of time, money and sweat.
Although a home may appear to be an inert and inanimate construct, it often assumes the character of a nagging child or a demanding beast, persistently calling attention to sundry squeaks and leaks, aches and breaks, and intermittent surprises of various sizes.
As newly initiated homeowners, it may be time to buy yourselves a set of handyman tools and a book on routine property maintenance. Don't try to tackle any serious issues such as electrical problems or conditions involving gas-burning fixtures. Items of that nature should be delegated to licensed experts. However, simple repairs, such as changing the washer in a leaky faucet, are skills worth learning.
You have embarked upon the lifelong pastime of homeownership. Acquiring the basic skills of this avocation will increase your pride of ownership, save you worthwhile sums of money, and keep you from over-responding to minor routine defects. It is an ongoing process of learning. Enjoy the journey.
Q. The home I just purchased has a hollow-core front door and no other outside doors. I thought front doors are supposed to be solid-core and that a back door is required. Nothing was mentioned about this by our home inspector. Do these conditions sound like building code violations?
A. A single-family dwelling is required to have one exterior door only, and it must be at least 36 inches wide. No back door is required unless the building is designed to be occupied by ten or more people.
There is also no requirement that the front door be solid-core. To provide added security, the use of solid doors has become standard for most homes, but this is not a requirement in the building code.
• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
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