When It All Starts Falling Apart

I turned 50 last month.  There, I admitted it.  Actually, I'm not that bothered by it.  It really is just a number.  However, it's undeniable that when age catches up, things start to fall apart.  It's a good thing I'm not talking about myself.

It's my house.

Our house was built in 1997 and we moved in in 2002.  It was still pretty new then and we spruced it up when we moved in.  We painted it indoors and out and installed a pool fence (after this picture was taken).

We subsequently installed pavers in the front driveway and re-landscaped the backyard, removing the pool fence for our older kids.  We had a good thing going for a while.

Then we let it go.  We stopped investing so much in the house and invested more in the family - vacations, school, activities.  I don't regret it, but hell hath no fury than a house scorned.

At first it was little things we chased - the loss of two saguaros, a new roof surface, new pool filter, getting rid of some pesky rodents.  But we weren't keeping up and now we own an 18 year old home with emerging problems.  We need new flooring.  We need major plumbing work.  We need to repaint inside.  We need new kitchen appliances.  And the list goes on and on.

Now we're just in a place where we're not sure where to start.  Our inertia is crippling us, so the house is deciding for us.  I think the refrigerator/freezer has decided to go first.  It's been threatening to stop freezing and now this weekend it has given up.  Hopefully we don't have to give up on it just yet.

So while I can claim that 50 is just an age, the same philosophy doesn't seem to be working with our house.  I can pretend all day that 18 is the new 6 for the house, but the house isn't buying it.

Maybe it's time to consider a facelift.

Cindy