Hi, Rick -
I'm a little late jumping in on the "moving" topic - because we've been out
looking at houses, thinking of a possible move! We're struggling with the
same questions you're dealing with, in a way. What set things in motion was
that we had a big leak around one of our front windows during a recent severe
storm with 60 mph winds. We had to tear out the drywall and insulation and
ended up having the front of the house re-sided. Then we'll have to hire
painters and carpet cleaners.
That leak led us to looking at the other windows, and discovering that we've
let things deteriorate to such a state that some of those have minor leaks
and two pieces of siding have to be replaced.
Dick would never have let things get in such a shape pre-PD. He always took
meticulous care of the yard and the exterior of the house. What made matters
worse was that I've been telling him for two years that I smelled mustiness
everytime it rained. He didn't appear to believe me - as you know, PD plays
havoc with one's sense of smell. I didn't make the transition quickly
enough, mentally, to realize that he was no longer on top of the exterior
maintenance situation, and that I would have to take matters in hand and hire
someone to deal with them - over his objections, btw. We've now talked out
THAT situation and I think he's now more willing to let me handle things, if
necessary, including paying someone to do the work for us.
To make things more frustrating, we're trying to track down the painting
company we paid a deposit to back in April. The painters didn't show up when
scheduled, and we're getting the run-around whenever we call. It's a
national firm with a good reputation and no complaints with the BBB, so we're
hoping our contract just got lost somehow and we'll still get the painters
out here this summer. We'll be calling the president of the company on
Monday. Meanwhile, everytime it rains we know there are leaks that the
painters should have caulked before now, if they'd come when scheduled.
Like you, Rich, we've put a lot of time and energy into our house and, at one
time, our yard, although it's showing signs of neglect now, since Dick isn't
the fanatic lawn-care-guy and gardener he once was. I still love our house
and would be reluctant to leave it unless we found just the right situaton.
On the other hand, it's clear neither of us can paint or care for the 3-story
peaks on the sides of the house, and frankly, I don't much like ladders and
heights, and find 2-stories about too much for me. So what we'd be looking
for, too, is something where the exterior maintenance was all done for us.
The question is, can we afford it?
Complicating the issue is that we take care of our grandchildren, ages 4 and
7, a good part of the time, and we don't want to end up in a community where
children aren't welcome, or are barely tolerated. We'll keep looking, I
think, but from what we've seen so far, we're about to conclude that for now
we just need to budget for having someone come once a year to take care of
any caulking, minor exterior repairs, and so forth. And we'll probably end
up paying someone to do lawn care before long.
I've gone on too long, but it's interesting that this topic should come up
just when we're trying to make the same kinds of decisions. Good luck, Rich,
and let us all know what you end up doing.
Margie Swindler, cg for Dick, 55/18
<<
My wife and I are stressing about a possible move, which I (the PWP) set
in motion a couple weeks ago. We've lived in our house for 12 years, and
have put a lot of energy into making it nice, and I have worked on the yard
to transform it from "easy care" to labor-intensive (but beautiful). Now,
with PD, I have much less energy, still work full time, and don't have it
in me to spend so much time on home and yard. So we looked at condos--what
a great concept! You own the inside, the association owns the outside, and
maintains it, and you have access to common amenities, which in the case of
what we're looking at includes a great pool, tennis courts, a meeting/party
building, racquetball court, weight room, sauna and jacuzzi, etc. And the
condo borders a woodland park with hiking and biking trails and other neat
stuff. Pretty cool, and appealing to our 14 year old son. The downside is
that we love our house (and yard, inspite of the work). So I could hire
someone to "do" the yard, but I'm thinking that it's time to downscale and
simplify. I feel like we must be crazy to sell our house, but it also feels
like the right time to make a lifestyle change. I would love to hear from
others who have gone through a change of home because of PD progression.
Thanks,
Rick
49 years old, dx 47
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