My House and I Have Things In Common

Like me, my house has fallen into disrepair.

My eyesight is failing. My teeth are falling out of my head. I can’t hear a thing. I have to plead with my knees every morning simply to get them working.

My 108-year-old stone house has similar problems. It still looks good from a distance, but upon closer inspection, there’s a bit of rot to be found, a couple of doors need to be replaced, and the oven in the kitchen is kaput.

That’s a big deal.

Barb is no longer able to bake, her favorite escape from writing, and my source for cakes, pies and cookies..

I’d like to call the store where we bought the stove 18 years ago and complain, but it’s no longer in business. Unfortunately, the guy who installed the stove is me, so there’s no recourse there either.

The stove, a down-draft Jenn-Aire, was our first big purchase after we bought the house. It was wonderful to use, offering an open-flame grill, a griddle, and a convection oven. I expected it to outlast me.

When the oven quit, I did a bit of research, bought a new heat sensor and installed it, but that didn’t solve the problem. Apparently, the stove needs a whole new control panel, a part that costs more than a lot of brand-new stoves.

It appeared to be time to punt, bite the bullet, and buy a new stove.

At the same time, a few of the fir 2x6s on the deck started to rot. The deck was built by the same guy who installed the stove, so again, there’s no recourse.

When I was building the deck and putting in the stove 18 years ago I didn’t expect to have to do it again. Had I used treated lumber the deck would still be fine, but I expected to rot far sooner than the untreated 2x6s.

At least the new windows and floors in the house are still okay. They were, however, put in by the same guy who built the deck and installed the stove.

We’re shopping for replacements – a new Jenn-Aire, and cedar 2x6s. If the new stove and decking last another 18 years, that should be enough. If not, we’ll find another carpenter and repairman. This guy we’ve been using isn’t quite as good as he thinks he is.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]