Relative Something

We have hardly been here a month on our new dream property, and I am noticing maintenance issues that trip some of my alarms. We haven’t even gotten to the new expansions and improvements we envision doing, and I am intimidated by the potential costs of maintaining this place.

One very enticing thing about this property (beyond the fact that it was just what we wanted) was the “affordable” asking price, as compared to the other listings we were seeing. The question that remains is, can we afford to keep it up at the level it had previously been maintained?

I worked hard to improve our previous home to a level that required minimal maintenance. Most significantly, I chose a maintenance-free siding. Now I have a beautiful log home. Yep, complete with splitting logs, separating caulk, spongy deck boards, and drying wood. The seller mentioned that he re-seals the wood every couple of years, and this fall it was due, but he didn’t get around to it because… well, he was selling the place. He left lots of cans of sealer for us. I expect it has gotten too late in the year to tackle this chore properly, and I’m not sure I’ve the capacity to succeed, given the part-time effort I would be able to put in. I wonder what it would cost to hire that job out?

Then there is the driveway. Among the things I noticed, when we drove around to visit our neighbors, and when I rode my bike around the immediate vicinity, is that ours is the only home with a paved driveway. It looks great. We love our driveway, …all 440 yards of its rolling, turning length. It is a quarter of a mile long ribbon of asphalt. I can’t imagine what it cost to put it in, but I am about to become well-acquainted with how much it will cost to maintain it.

I expect that is something that was on the minds of everyone in the vicinity, when the paving crew showed up on site for this job. It looks real nice, but the type of abuse most farm activity dishes out on a driving surface, and the multitude of other places money needs to be distributed on a farm, explains why none of the other properties around here happen to sport the same luxury.

I gotta admit, though, it was real sweet rolling along the driveway on my bicycle the other day!

And, we have our address number embossed in the surface at the entrance. Try doing that in your gravel driveway.