How do people afford house repairs?

[Swampmonster1988]

My panic about house repairs are mounting. I just can't afford them.

My house needs:
A new carpet
A new fence
Leading on extension roof joints
A new gate
A new washing machine
Whole house needs painting

Longer term (maybe 5 years away):
A new kitchen
A new bathroom
Windows replacing

I live alone on 30k per year. Still have morgage for the next 10 years so I just can't afford this. I know I could get a loan for some of it but I'm really worried I just can't afford it.

Things like washing machines I buy second hand, keep an eye on Facebook market place or you local fb page. The same for things like fence panels, sometimes they come up for free. Does mean you have to fit them yourself tho.

Feeling your pain.

I'm a single parent on 40K a year, with a teenager & 10 year old.

My kitchen is falling apart. Had to upgrade the electrics as unsafe. Nothing done in the flat for 20+ years.

Thankfully my mum bought me a new boiler when the old one went.

I have painted myself.

Bought a 2nd hand carpet cleaner to salvage what I could of carpets.

I eBay the kids old stuff - shoes, toys, clothes - and put the money aside for my flat fund.

I don't know how I'm going to do the kitchen. It is literally falling apart.

Has your income dropped since you took out your mortgage?

Because on those figures, you wouldn’t pass affordability, even before the price rises.

How much is your mortgage and have you reviewed your expenses?

Are you being honest about what are needs and wants? Do you have debts?

On the ‘I can’t afford heating, despite earning £60k pa’ thread yesterday, once the OP posted a breakdown of her expenditure, it was clear that, as well as overpaying on her student loan and saving a huge amount into her pension, she was paying a lot more than she needed to for a lot of her household essentials and discretionary items.

So there often is scope to cut back on things like broadband, mobile phone and even food if you’re currently buying a lot of expensive items, like brands, meat, convenience foods or shopping at an expensive supermarket.

Have a look at:

www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/money-help/

If you post a breakdown of where the £1800 is going, people will be able to suggest where savings can be made.

FGS MN is scrambling links again, I posted a link to the MSE budget planner, so you'll have to find that yourself, or just post a list.

We save but the pandemic wiped much of our savings

Don't worry about the cosmetic things like the carpet and new kitchen.

Repair things that are breaking (like the fence) early, a stich in time.

Acknowledge that maintenance costs are mark of home ownership and white goods will need replacing and budget accordingly. I know, hard when money is tight, but it has to be done, in the same way that other bills have to be paid.

@Swampmonster1988 search FB marketplace and freecycle for ‘newer’ washing machine. You might even grt ‘not new but ok’ fence posts or panels that way? Save as much as you can (even if only £10 a month) which is how we funded painting the house, carpet offcuts etc. My TV was second hand off ebay, for less than 10% of new price …

how much is your mortgage OP? I guess that's the cost, along with your outgoings. Cutting down outgoings is the probable answer. A lot of people are cagey about doing this but I guess it's your only way. How frugal are you? There are always savings to be made. Shop second hand, shop at lidl, batch cook, search for deals on bills, cut out luxuries, don't have a car (if you can get away with it - e.g. walk / cycle) etc etc. It becomes a way of life, and it might seem annoying but after a while you stick at it it is rewarding because you will be able to save for the bigger things.

regarding painting your house - you say you can't deal with doing it, but just tackle it one room at a time. Yes it's a big job but if you did one room a month (it should take a day or two per room) it will be done soon. You can look on freecycle or other free paint schemes. I'm a LP and have learned that I only have myself to rely on. There's no way I could afford a decorator. Things get done more slowly but I tackle them one little bit at a time.

I do all the painting at home. To be honest it’s never occurred to me to pay someone, not that we could afford to anyway. A room at a time and taking it slowly is the best way.
I had to do our hall, stairs and landing due to a massive leak and I borrowed a ladder from a neighbour (I asked on Facebook if anyone had one).

One way is to stop thinking you 'need' new stuff just becuase it is dated.

Our kitchen and bathrooms are dated - especially the kitchen. The floor is knackered. I've hated it for years. Finally came around the the realisation we will never afford a new kitchen and started to really show it love. I keep it clean and tidy, polish the horrible floors and have filled it with eye catching beautiful plants and crockery. People have started saying it looks nice again. Haven't said that in twenty years!

Same with bathroom - scrub it until it gleams and put a few cheap but pretty things in it to catch the eye.

Can you rent a Rug Doctor and steam clean the carpets? Makes a massive difference. Then put down a few cheap rugs (or free from Freecycle - ask for rugs in neutral colours) over any bare patches or hideous patterns.

Can you just mend the fence? Ask a handyman to quote for mending it rather than a new fence. Or take it down entirely and put up wire between posts then train plants along it.

Take the gate off the hinges if it's broken and have no gate. We did that. It looks nicer.

You can also ask for paint on Freecycle. If you ask for a particular neutral or common colour, you might get some from several different sources - a few half pots of gloss white will make a massive difference to all rooms if you just do the woodwork.

I know it's not ideal but deep cleaning, mending, prettifying and using Freecycle or similar make a massive difference. I even know of people offering good washing machines in freecycle because they've moved into a house with an integrated one. Just put your wanted posts into not only your area but any nearby very well-off areas. Unlikely but worth a shot.

Spend any money you do have on the absolute essentials like the roof leading and a new washing machine.

Ikea kitchen on three years interest free credit at £130/140 a month.

Carpet places do interest free credit too.

Credit card with no interest on purchases for two years & pay it off monthly

If you want you could post your outgoings to see if there are any which could be reduced/removed. They seem very high for a single person in a two bed house

One way is to stop thinking you 'need' new stuff just becuase it is dated

Exactly. I don't know how old our bathroom is, because it was there when we moved in, and that was 16 years ago and it was old fashioned then. My best guess is late 1980s/early 1990s so around 30-35 years old. But it's good quality and still in good condition, so why replace it?

I was surprised a few weeks ago when someone posted a 'would you buy this house' thread and loads of people were commenting on how dated it was and how it 'needed lots of work' but everything looked in good condition and was neutrally decorated so easy to live with, but it seemed that most people would have 'had' to put in a new kitchen and bathroom and decorate throughout.

One way is to stop thinking you 'need' new stuff just becuase it is dated.

You need to read the thread.
The OP has NO carpets, the fence is broken and is needed to keep the dog in.

I think that for some people though being in depressing surroundings can make a real difference to mental health though. e.g. dirty old carpet, shabby paintwork. These things make such a difference to mindstate they are worth doing for that alone - but they don't need to be done expensively.

Op you sound very overwhelmed by it all which is making it much worse than it is. Get a plan off action going which breaks things down into baby steps. Paint one room at a time. I'm a single mum and I've painted nearly the whole house over the space of a year on my own. Once one room is done you start to feel much better. You can get poles for the ceiling and if you really can't do the hallway yourself don't worry about it, save for a few years so you can pay for someone else to do it and just concentrate on the rooms you can do yourself.

The only essential on your list is roof repair. Get a couple of quotes, work out a budget to save for it.
Next would be washing machine, then fence.

List on here ALL your monthly expenditure, so we can possibly point out areas you can cut to save for the repairs.

OP this thread might make you feel like you have company. It is in part light hearted but there are lots of people putting up with things

What's the broken thing in your house that everyone just puts up with? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/4450194-what-s-the-broken-thing-in-your-house-that-everyone-just-puts-up-with

Do you have any family/friends who would be happy to help you paint in return for a favour? Painting isn't as hard as it might seem, though you do have to let go of any perfectionism! Do just one room at a time, don't try to overstretch yourself.

It's hard at the moment, especially with the price raises, so hugs for you, don't be too harsh on yourself