Published on February 10th, 2022
Owning your own home is considered one of the essentials of the so-called American dream. You save your money, improve your credit score, and forgo other pleasures in your quest to buy one. The instant you sign all the paperwork at closing can be one of the brightest moments of your life.
When you buy your first home or a larger one, though, the reality of home ownership quickly sets in. There is always something to do, to repair, to maintain. It can be enough to wish you could just call your landlord about that janky garage door.
If you are feeling stressed about the burden of owning a home, you’re not alone. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, find some solutions to make life easier. Here are four ways you might be able to lighten the home ownership load.
1. Boost Your Home’s Intelligence
The concept of having a “smart home” used to seem a little futuristic. It was difficult to imagine the robotic vacuums, flat-screen televisions, and drones owned by the Jetsons. And as technology advanced, only the wealthy could afford the gadgets that made their lives easier.
These days, everything is “smart,” from your coffeemaker to your washing machine. For manufacturers, putting a chip in anything has become relatively simple and inexpensive. The smart home is now within reach of nearly everyone — unless you don’t have a strong Wi-Fi signal.
The secret to a stress-relieving smart home experience is having the Wi-Fi infrastructure to intuitively support its components. Once you have that problem solved, your home’s intelligence will be vastly improved. That improvement, in turn, can make your home ownership life infinitely more tranquil.
So program that robotic vacuum and lawn mower, and save your money for that self-cleaning toilet. Your smart dryer might not repair itself on its own, which could cause some angst. But it will provide a code telling you what’s wrong, so you won’t have to spend time figuring it out.
2. Go Native
Yards put space between you and the neighbors like a little green protective barrier. They can also create huge time demands and force you to endure sweltering temperatures in the name of maintenance. Besides putting that robotic mower to work, you can lower your stress by going native.
Instead of just planting flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees you like, plant ones that are native to your location. They should also be suited for the type of soil you have in your yard. Avoid spending numerous hours and even more money to change the character of the soil.
Native flora has adapted to grow in whatever the local weather conditions are. That means they will require less water and maintenance than something never meant to be planted where you live. Place them in the right amount of sunlight and let them thrive.
If you have a large yard, you can reduce the maintenance it needs by using rocks, stones, and hardscape. Enlarge your patio or use strategically placed rocks and boulders to make an area interesting without fuss. Load up on mulch in planting beds to save you the time and effort of weeding.
If you can’t live without a favorite non-native plant, stick it in a pot. You can enjoy it alongside all the things in the yard that are meant to be there. Forget the hard work — or paying a yard care service — and just enjoy watching your garden grow.
3. Use Maintenance-Free Materials
It used to be that using maintenance-free materials meant ending up with the look of cheap plastic. That’s all changed now. Composite siding, decking, flooring, and countertops are as good as — or better than — the real deal.
Decking, stairs, and railings look like wood but don’t require any staining or painting ever. Many are also made with recycled materials, which means you’re doing good for the earth. Imagine being able to enjoy grilling on the deck without ever having to re-stain it.
Inside, lower your stress level by using composite surfaces for counters. You can forget putting the trivet under a hot pan or scrubbing madly to remove a red wine stain. Plus, you don’t need to spend time sealing such countertops periodically as you do with natural stone surfaces.
If your floors need an update, check out luxury vinyl products. They’re forgiving, both when you install them and when your kid drops a plate on them. They look great and are incredibly easy to clean with a swipe of a mop.
Not that you need to replace everything at once with maintenance-free materials. But as things wear out and need replacing, check out these options, even if some are a little more expensive. The time, energy, and stress you’ll save should be factored into your purchasing decision.
4. Improve Energy Efficiency
If your home isn’t energy-efficient, it drains more than your wallet. You’ll spend a lot of energy trying to keep it sufficiently cool or warm. And if you’re determined to reduce your carbon footprint, you add even more stress to your life.
Take an inventory of your heating and cooling systems, hot water heaters, windows and doors, and appliances. Figure out which ones are consuming the most energy and start replacing them as you can afford to. When you are ready, do your research, as there’s a plethora of great products to choose from.
Uncle Sam offers a tax credit of up to $500 for replacing less-efficient products with energy-saving ones. Some local governments and utilities offer rebates when you take steps to increase energy efficiency. Even some manufacturers provide incentives for buying more efficient products.
If you’re replacing inefficient doors and windows, don’t just buy ones that do a better job at keeping out weather. Buy those made with maintenance-free materials. You’ll never need to scrape and paint them again.
If your attic could use a little extra insulation, that’s an easy fix. A layer of blown-in cellulose, made from recycled paper, solves multiple problems. Increase your home’s energy efficiency, and you can kick back and enjoy the great indoors, whatever the temperature outside.
If home ownership has you overworked and stressed out, take some steps to turn things around. Once you lighten your home ownership load, you’ll be able to truly enjoy your slice of the American dream.
