Twenty years? And I'm supposed to be impressed?

So I'm watching HGTV. I like HGTV. I watch a lot of it.

And they're doing Curb Appeal. And they're bragging about this new front door they're putting in that will resist moisture, rot, door to door salesmen, etc. for......20 years. Wow. 20 years. Are they kidding?

I've heard the same brag for new windows.

This is the main reason I haven't replaced th windows or front door or floors in my house. My home was built about 90 years ago and still has the original windows, doors and floor. The only doors that have been replaced are the back kitchen door and the people door to the detached garaqe. Both because of termite damage and rot. And the doors I replaced them with about 20 years ago? Well, I just got done replacing them again.

Since when did 20 years become the norm and something to brag about.

My house still has the original windows. They may not be energy efficient, but I also won't have to replace them every 20 years. And since I plan to be in my house another 40-50 years, this is important to me. I eventually won't be able to do my own home maintenance myself and I also won't have big bucks to hire something else to do it either. So replacing something every 20 years isn't exactly a selling point for me.

(I also have a 50+ year old gravity fed natural gas floor furnace that I'm told will last me another 50 years as long as I keep the pilot light lit and maintain it. So I see no reason to replace that either.)

I also question the environmental impact of having to constantly replace this sort of building material, even if only every 20 years. What kinds of chemicals are in those woods? Also. what about the plastic, aluminum, foam and other stuff being sandwiched in to those things. I don't think they get recycled. I think they go directly to a landfill.

20 years. This might have been impressive way back when a person's average lifespan was about 20-25 years. But with people approaching 100 now, replacing stuff every 20 years to me is a cruel joke.

 

If I lived in the great north I would have ripped the siding off of my house and put in insulation, wrapped it, etc. And yes, probably replaced the glass at least even if I kept the windows. Probably convert them all to tilt sashes to do away with the sash pockets. Luckily I don't have to do that.

The furnace is under the house. It is a huge box in the crawlspace with holes in the floor on both sides of the wall separating the dining room and the original bedroom. It is controlled by a thermopile generator wired to a programmable thermostat, hence if I have no power (which has happened) I still have heat because the thermostat is not reliant on the power to the house to work; it is controlled by the small current the thermopile generator provides. Thus the pilot is always on, but also to make sure the box doesn't rust.

My vintage kitchen stove also has a standing pilot.

My old natural gas water heater used to provide me with hot water during blackouts. No more as I now have a tankless that is reliant on home power. So no more hot baths by candlelight waiting for the power to come back on.

I haven't switched my phone service to the cable company for the same reason. If there's a blackout I would have no phone. As is, the phone works fine even if I have no power.

Rolling blackouts have happened more frequently along with the occasional maintenance outage or drunken doofus hitting a power pole.

I don't want to pay to replace a furnace every 20 years. I don't want my only source of heat to be dependent on whether I have electricity or not. I also don't see anything I replace it with being cost effective for what it will cost me to replace it. For the thousands of dollars it would cost me, I can pay to keep the pilot on yearround. I don't have ductwork. I don't have forced air. That would be an added expense for the "new" furnace. Plus it will need to be hooked into the electrical system of the house and will draw electricity.

Yes, I live in a mild climate and so can keep my original windows. I certainly can't justify replacing them with crap that is going to rot and have to be replaced every 20 years. Windows are something that should last the lifetime of the house. So should doors.

I think we accept built in obsolescence without objection or question way too much. I do not consider 20 years to be an acceptable lifespan for a door or window. I think people think that's great because they just don't know any better.

My refrigerator is maybe 6 years old. One of the PV salesmen suggested I get rid of it and replace it with a new one. That's a $1,000+ appliance. It was energy efficient when I bought it. Just because they've improved refrigerator technology a bit since then doesn't justify going out and spending another $1,000+ to replace a refrigerator that isn't that old. Sorry but I expect to get more than 6 years of service for such a big investment. Same for my washer and dryer. My vintage stove is over 50 years old and works perfectly. So does the furnace; I only have to replace the thermopile coupler occasionally. This last time also the gas feed to the pilot. No big deal. The programmable thermostat and insulation in the attic have saved plenty on the utility bills. Vintage appliances in good working order are in demand because they were built to last and are still better than anything you can buy "new". I could sell my mixer or my sewing machine now almost for what they cost new when I bought them.

20 years? If I had to replace my doors or windows every 20 years I'd consider them "disposable". I don't buy disposable.

Nope. Not replacing the furnace.

 

Newer isn't necessarily better.

When they quote you for replacing a furnace they start with the cost of the unit. Then it seems you need other stuff. Then of course there's labor. Generally double whatever the parts cost. Ooops. Forgot removing the old unit. That will cost you more labor. Oh, you'll probably have to pay to have it hauled off. And likely there's some sort of toxic waste fee as well. By the time you're finished you're multiple thousands of dollars in the hole to replace something that wasn't broke to begin with.

And if your new furnace only lasts 20 years.....tough. Do it again. And again. And again.

I was told my old workhorse will outlive me. I can live with that.

 

Ummm, no. I read replaced every twenty years when I was doing research on mine.

I repaint, maintain, etc my windows on a regular basis. I know how to reglaze the glass and I paint linseed oil on the wood prior to reglazing. I have double hung with sash weights and all of them open and close; both top and bottom windows. None are rotten or have any issues.

Every time I have my house appraised notes say that despite the age of my home it is equivalent to a 35 year home due to upkeep of maintenance.

I can live with that.

 

At some point decades into the future I may put in electric heat and just add more PV to the roof. I could probably just disconnect the furnace and floor over the vent rather than have it all removed.

Same will eventually happen to the tankless water heater, dryer and stove. When they die I'll look at NG prices versus electricity. If I can go electric and just add some PV and still be cost effective I may do that. My converter can handle 4-6 more panels and I still have roof space left on the house. I haven't even started on the garage.

But right now...it's not.

 

Thanks.

Location and climate do have a lot to do with it.

Maintenance is everything. My problems have more to do with heat than with cold. Everyone deals with wet. I've just put a small awning over the people door to the garage for shelter. I'm hoping it will deal with some of the issues that door has had. I've done the same with a diningroom bay window. Both have no roof eaves to protect them from rain and so have been maintenance problems. I have to deal with both 4X as often as any other door or window on the place.

I'm lucky in that I only have to paint about once every ten years. I make sure the house is properly prepared and primed and I buy good quality paint. Before the PV went on I had a new roof put on with 50 year shingles.

Of course, if I lived in the climes many of the posters are living in things would be totally different.

For instance....this house has no insulation except for the attic. *I* put that in. I'll eventually do the floor. I'd never live in a wood siding house with no insulation in Washington or Michigan or Vermont. I'd be insane.

 

I have net metering.

I wouldn't be converting PV to heat.

I'd be adding more PV panels to my house to generate more electricity to offset the added usage of the electrical appliances. I'd be generating electricity during peak hours during the day. I'd but using electricity off peak. While I don't relish electric baseboard if the gas furnace goes and NG is a lot more expensive than electricity, then that's the way I'll have to go. It's a decision I don't expect to have to made for several decades yet.

 

Keeping your house properly caulked and painted can help deter termites.

Like burglars, you can't stop them, you can only slow them down.