Low Maintenance House (Chicago, Bridgeview, Burr Ridge: rental, condos, appliances)

[phvtran]

What type of house would you suggest that will have a minimum cost to maintain its condition for 10+ years? Are there certain style of houses that have a lower cost to maintain than others? What should I be looking at when house hunting? Any suggestions and info would be appreciated.

[Vlajos]

Condo or rental

[myrc60]

something new would do that. Buying older homes stay away from flat roofs.

[linicx]

One story brick, well insulated, with pitch roof and sufficient vents - no curing, flaking or multiple layers. All flat roofs leak. All air condition and heat vents should be on the floor and not in or near the ceiling - heat rises while cold air falls. Energy efficient furnace (93% or higher), and energy efficient appliances. E-windows. Change your furnace filter every month. No tank water heater. Water saving shower heads. CFL lights throughout. Gas or electric fire place. No smoke in house unless you enjoy painting every five years. Look in the fuse panel --NO aluminum wiring or double taps on a single breaker - - its Illegal! Properly vented dryer. Are the floor level? Do they "give" when you walk - floor joist issue. If you do these things your home should be fairly maintenance free for several years. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it's probably is a lie.

Before you buy any house - even a new one, pay for an independent house inspection by IL licensed Home Inspector.

[phvtran]

Thanks for the suggestions. Are there certain things/concerns that I should be looking at for the different type of house in regards to basement, crawlspace, or slab?

[chet everett]

In general a well built home on a full basement will have the most comfortable, consistent , lowest costs for maintenance / energy use. If the crawl space is properly sealed it should be very similar, with the obvious loss of storage space / secondary living area, and greater difficulty in access to mechanicals. I would recommend against choosing a home on a slab in the Chicago region. Our climate / weather conditions are such that moisture issues can greatly impact the degree of seasonal shifting that even well cured framing lumber experiences. This leads to increased strain on the interior finished walls / fit of windows & doors, ultimately can lead to issues with moisture intrusion...

It cannot be emphasized strongly enough how important INSULATION well above the minimum as well as PROPERLY sized ventilation is to the WHOLE house. This is true for not just the obvious roof lifespan, but also the exterior finishes. Regardless of whether the home is covered with vinyl, aluminum, wood brick or something else the VAST majority of homes are framed of lumber and improper insulations / weather sealing / ventilation will DESTROY the integrity of that framing VERY quickly in our climate. I agree that over the "long haul" a well constructed exterior of brick is the lowest maintenance, rarely requiring tuck pointing more than every 10 years or so. The second most long lasting exterior is properly installed and stained cedar siding. Cedar expands/ contracts at the same rate as the framing and will always be more sound than other materials .The down side is that the stain should be reapplied every 5 years or so.

I disagree that there is any significant difference in need for maintenance of a single story home vs larger. So long as the place is properly built and the proper materials have been used a two or three (or even four...) story single family home will not need more frequent maintenance than a single story home and when maintenance is required the deciding factor will be SIZE -- there are plenty of "ranches" in places like Oak Brook, Barrington, Burr Ridge etc that are HUGE will cost more to re-roof / repaint than a multi-story home with similar living space...

I further disagree with those that believe a newer home needs less maintenance than an well built older home. Fact is the QUALITY of the construction as measured by the choice of materials (and the skills of the builders...) is far and away more important than AGE. I have seen homes that are 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100 years old that, if built with top quality materials AND done by skilled tradespeople, will require LESS maintenance than even a BRAND NEW home built with inferior materials by hacks that do not know what they are doing...

Finally I would caution that although most condos / townhouse will not ALLOW unit owners to do much maintenance the fact is MANY such developments are built with low quality materials in a slipshod manner and will require SIGNFICANT on-going assessments to deal with the expense of fixing the things that do go wrong. From inferior windows and doors to concrete block that is improperly sealed and allows massive rainwater infiltration I have seen LOTS of brand new condos and townhouses that are absolutely MONEY PITS of ongoing repairs / maintenance...

[myrc60]

basement is best choice, then crawlspace; both offer access to pipes if needed while slab doesn't.

Also check for tornado safety...if you don't have a basement is there an area with several walls between the outside wall of the house and an interior room/closet? We missed this when we moved, but we aren't in Illinois anymore, so its not a big issue but up there it is.

I second the suggestion for a home inspector. If you bought the house we bought in Bridgeview many years ago you'd understand why!

[linicx]

A slab floor is concrete poured over plumbing stubs. Everything else is above ground. The problem with slab is if you ever have problems with plumbing there are only two access points; Drains and through the floor. When that happens you pray it is tree roots in the sewer line out side of the house. Slab floors are colder in the winter.

A good crawl space is five feet or deeper. Service people who have planty of room to work are happy to return. You can also install floor jacks if you need it Been there; done that. Access should be from inside the house.

To re-reroof a two story house costs more. Some roofers do not like to work on two story houses. They dislike multi-story and steep pitched roof even more. It is a lesson one does not learn until the roof needs to be replaced and you look at a $50k replacement cost. A one story is less costly; mine was a total tear off and replacement @ $25 per foot plus materials.

Over-insulating a house is a waste of money and is usually ill-advised. Insulation does not last a lifetime. It is usually good for 15-20 years. This is one of those trade secrets.

I lived in a house that was 100 years old. It was constructed of red oak from sill to roof. In ten years I replaced a toilet, kitchen sink, two sets of faucets, a bathroom mirror and lights, two ceiling fans, and paint -- all of which I wanted and found on sale, plus a I added a whole house humidifier. Total investment was under $1000. You can't win every war when it comes to house maintenance. Chose your battles wisely.

Basements can leak. Basements can flood. Look for a sump pump. The floor should slope slightly toward the sump. The yard should slope ever so slightly away from the house foundation.