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I keep it extremely clean both inside and out and it is freshly painted and all repairs are made and various things have been replaced (AC unit, water heater, kitchen appliances)
But honestly, with kids and a dog, I LOVE not caring so much if someone dings a cabinet or a floor or if something spills on a couch or a rug
In about ten years, if we are still here, we will do a cosmetic overhaul. If we do that, we will probably move out for a couple of months and do everything at once.
But until then, I'm enjoying the freedom of not worrying about every fingerprint and ding and scratch.
The walls could use a little drywall putty and new paint.
The cabinets are from the 60s, very dated, not painted and maybe a few drawers don’t shut right
Maybe the hardwoods show a lot of wear and “need” refinishing
The porch has some peeling paint on the floor and rails that they might “get around to later”
The yard certainly isn’t perfectly landscaped but they at least cut the grass when it’s 8 inches tall
Maybe the driveway has a lot of big cracks and broken places but it’s been that way for 20 years
Point is, basically nothing looks new or perfect. It’s pretty clean though.
Is it bad to live this way given that all the major stuff is functional and safe (hear/air, plumbing, electrical)?
Basically, they live by the motto don’t fix it ‘till it breaks.
They may make half hearted attempts to spruce things up a bit but they aren’t spending a fortune to say remodel a bathroom. Maybe they get crazy and spend an hour sticking some flowers in the ground around the old bird bath. The termite company comes out every 5 or so years to check.
In some ways this seems like a low stress (good?) comfortable way to live.
So what if you were moving something heavy, busted into the door casing and made a 1/2” dent? Just an accident move on. You don’t encourage it, but no big deal if someone decided to scoot the couch across the wood floor. Maybe the kids were playing, threw a ball and dented the siding? Well darn, but it just matches the rest of the imperfect house, right? Furniture? Hmm, the cheap or free non-perfect/beautiful stuff can work just fine.
Why not fix it up for resale value? Well, they aren’t planning on moving.
Why not fix it up to impress others? They don’t care what others think.
I envy such carefree people who are completely at ease with life’s cosmetic imperfections but you have to have a paid off home to have this level of nonchalant lifestyle.
Actually, it's a lovely low stress way to live. We live in a house built in the 50's, original cabinets, original roof, original living room carpet, etc. This was pre-shag but not natural fiber, not sure what it is, but it doesn't have any wear spots. If we were being fussy, it would be re-dyed since it's faded and re-stretched, but we don't care enough to bother about it. There's many other things to fix first. If we were to make a list of repairs, we'd fill at least one notebook, maybe two.
But it's all good, we don't care, our friends don't care. If they do care, they probably aren't our friends, anyway.
Last August, we did buy the house next door which is of similar vintage. That one is being fixed up much nicer than this one but that's because it's going to be a rental. Maybe after we're done with that restoration we will work on this one again, or, maybe not. Probably go on vacation instead.
I have appliances I picked out myself that are original to when I built my home - close to 20 years. Sure, maybe a flashy fire-engine red washer and dryer would look good. But all I hear about are how unhappy people are with the new appliances they got and how they didn't last - so why should I replace stuff that's working with new stuff that will break in 5-10 years? I'll do without the flash and save some money - especially since I'm not planning on selling.
I have appliances I picked out myself that are original to when I built my home - close to 20 years. Sure, maybe a flashy fire-engine red washer and dryer would look good. But all I hear about are how unhappy people are with the new appliances they got and how they didn't last - so why should I replace stuff that's working with new stuff that will break in 5-10 years? I'll do without the flash and save some money - especially since I'm not planning on selling.
If everything works, and you are content, then, sure, don't replace until you have to.
I will say that my nearly 20 year old oven broke, and we had to replace several major appliances at once, because white appliances are now as rare as hens' teeth. Eventually, you will have to decide to replace.
We had had the oven repaired once already. It malfunctioned the same way again. We knew it was time to replace.
But until that happens to you, I think you are fine.
My house is a lot like what OP posted. My kitchen still has its original 1950s tile countertop that looks like it belongs on a bathroom floor. The cabinets and drawers are still the original (at least I think so). It's ugly as heck and I hate it, but remodeling a kitchen is expensive. If it still works, use it. That's the mentality.
Our front lawn is all weeds and ugly, but landscaping is expensive and requires a pro to maintain it. Again, expensive and I don't want the extra expense. So we look at the ugliness every day.
If you keep it maintained, your "outdated" will become "vintage."
I assumed I was going to gut the kitchen, when I first bought my fixer. Everything was painted white, the countertops had two layers of blue-patterned contact paper over the original linoleum w/ stainless steel edges, and the whole thing was filthy. (it was vacant for many years, and dirt just built up) I couldn't see the "vintage" through the dirt and bad updates. But, I cleaned everything and painted, and now I appreciate those vintage details.
So, as many others have already said in this thread, there's a big difference between maintaining, and updating every time a new trend hits the market.
The walls could use a little drywall putty and new paint.
The cabinets are from the 60s, very dated, not painted and maybe a few drawers don’t shut right
Maybe the hardwoods show a lot of wear and “need” refinishing
The porch has some peeling paint on the floor and rails that they might “get around to later”
The yard certainly isn’t perfectly landscaped but they at least cut the grass when it’s 8 inches tall
Maybe the driveway has a lot of big cracks and broken places but it’s been that way for 20 years
Point is, basically nothing looks new or perfect. It’s pretty clean though.
Is it bad to live this way given that all the major stuff is functional and safe (hear/air, plumbing, electrical)?
Basically, they live by the motto don’t fix it ‘till it breaks.
They may make half hearted attempts to spruce things up a bit but they aren’t spending a fortune to say remodel a bathroom. Maybe they get crazy and spend an hour sticking some flowers in the ground around the old bird bath. The termite company comes out every 5 or so years to check.
In some ways this seems like a low stress (good?) comfortable way to live.
So what if you were moving something heavy, busted into the door casing and made a 1/2” dent? Just an accident move on. You don’t encourage it, but no big deal if someone decided to scoot the couch across the wood floor. Maybe the kids were playing, threw a ball and dented the siding? Well darn, but it just matches the rest of the imperfect house, right? Furniture? Hmm, the cheap or free non-perfect/beautiful stuff can work just fine.
Why not fix it up for resale value? Well, they aren’t planning on moving.
Why not fix it up to impress others? They don’t care what others think.
I can only give my anecdotal experiences. I happen to agree with this. I've observed it in my own life.
Early on, I should add that I am not this type of person, and I was raised by people who were OCD perfectionists. They were in a constant state of stress over their house. My house. They were ALWAYS remodeling. Shopping. Dealing with contractors, keeping up with trends.
Contrast that with my cousin's families. After WWII, in 1950, they built their first house. A large, custom Cape Cod style home. They decorated it "Early American". They finished the basement for the kids and friends.
I was born years later. My first memories of the house were that it was comfortable, but a little messy, as homes with four children and a large dog tend to be.
My uncle and aunt were relaxed people. Their house was "relaxed". To me, it was "cozy", but not perfect. Never dirty, but a little untidy. I enjoyed it there!
When I was very young, they bought an old Jukebox stocked with Rock 'n Roll records. They had it rigged so that you didn't need money.
My aunt and uncle were both about ten to fifteen pounds overweight. My aunt wore a 12. My parents found that horrifying. My mother could not understand why her brother would not demand that she ose weight. She was a great baker, and I don't think that mattered to her.
I wish I was a little more like them. They were a very happy, very typical post war family.
When we visited, on the drive home, my parents would criticize EVERYTHING - from the broken knob on a kitchen cabinet, to their dog Happy who sometimes tracked mud inside, to their 1950s kitchen nook with a Formica table that was outdated. The Early American furniture drove them both crazy.
In my life, I have tried to be more relaxed and less stringent about decor. To make my house more a HOME - than a builder's model to impress visiting interior designers.
If you keep it maintained, your "outdated" will become "vintage."
I assumed I was going to gut the kitchen, when I first bought my fixer. Everything was painted white, the countertops had two layers of blue-patterned contact paper over the original linoleum w/ stainless steel edges, and the whole thing was filthy. (it was vacant for many years, and dirt just built up) I couldn't see the "vintage" through the dirt and bad updates. But, I cleaned everything and painted, and now I appreciate those vintage details.
So, as many others have already said in this thread, there's a big difference between maintaining, and updating every time a new trend hits the market.
My house is a lot like what OP posted. My kitchen still has its original 1950s tile countertop that looks like it belongs on a bathroom floor. The cabinets and drawers are still the original (at least I think so). It's ugly as heck and I hate it, but remodeling a kitchen is expensive. If it still works, use it. That's the mentality.
Our front lawn is all weeds and ugly, but landscaping is expensive and requires a pro to maintain it. Again, expensive and I don't want the extra expense. So we look at the ugliness every day.
Not caring is different than hating it. If it actually bothers you, then perhaps a bit of paint and weeding might be in order? There's lots of ways that aren't expensive to freshen up things without an entire remodel.
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