Mold and maintenance issues? (Portland: house, crawl space, landscaping)

[Mike-NC]

Something that surprised my wife & me when we moved to the NC coast was the extra household maintenance due to climate conditions. For example, due to the high humidity & moisture, we had to have the crawl space of our house sealed and dehumidified (after repairing extensive damage). Painting needs to be done more frequently. Roofs need frequent replacement because of sun and hurricanes. In the garden, abundant sunlight and rain and the long growing season mean that weedy vines can overrun shrubs in a single season. All in all, house & garden maintenance seems about five times as much, per square foot, as we had living in San Rafael, CA.

That is a long preamble to this question: How is the maintenance situation in Portland? Does the long, wet winter cause mold problems? Weaken roofs? Make weed control difficult?

What other Catch-22s should we know about?

Thanks!

[Squidlo]

As a former Portland homeowner I guess I am somewhat qualified to answer this. Home maintenance isn't horrible. Lots of rain and not enough sun can bring moss. Moss on roofs really requires cleaning or treating to prevent it. A roof that gets lots of exposure to the sun wont even be an issue. Leaves in gutters clean em, or get better gutters that exclude them. Use good paint in the NW and you can probably go 10 years without worrying about paint. Sun and moisture can weaken paint somewhat so locations will make a difference. Basic common sense to control moisture would be the key. Landscaping can be a dream here or a nightmare. I liked getting out and planting beds and pruning shrubs (really miss my rhodies) I kept an herb garden that was pretty easy to maintain. Invasive weeds and vines are only a problem if you are not vigilant. Night Shade, Morning Glory, Black Berry and Wild Clematis, were the vines I wrestled with every season. Dandelion, Thistles, Queen Ann's Lace, Purslane (not my yard but I've seen terrible patches of it) and a lot of weedy little lawn pests. Lawn control is easy If the lawn is healthy and relatively weed free. Couple treatments a year weed and feed will do it. You just have to stay on top of it. As far as beds go get them clean of mature weeds and mulch them. Remove seedlings as they emerge. Mature beds are a lot easier to maintain. Lawn watering is only really needed part of the year and good landscaping can minimize water use (less lawn).
If I had to do it all over again, I would look for a place with inground sprinklers and set soaker hoses in the beds.I didn't really like hand watering everything. Hope I helped some.

PM me with anything specific I have a bit of experience with pest control as well.


Squidlo

[Mike-NC]

Thanks, Squidlo, for the info. Very helpful, and it sounds like P. is less of a maintenance nightmare than here. (Ten yrs between paint jobs is about twice what we get.)

You mentioned pest control -- anything unusual or typical to Portland? For example, when we lived in Miami, we had *four* pest control contracts: subterranean termites, dry-wood termites, general bugs (i.e., cockroaches), and a contract for the lawn (something we've never had elsewhere). I suspect Portland would be nothing out of the ordinary -- sound right to you?

[Squidlo]

In Portland most pest issues can be handled by a homowner willing to do the research and spend the time. Carpenter ants are probably the most common wood destroying pest. Just take the time to remove any rotting wood from the property, stumps, old firewood ect. Subterranean termites are less common but still a threat . These pests usually require a professional "exterminator". Less common but destructive are wood boring beetles. Controlling moisture is key to avoiding these pests. Termites can attack a home that doesnt have a moisture problem as well but its less common. Remove all scraps of wood from crawlspaces, its tempting to the ground dwelling pests. Lawn control if you are inclined to put the time in can be handled by homeowners. Cockroaches are uncommon and the larger roaches you see in Carolina don't exist in residential areas. It just gets to cold to support a outdoor roach population. German roaches however can be found all over and I recommend a pro to handle them. Don't panic as they are not common in residential. Overall I think your pest control costs will be much much lower. Myself I worked the industry and handle my own bugs but its really not that hard in Oregon to "do it yourself".


Squidlo