Hidden Costs

Earlier this month, we had our vents and geothermal system cleaned. I had a coupon and we'd never had it done in the 2 plus years we've owned the house, so I thought it was about time.

It turned out to be pricier than we'd hoped for as they found mold under the fan in the geothermal system that had blown it up into the first floor vents. Luckily, it hadn't reached the second floor yet, but regardless we had them treat the entire system as breathing in mold while sleeping is never a good thing!

I will say that after the cleaning, the whole house not only smells fresher and cleaner, but the system doesn't run nearly as long to heat/cool which means it's not working as hard, ie a lower utility bill! Woot!

Yesterday, we had an electrician come in and install a dimmer switch for the dining room chandelier and flip around a few switches in the house so they make logical sense! No more thinking what would be logical and then choosing the other switch to turn on the light you want - now you just walk into the room and turn on the first switch and bingo! Light!

Of course, the pictures aren't exciting - who really wants to see pictures of vents and light switches?? - these are just some of the hidden costs of home ownership that neither one of us had really thought about (first time home owners!!). Of course, when you stop and think, we clean the house every week, so why wouldn't you clean your vents and heating/cooling system too? duh.
So, while it's nice to have the jobs done, (and I did stand there playing with the dimmer switch for the dining room for a while!) it's not nearly as exciting as a paint job, new furniture or decor for the upcoming holidays.
Yay house!