Of housing markets and my own domicile

One of the things about living is West Virginia is that we escape the boom-and-bust cycle of much of the national economy. One of our reporters is supposed to have a story tomorrow about how the local housing market has not tracked the national market in recent years. We didn't have the huge runup in prices fueled in part by speculators, so we haven't had the same bust.

We'll have a column by Diane Mufson explaining that many people bought houses but didn't have the money to maintain them. I know what she's talking about. At my house, which is less than 20 years old, everything seems to be going wrong all at once. I don't know where to start. I did repair the roof myself, and that ought to hold for another year or two, but it will need to be replaced. I want to replace the shingle roof with a metal roof. I need new flooring, and my heating system could use some work. And I want to add a half bath. And re-arrange some plumbing. As I told someone at a hardware store, at least five state laws prevent me from wielding a hammer, for the good of the public.

I can't remember the exact quote, but I think Jim McClelland, executive director of the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District, told me once that after 10 years, you need to put about 30 percent of the original cost back into a new structure to bring it back to the original condition.

I see that not only in houses but in a variety of public buildings, too. But there are better photo ops for cutting the ribbon on a new building than on replacing the carpet and heating system in an older one, right?

So tonight I'll give my house another look-over as I send the kids off to bed and wonder what I should tackle second. I know what the first task should be: getting rid of years of clutter that I have accumulated through my life. That should help my mental health for a few weeks.