c/albuquerque-homeowners

My water heater went out on the coldest day last week

It was Tuesday morning, about 7 AM, and I went to take a shower and only got ice cold water. The thing is 12 years old, so I guess it was time. Called a local plumber, and the replacement with labor was just over $1,200. That bill hurt, but at least we have hot water again. Has anyone else had to replace a major appliance unexpectedly this winter?

Unpopular opinion: Everyone keeps overwatering their xeriscape plants along Central

I see so many new rock yards with dead penstemon or agave because folks run drip lines like it's Kentucky. The UNM extension office says most natives need zero summer water after year two. Are we just killing plants with kindness, or is a little extra actually needed in our heat?

A warning about choosing between a gravel yard and xeriscaping in our climate

I had to pick between a full gravel yard and a xeriscape mix for my front yard near the airport last spring. The gravel was cheaper, about $2,000 for the whole job, and promised zero upkeep. I went with it to save water and time. Big mistake. By August, the heat was so intense it created a real heat island, making my AC run almost non-stop. The gravel also started to wash into the street during our heavy July rains, and now I have a muddy, uneven mess. I wish I had spent the extra $1,500 for a proper xeriscape with some hardy plants to cool the ground. Has anyone else here switched from gravel to something else and seen their power bill go down?

The difference in water pressure on my street after the city's main line work last fall

I live near Montgomery and Eubank, and for years my morning shower was just a sad trickle. After the city replaced that big section of old pipe along Montgomery in October, the pressure jumped from maybe 20 psi to a solid 50. It's like having a brand new house without the plumbing bill. Has anyone else in the Northeast Heights seen a big change like that from the recent work?

My neighbor called my gravel yard a dust bowl and I had to admit he was right

I have a big side yard on my place in the Northeast Heights that I just covered with basic gravel years ago. I thought it was fine, low maintenance. Then my neighbor, who's lived here for 30 years, came over and said, 'Barbara, that's not landscaping, it's a dust bowl. Every windstorm sends that grit right into your house and mine.' I got mad at first, but after a really bad spring wind, I saw the fine layer of dirt on every window sill inside. He was totally right. I spent about $500 on a load of crusher fines, the really compact stuff, and worked it into the top layer. The difference is huge. No more dust clouds, and it actually looks nicer. Has anyone else found a good fix for a dusty yard that doesn't cost a fortune?

I finally caved and paid for a full roof inspection after the last hail storm

It cost me $450 for a company called High Desert Roofing to come out and give me a full report. They found some cracked tiles and a small leak near the vent pipe that I never would have seen. My insurance is covering most of the repair, but I'm still out that inspection fee. Has anyone else had a good experience with a different inspector in the Northeast Heights that might be a bit cheaper?

My neighbor in the North Valley said my gravel yard was a 'heat trap' and hurting my home's value.

I always thought the low water use was worth it, but she pointed out how much hotter my house felt compared to hers with a few native plants. I checked my summer electric bill and it was over $300, mostly from AC. So last month, I put in three desert willow trees and some gravel mulch on the south side. Has anyone else made a change like this and seen a real difference in their cooling costs?

I finally tried that trick with vinegar and baking soda on my patio pavers

It got rid of the moss but left a weird white film that took three scrubs with a pressure washer to fix. Anyone know a better way to clean concrete around here without the residue?

Shoutout to my neighbor who told me to water my new trees in the evening

My neighbor Mike said to water my new desert willow and chitalpa trees after 6 PM to stop the water from just baking off. I was doing it in the morning for a month and they looked sad. I switched to evening watering about three weeks ago and now they have new growth and look way happier. Has anyone else found a better time to water their plants here?

I thought the city's free tree program was a gimmick, but they planted a 6-foot desert willow in my yard last month.

The whole process took under an hour and the arborist gave me a sheet with specific watering instructions for our soil. Anyone else in the NE Heights had a good experience with this?

My water bill hit exactly 666 gallons last month and I felt weird about it

I was looking at my ABC Water bill online, the one that came in the mail last week, and I just stared at the number. 666 gallons used, right there in black and white. It's not even that high for our house, we have a little patch of grass out back we try to keep alive. But the number itself made me laugh. My husband walked by and I said, 'Hey, look, the devil's watering the lawn.' We spent a good ten minutes trying to figure out what we did that day to make it land on that. Did I run the dishwasher on a holy day? Was it the extra long shower after my hike in the Sandias? It's just one of those silly things that sticks with you. Has anyone else in town gotten a weirdly specific or funny number on a utility bill that made you pause?

Heads up about the sudden hail last Tuesday near the foothills, my truck windshield got totaled

My neighbor said to skip the gravel layer for my new xeriscape garden

He told me last spring that the extra drainage wasn't needed here in the valley and would just wash away, so I just used a thick layer of mulch over the dirt. After our big monsoon rain, the whole bed washed out into my driveway and I had to redo it with the gravel base. What's the one piece of yard advice you got that totally backfired?

Serious question, is everyone just cool with the new water bill fee for 'infrastructure' that popped up last month?

I got my bill from the Albuquerque Water Authority and there's a new $14.50 monthly charge they claim is for pipe replacement, but I think it's just a sneaky way to raise rates without calling it a rate hike.

Question about the old Smith's on Central near UNM

I stopped by that plaza yesterday for the first time in maybe a decade and it hit me how much quieter it feels now that the grocery anchor is gone, leaving just a couple shops in a space that used to be packed with families doing their weekly shopping.

I just paid my 120th mortgage payment on my house near UNM

It hit me that I've been paying for this place for a full decade now. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm proud or just tired of writing that check. How many payments in are you guys, and does it ever start to feel different?

I finally got my yard to stop looking like a sand pit

Honestly, I used to just water the whole thing for 20 minutes every other day and it was always patchy. After talking to a guy at Osuna Nursery, I switched to deep watering just twice a week for an hour each zone. Has anyone else found a watering schedule that actually works here?

Talked to my neighbor about his xeriscape and it clicked

He's been doing it for years and just said 'you're not fighting the dirt, you're working with it.' I mean, I've been dumping water on my patchy lawn off Montgomery for months. Anyone have a good local spot for native plants?

PSA: My water bill hit exactly $200 this month and it made me check everything

I realized that number is double what it was last summer, so I went looking for leaks. Found a constantly running toilet in the guest bathroom that I never use. How often do you guys check your fixtures?

My neighbor and I tried two different ways to handle our yards after the last big monsoon rain.

He went with a quick fix, just raking the sand and gravel that washed into his yard back onto the street. I decided to spend a weekend and about $300 on materials to build a small rock-lined drainage channel along the side of my house. The difference was huge. His yard flooded again after the next light rain because the water had nowhere to go but back onto his property. My little channel directed all the runoff right to the street drain. It saved my foundation from getting soaked and my lawn from turning into a mud pit. I know it was more work up front, but seeing his frustration last week made me glad I did it. Has anyone else found a good way to deal with monsoon runoff on their property?

My neighbor said my gravel yard was pushing water toward his foundation

He came over last month and pointed out how my recent grading work with the new gravel was actually sloping toward his house on the west side. I had just wanted a low-maintenance look near my driveway. I ended up renting a small skid steer for a weekend and re-sloping everything to drain into the street instead. Has anyone else had to fix a drainage issue they accidentally caused?

Why does nobody talk about how having a pool in Albuquerque is overrated for families with young kids?

I think the constant worry and upkeep make it more trouble than it's worth, especially with young children.

Soundproofing my windows for peace of mind has me torn on cost.

On one hand, better sleep from less street noise seems priceless. On the other, the installation quotes are making me rethink if it's essential for Albuquerque living.

Garage offices are popping up on every ABQ street I drive down.

Tbh, it's clear remote jobs are changing how we live at home.

Dust storms made me rethink skipping window seals

I always skipped checking my window seals because I thought our dry climate meant it was not needed. Last spring, we had those crazy dust storms that blow in from the west. I started finding fine sand on every surface inside my house. It got so bad that my allergies acted up, and cleaning became a daily chore. After talking to a neighbor, I found out that tight seals can keep most of that out. I spent a weekend caulking and weather-stripping all my windows. The difference was huge; no more dust piles on the sill. Now I make it a point to check seals every fall, and I tell everyone to do the same.