I Hate New Hampshire - Part 5 of 7

As indicated by the title, this is part five of a seven part "I Hate New Hampshire" series. This is not the casual observations of a visitor. Rather, my impressions were gathered during a painful year of actual residency. Beware all who follow.

HOUSING

Heating oil – Perhaps I’ve lived a sheltered life, but I never realized that for heating purposes this portion of the country keeps crude oil in a big ass tank in the basement, or often simply in the yard. Just in case you think that’s odd or unattractive, it’s overshadowed a bit by the huge friggin propane tank on the side of the house. Fortunately, you’re distracted from that by the huge hole you dug in the front yard for the septic tank. And fortunately, that’s obscured by the pile of crap you left in the front yard with a free sign on it.

This is a heating oil drum in some random NH basement. It is accompanied nicely by a random assortment of unused sports equipment and at least four well used AC window units.

Tyvek – If you are in to the carpentry thing, you might be familiar with this brand name. In New Hampshire, it’s hard to not want to buy stock. Tyvek is some type of insulation/structure wrap stuff that roughly goes over the raw timber. Somewhere after this, the siding creates a finished product – but that would be in states other than New Hampshire. In New Hampshire, Tyvek is the finished product. You commonly find Tyvek proudly advertised on the surface of random garages, out buildings, and houses for months and likely years. Visualize it in terms of NASCAR sponsorship on a house. People seem to give up, run out of energy, or become content with the Tyvek exterior and just let it ride. Luckily, New Hampshire is light in house farms and neighborhood covenants, and therefore nobody gets to sue you for poor taste. Civic pride seems as limited as the necessary skill set to put on siding.