There’s a giant hole in our bathroom ceiling.

Not by choice, but by necessity.

A few weeks ago, we noticed a light brown spot on the ceiling, and we knew it was a leak. We thought the water was due to the recent heavy rains. A contractor came out, cut a hole in the ceiling and found the culprit.

There was a 29-cent cap that failed on a cold-water line that went nowhere – unbelievably odd – and the ceiling and some walls needed to be replaced.

While the contractor was looking around outside for additional leaks, he noticed a few places where the roof had failed, so he suggested we replace the roof.

The 30-year roof lasted about 14 years, which I’m told, is about par for roofs these days.

Accepting the short shelf life seems to be the phrase of the day.

We heard the same story about the expected timeline for appliances a few years ago when I had to replace a freezer we kept in the garage. Our 20-year-old Kenmore freezer had survived two moves, countless power outages and grazing teenagers before it finally gave up.

I went to an appliance store and asked for another freezer that would last that long. I kid you not, this was the salesperson’s reply: “Ma’am, we don’t make them to last that long anymore.”

Our dryer has been chugging away for over 25 years. It’s noisy and simple but whenever I look at new dryers, I choke at the price tag.

Then I realize a new, expensive model will only last a couple of years. I might as well hang on to the old one because I know it’ll hold up.

It seems electronics are built to be useful until the newest cell phone, tablet or laptop hits the market. Even though you’re happy with your old model, manufacturers make it difficult to keep them.

You can’t get replacement parts any more or they change the port size so your tried-and-true flash drives and devices no longer work.

We have a box of cords that no longer fit any electronic devices, but I have a hard time throwing them away. Every upgrade requires a different cord. It’s impossible to keep up.

There are warranties you can buy when you purchase an item. I still laugh about the $4 three-hole puncher I bought that offered a protection plan for only $6.

Then we must keep up with the warranty. My desk looks like a tornado touched down, so I’d never find that warranty if I put it in one of the desk’s nooks and crannies. Even though I have a filing cabinet, I don’t think I could fit another piece of paper in there.

Besides, few companies issue paper warranties these days. Everything’s electronic, and my email box is fuller than a tick on a summer day.

Until the studs and dry wall are completely dry, we’ve got a gaping hole in the ceiling, a dehumidifier fan blowing 24/7 and a fine coating of dry wall dust covering the counters, floor, light fixtures and ceiling fan blades.

We signed up for a new roof, but when the contractor told me this one was sure to last at least 20 years, all I could do was laugh.

I’ve learned warranties these days are about as valuable as believing Santa or the Easter Bunny is going to deliver a dryer or new freezer that’ll last another 25 years.

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.