It's called a table, not a grid. And as information and the internet enlarge (hence the continuous drive for better search), semantics are a very important aspect of the equation. As such, so is using proper markup to define the content of the page.

Your post does not constitute more "maintainable" code at all, and contradicts the years of community contributions to CSSZenGarden. I'd recommend you establish a personal CSS "framework" for tackling common layouts/frustrations.