What are some things for a new home owner to consider getting early on?
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If you’re techy at all, get an iFixit toolkit for small or proprietary screw heads. What a lifesaver that’s been; even for things like hex heads in furniture.
Always have a stocked liquor cabinet. Doesn’t matter if you drink or not - if you wanna be an accommodating host, make sure you at least have something to offer. You’ll feel like a bad host if you don’t at least offer.
I use my Neat steamer at least once a season for deep cleaning all over the house.
Air filters are great and seriously help keep the air clean and less stale, especially if you have pets. Most guests have no idea I have a cat until I show her off.
A good cooler is always useful. You don’t need to splurge for a yeti, but from having people in the yard, to keeping canned drinks cold for a party, a good cooler that can hold ice and drinks is invaluable for an event you’re hosting.
Always have a stocked liquor cabinet. Doesn’t matter if you drink or not - if you wanna be an accommodating host, make sure you at least have something to offer. You’ll feel like a bad host if you don’t at least offer.
As someone who doesn't drink, I couldn't give two shits if you come to my home and want an alcoholic beverage. If they feel like I'm a bad host because they came to the home of someone that doesn't drink and I don't have alcohol to offer, then suddenly they're the person that I'm the reevaluating if they need to be in my life.
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For example, I think I'll need a ladder. I'm looking for any suggestions from tools to security cameras, or whatever else you can think of. What should every new home owner consider getting?
Edit: in Canada btw, somewhere that gets a lot of snow in the winter
wrote last edited by [email protected]Congratulations!
Yes, you’ll definitely need a good quality ladder and:
– Set of screwdrivers. My Stanleys are over 20 years old
– Separate flathead for kitchen use only (instead of using your forks to open stuff)
– Fire extinguisher (leave one in kitchen)
– All-purpose or silicone caulk and caulk gun. (In case of emergency and if your house is old).
– Scissors
– First Aid Kit (you can make your own, I did)
– Multi-tool or Utility knife (I love my SOG)
– Flashlight (combination of battery-powered, rechargeable, heck even a tealight will do). Ideally, some form of light for each room in the house if you lose power (nothing expensive).
– Shovel and Salt before it snows
(If you have pets, get the [blue] pet-friendly salt). Always buy it before it snows. Keep it in the house the night before it snows so you can dig yourself out.– If your windows are old, read up on removable window film, magnetic window film (3M makes them also)
– 409 (they clean almost everything)
– phone number of a good electrician and plumber (my GC is awesome but she’s stateside only)
– Plunger. Don’t buy the orangey-plastic snake - they don’t work.
– I have DeWalt (and a bunch of batteries) but prefer my Makita. Black & Decker is a toy, don’t do it. Milwaukee sucks. If you’re not using power tools now, don’t buy them or wait until they go on sale.
– Surge protectors (the higher/more joules, the better). You definitely need those.
– WD-40
Canada has some very good quality wind turbines (for home use, not the gigantic ones) that you might want to consider; I hear your solar panels are pretty good, too.
Buy what you can afford; check out thrift shops, yard sales, flea markets for some tools.
Most of all, know your limitations. My house is old and I knew what I could do myself, what I would be willing to do and the rest I need for someone else to do.
Every year you’ll have more questions and we will be here for you… with answers you may or may not like.
Good luck and Enjoy!
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For example, I think I'll need a ladder. I'm looking for any suggestions from tools to security cameras, or whatever else you can think of. What should every new home owner consider getting?
Edit: in Canada btw, somewhere that gets a lot of snow in the winter
Get a notebook, paper version. Store in a handy place. Note everything important about the new home, with dates. Like "Read the electricity meter, xxxKWh, Date" or "Changed batteries on smoke alarms, Date", or "Bought new washing machine type xxx, serial number yyy, Date".
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Get a notebook, paper version. Store in a handy place. Note everything important about the new home, with dates. Like "Read the electricity meter, xxxKWh, Date" or "Changed batteries on smoke alarms, Date", or "Bought new washing machine type xxx, serial number yyy, Date".
I've done this but using my password manager on my phone. Honestly saved us so many times when the old house alarm has gone off which we rarely use but is also linked up with the fire alarm!
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This is good stuff. For the cameras, Euphys generally have micro SD card slots, can store locally, and are Apple Home compatible and can store data in iCloud. (I realize Apple stuff is not every lemming’s cup of tea, but I daresay iCloud is more secure thatn Euphy’s servers.)
Ive had a set of eufy cameras for almost 7 years, I've never uograded the SD card the storage unit thingy came with and its been flawless!
I have no idea how decent any of their new stuff is but I'm very happy with the performance I've had so far! Especially given they are the wire-free cameras which you have to recharge every 4 months or so.
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For example, I think I'll need a ladder. I'm looking for any suggestions from tools to security cameras, or whatever else you can think of. What should every new home owner consider getting?
Edit: in Canada btw, somewhere that gets a lot of snow in the winter
Those poles that screw into each other to extend and have attachments to help unclog pipes? Yeah those are handy, next door have them which saved me a lot of money the other day when I lifted the drain cover and a couple hundred litres of sewage was backed up.
The poles are about a tenth of the minimum cost of calling someone out to fix it.
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somewhere that gets a lot of snow in the winter
Tools and knowhow to repair your heating.
And hot water bottles for when you can't, plus its nice to have anyway. Method to boil water using a different fuel source is probably a good idea too.
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Well. I only have 1 camera so far, so I’m not exactly heavily invested. Is there a brand you like?
wrote last edited by [email protected]I am fairly militant about privacy and data security so I go POE and self hosted. My cameras are all wired and sync to a server in my basement. I trust no corporations.
That said the cameras I have are reolink. They do have options for WiFi cameras that use apps and such but I don’t use this. You can also use the app with the POE camera but I don’t do this.
I have the cameras on an isolated lan with no internet access. All of my smart home stuff is like this. If it doesn’t work on an isolated vlan then it is useless to me and I won’t buy it. I then forward the rtsp stream from the cameras to homeassistant which has tailscale so I can view the cameras remotely.
At one point I used homebridge in homeassistant so I could view everything in homekit but I finally convinced my partner to just use the homeassistant app and leave apple nonsense behind. That said if you’re less paranoid than me this works too and gives you remote access without the bother of tailscale (but the downside of funneling it all through apple).
Of course, if you research and trust reolinks app then using that is the easiest thing. I haven’t done that tho. I believe amcrest cameras are also good but these are also primarily POE
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For example, I think I'll need a ladder. I'm looking for any suggestions from tools to security cameras, or whatever else you can think of. What should every new home owner consider getting?
Edit: in Canada btw, somewhere that gets a lot of snow in the winter
The biggest thing I feel that I should have bought sooner is the full set of materials needed to do caulking correctly: caulk gun, 100% silicone caulk (infinitely better for stopping leaks, don't try the other stuff on your roof it's useless), wire brush, microfiber cloth, alcohol (cleaning the surface turns out to be not optional and it also can't be wet, alcohol cleans well and dries fast), applicator.
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Congratulations!
Yes, you’ll definitely need a good quality ladder and:
– Set of screwdrivers. My Stanleys are over 20 years old
– Separate flathead for kitchen use only (instead of using your forks to open stuff)
– Fire extinguisher (leave one in kitchen)
– All-purpose or silicone caulk and caulk gun. (In case of emergency and if your house is old).
– Scissors
– First Aid Kit (you can make your own, I did)
– Multi-tool or Utility knife (I love my SOG)
– Flashlight (combination of battery-powered, rechargeable, heck even a tealight will do). Ideally, some form of light for each room in the house if you lose power (nothing expensive).
– Shovel and Salt before it snows
(If you have pets, get the [blue] pet-friendly salt). Always buy it before it snows. Keep it in the house the night before it snows so you can dig yourself out.– If your windows are old, read up on removable window film, magnetic window film (3M makes them also)
– 409 (they clean almost everything)
– phone number of a good electrician and plumber (my GC is awesome but she’s stateside only)
– Plunger. Don’t buy the orangey-plastic snake - they don’t work.
– I have DeWalt (and a bunch of batteries) but prefer my Makita. Black & Decker is a toy, don’t do it. Milwaukee sucks. If you’re not using power tools now, don’t buy them or wait until they go on sale.
– Surge protectors (the higher/more joules, the better). You definitely need those.
– WD-40
Canada has some very good quality wind turbines (for home use, not the gigantic ones) that you might want to consider; I hear your solar panels are pretty good, too.
Buy what you can afford; check out thrift shops, yard sales, flea markets for some tools.
Most of all, know your limitations. My house is old and I knew what I could do myself, what I would be willing to do and the rest I need for someone else to do.
Every year you’ll have more questions and we will be here for you… with answers you may or may not like.
Good luck and Enjoy!
A note about surge protectors: Make sure they are actually surge protectors and not just "power strips" that Amazon has mixed into the search results. Power strips are easy to find in many varieties, made by any number of fly-by-night companies; they'll do nothing to help protect your stuff from power surges. Legitimate surge protectors from reputable companies are much less common. Also, they don't last forever. An older surge protector may still work as a power strip, but over time they may become much less effective as surge protectors.
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For example, I think I'll need a ladder. I'm looking for any suggestions from tools to security cameras, or whatever else you can think of. What should every new home owner consider getting?
Edit: in Canada btw, somewhere that gets a lot of snow in the winter
Beer fridge. Or you'll get no help with any of this.
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For example, I think I'll need a ladder. I'm looking for any suggestions from tools to security cameras, or whatever else you can think of. What should every new home owner consider getting?
Edit: in Canada btw, somewhere that gets a lot of snow in the winter
If you got a home inspection start there . it tells you all the potential problems. If something is a potential problem solve it as soon as you notice it so it doesn't become a big problem. I buy things I need as I go. Screwdriver and drill get the most use by far
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Start collecting tools from yard sales.
Great option
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For example, I think I'll need a ladder. I'm looking for any suggestions from tools to security cameras, or whatever else you can think of. What should every new home owner consider getting?
Edit: in Canada btw, somewhere that gets a lot of snow in the winter
A good notebook. Yup good old paper and pencil. I mean I suppose it could be digital but sometimes I think it's just easier going old school.
Anyway, the purpose is to write notes about your home ownership. In the front I put numbers of the tradesmen I use. Leave lots of room so you can note if they are good or if they suck so you don't accidentally use a bad service again if you forget.
In this book you put when you got new carpet, new countertops, AC fixed, literally every notable thing. Color swatches so you can get the correct touch-up paint. And especially before and after pics.
Most homeowners move within about 5-8 years (may be different now). The purpose of this book is to be set on the kitchen counter when you are selling your home. This is one of the reasons I like paper, you may not want to leave an electronic device in the house. Also, if there's just a pen sitting there you're more likely to make notes right away rather than going to your computer to crop a photo or whatever.
Anyway, this book will show potential buyers that you really had a pride of ownership and of course it will help them and you know exactly when things were done. How old is the roof? How long did that POS water heater last? What model was it? You might want to avoid it in the future. Whatever. I usually only enter significant stuff but I also enter anything I think will be helpful. For instance I bought way too much Halloween candy (I love Halloween) so I record how much I gave out each year, so I know how many bags to buy next year. This is important because I will eat what they don't and nobody wants to see that.
I think you get the idea.
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For example, I think I'll need a ladder. I'm looking for any suggestions from tools to security cameras, or whatever else you can think of. What should every new home owner consider getting?
Edit: in Canada btw, somewhere that gets a lot of snow in the winter
Start by planning for an emergency. Smoke detectors & a fire extinguisher. Tools to turn off the water main (find that valve before you need it). Get your neighbors' phone numbers. Get the after-hour/emergency contact numbers for all your utility providers - make sure you can contact the power company when there's no power.
After that, it's largely up to you. If you're handy, you probably already have most of the tools you need. If you're not, start asking around for good repairmen. Look around for any signs of neglect that the home inspector might have missed. My gutters were clogged full of leaves for example, wasn't obvious until it rained hard.
If you have a yard, decide now if you're going to maintain it yourself or if you're going to hire a service. If you decide to do it yourself, it's fall right now, those tools are about to be on clearance.
Make a journal for your house where you record everything you've done. I like to write down the date I replace anything, and also note the make & model numbers. So, for example I know that my last hot water heater lasted 10 years, because I have that in my notes. If you are handy, having the model numbers is super-useful. For example, I've learned to keep a replacement ignitor for my furnace - it's a 15 minute job once you know to do it.
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For example, I think I'll need a ladder. I'm looking for any suggestions from tools to security cameras, or whatever else you can think of. What should every new home owner consider getting?
Edit: in Canada btw, somewhere that gets a lot of snow in the winter
wrote last edited by [email protected]A quality hand truck and a couple furniture dollies come in handy much more often than you might think.
If you're the DIY type, make sure you buy a non-contact voltage tester pen ('beepstick'). It beeps when it is in proximity to electricity.
Edit: see the mic_check_one_two comment below. Apparently I'm lucky to not be a crispy critter.
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For example, I think I'll need a ladder. I'm looking for any suggestions from tools to security cameras, or whatever else you can think of. What should every new home owner consider getting?
Edit: in Canada btw, somewhere that gets a lot of snow in the winter
Drain snake, plunger, bidet, Hammock and most importantly a cool fridge magnet.
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Drain snake, plunger, bidet, Hammock and most importantly a cool fridge magnet.
Notably don’t put the sticker inside the fridge, it does make it cool but it’s apparently not what your supposed to do.
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For example, I think I'll need a ladder. I'm looking for any suggestions from tools to security cameras, or whatever else you can think of. What should every new home owner consider getting?
Edit: in Canada btw, somewhere that gets a lot of snow in the winter
Graphite lock lube. Just hit every doorknob in the house. Trust me, once you get used to properly lubricated doorknobs lock dials you'll notice when they aren't.
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I thought about all the things I've bought for this house and wondered what would I miss the most if I couldn't replace it.
The bidet.
First thing I installed when I moved into my current rental!
