What are some things for a new home owner to consider getting early on?
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Get cheap tools. Buy everything at harbor freight. Don't splurge on anything that's not a safety hazard (get a quality ladder, but buy cheap screwdrivers)
If the tool breaks, buy a quality one to replace it.
Project Farm is your friend to find the cheap option, and the quality option.
Edit: Substitute Princess Auto for Harbor Freight, as you're in Canada.
Start collecting tools from yard sales.
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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 couple people have suggested power tools ... I'll add that whatever battery platform you wind up going with (I went with Ryobi ... good enough for my purposes), also pick up an adapter that'll use the battery and give you AC power as well. Having an adapter that'll power anything up to 150W has been a godsend.
I've also got a bunch of flashlights/lanterns that use the same batteries ... super convenient if we lose power and it's great when we go camping too.
I've got a "battery charging station" that's just a plastic shelf, when you come in from the garage and it's got the Ryobi batteries charging, but also our USB charging packs, rechargable AA/AAA/etc... batteries, and it's also where we keep a lot of the tools so it makes it easy to find things in an emergency.
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If your house has a sump pump but no battery backup (and I'd actually recommend the ones that are FULL replacements ... so, you'll basically have two pumps in the sump, one of which is connected to the battery system), I'd definitely recommend you getting one before you need it.-=-=-=-
For myself, my AC unit has two capacitors. One burned up the first weekend we were in the house and one burned out a couple of years later.The first one, I didn't know anything at the time and it cost a bit more than $600 (we thought we were getting screwed [and we were], but, it was 110deg F with fans running, so, we weren't in a position to argue and the tech knew it). It's a $20 part if you just buy it online and many times it will physically deform when it breaks, so even with no knowledge you might even have a physical indication that it's broken. Go to your AC unit, give it a thorough cleaning (youtube the process) and then look up what capacitors your unit uses and buy a spare set and watch a quick video on how to replace them ... super easy. It's likely you'll pay < $40 for however many you need and you won't have to deal with a massive bill for a $20 part that you've just got to match up the ports and then move the blade terminals from one to the other AND you won't have to deal with a hot house while you wait for a replacement since you'll already have one and you'll just have to buy a replacement for your spare, but, even if that takes a month to ship, it won't be a worry.
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A GOOD tape measurer. I've got a great Milwaukee one that has a magnet on the tip and it also holds without bending for a decent distance and it's been glorious ... always sucks when you're trying to measure something and the tape is just flopping around not able to hold its shape.-=-=-=-
There are a lot of studfinders out there, but I've found the ones that work the best basically just have a magnet that finds the nails/screws that are holding the drywall on. Once you've found a nail, you've found the stud. -
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
You might need multiple ladders. An extension ladder if you think you'll every need to get up on the roof, clean out the gutters, etc. Definitely a full size step ladder. A really light short step ladder can be handy too.
I'd also suggest a painters tool. A couple of putty knives and a can of patching plaster.
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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
On the power tools front if you want to save money don't buy into the battery pack craze. The replacements are really expensive and for 99% of tasks corded works just fine.
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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.
I literally just finished installing them in both of our bathrooms. So glad for them.
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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
Plunger.
Impact driver and bits.
Multimeter.
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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]You’re up north? I’d be thinking of ways to keep the house insulated, warm and with pipes unfrozen.
Pipewrap. They come in a few different options. The cheap foam works ok, but can be a pain around elbows and expansions. The insulation roll is a bit easier to get done well but takes more time.
Pipe heaters - relatively cheap, somewhere around $20-40. Run it along the pipe and plug it in.
Do you have a well or city water? If a well, make sure that cement encasement is lodged in the ground good and then stuff insulation all in it. Pipe warmer may serve you well here too. If city, then you’re in a bit of an easier situation.
If you have a crawl space, seal the door well. Don’t forget to open the vents in the summer and for sure close them in the winter. If you have a basement, make sure your water barrier is doing its job and get a dehumidifier to prevent mold. Try to get one with a drain tube so you don’t have to empty it all the freaking time like I currently do.
Get one of those foam dohickeys for your outdoor faucets and for the love of all that is unfrozen do not leave your hoses attached in the winter.
Get a preventive maintenance plan on your big ticket items like furnaces boilers and aircons. People neglect these and then end up with an eventual $8k unexpected bill. At least the pms will tell you if you’re close to their expiry so you can prepare. They may also help you prevent mold in your aircon before it becomes a problem.
Get pest control, we do monthly. It’ll help keep out the ants, mice, bats and squirrels.
Get yourself a backup battery that can run a fridge for a day. Or invest in a backup generator.
Figure out what your secondary source of heat will be (e.g wood stove, propane, kerosene.) Make sure you have it stocked. If you burn anything, make sure to get a CO sensor and that your fire alarms are working. Houses are so tightly built nowadays that you’ll need to ensure anything burned has proper ventilation.
Change your air filters every 3 months depending on use. Make sure to clean your fridge air filter every 6 months. If you have a kitchen stove exhaust fan, make sure to clean that up every few months as well.
Invest in some salt and a snow shovel if you don’t already have one. You’ll need it. .
Change out your locks. Who knows who the previous owners gave a key. If your doors have the smart key system, then it’s very easy to do nowadays.
Learn where your electric panel is, make sure you don’t have two or even three elsewhere around the house, sometimes inside, sometimes out.
Don’t be a stranger, talk to your neighbors. They’re your best resource in a pinch
Congrats on owning your own castle. It’s a lot of upkeep but it’s a lot of piece of mind too.
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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]Fire extinguisher. One for the kitchen, one for the garage, both rated for oil & grease fires, and with metal not plastic valves (don't buy the cheapest model). Do not store them next to the things mostly likely to catch fire (e.g. the stove). Read the directions, know how to use it before you need it.
Check all the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Push the test button. If they're more than 10 years old replace them.
Get a big, high brightness flashlight and/or lantern that will be useful if/when the power goes out, preferably one that takes standard batteries. Rechargeables are great for regular use items to reduce waste, but you don't want to realize that you forgot to charge your emergency light when you suddenly need it and there's no power. Get spare batteries.
You should also learn what easements are on your property, and where your utilities connect to public services - electrical, communications, water, sewage, roads/access paths - where does your responsibility end and the utility company/government's responsibility begin?
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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]240V electric heater wired with a plug that fits the dryer socket. If the furnace craters, you can probably keep the house from freezing up, especially in the water line areas around and above the laundry.
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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
There are some great lists here. I am just going to add- put a whole home water filter on the cold water line of the kitchen sink. It has changed my life. I only need to replace the filter at most once a year, it is on the cold water line that is almost as good a fridge water dispenser would be, but with more pressure. And now when I make pasta, fill up the coffee pot, make tea, or whatever other random kitchen thing that needed water, it is filtered water. Not to mention the clean taste.
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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
Don’t bother buying stuff you “think” you’ll need except for a drill. Buy stuff beyond that as needed.
Depending on where you live get to know the deal spots around you: pawn shops, Craigslist, fb marketplace, ebay, etc. tools are frequently resold for fairly cheap especially if you ever desire stuff that’s a pain in the ass to ship/move like ladders/table saws/miter box/etc.
Brand doesn’t matter regardless of what internet dorks say for the most part but picking an ecosystem means you won’t have 90 different batteries hanging around. Keep in mind with some manufacturers there a sub lines with different batteries (eg ryobi has a battery whereas Makita has 3 different battery types).
Don’t buy Milwaukee. Dogshit tools that work okay until they don’t. Makita, ryobi, dewalt, Bosch, metabo, etc are generally repairable. Makita is my go to because you can generally buy parts (though sometimes cost prohibitive tbf), dewalt too but dewalt is pricier. Milwaukee though tends to have these proprietary pcbs with microcontrollers in everything for some reason that inevitably fail and cannot be purchased so once they fail the $350 tool you just got is junk. Whereas https://www.ereplacementparts.com/makita-parts-c-97.html? And https://www.toolservicenet.com/b2b/dewalt/en//Dewalt/OUTDOOR//p/DCCS623B sells actual oem parts
Harbor freight stuff is fine too especially if you’re not going to use it much (or even if you are, my palm sander is from there and I’ve used that for hundreds of hours. Had to change the brushes but otherwise fine).
Hope you know how to patch drywall.
If you want something like cameras that’s like a whole thing. IMO that’s where you should head over to selfhosted. Easy mode is get some WiFi cameras from whoever like eufy and slap them on your house but then you trade away privacy (uploads to their cloud servers and literally every company has had at least one “security whoopsie”) and connection stability (WiFi connection will inherently drop out several times a week/day/hour depending on your setup/congestion in your area. You go to check the camera and it’s always unavailable when you need it). You also have to either add solar panels to them or recharge them every few months. But this is generally what people do because it’s cheaper and easier
Alternatively you can get power over Ethernet cameras that have much more reliable connectivity and are more likely to run locally (eg record to hardware in your home, either an NVR or a server you make). Downsides here are more expensive (not subsidized by being able to sell your data + the cost of the nvr/server), needing to run Ethernet drops to wherever you want cameras, having to figure out something like tailscale if you want to view cameras remotely and truly don’t want any cloud involved
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There are some great lists here. I am just going to add- put a whole home water filter on the cold water line of the kitchen sink. It has changed my life. I only need to replace the filter at most once a year, it is on the cold water line that is almost as good a fridge water dispenser would be, but with more pressure. And now when I make pasta, fill up the coffee pot, make tea, or whatever other random kitchen thing that needed water, it is filtered water. Not to mention the clean taste.
If it’s needed. Not all homes need 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
Ladders always go up in price when you NEED one, so I definitely recommend getting one before the time comes. Also, get one bigger than you think you need for your roof/ tree access.
Another would be a basic tool kit that has socket wrenches and adjustable wrenches.
A set of allen keys /hex wrenches I dont know which they call them in Canada
And of course screw driver bit set there are so many different types of screw heads these days.
And this one is a personal peeve of mine. Get a cheap dryer line clear out brush kit. The air duct gets clogged with lint, eventually becoming a fire hazard that is often overlooked.
GOOD LUCK WITH HOME OWNERSHIP!
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Change out your locks. Who knows who the previous owners gave a key.
Do people actually forgo this step? I can't imagine. This is like the first thing my parents taught me.
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Don’t bother buying stuff you “think” you’ll need except for a drill. Buy stuff beyond that as needed.
Depending on where you live get to know the deal spots around you: pawn shops, Craigslist, fb marketplace, ebay, etc. tools are frequently resold for fairly cheap especially if you ever desire stuff that’s a pain in the ass to ship/move like ladders/table saws/miter box/etc.
Brand doesn’t matter regardless of what internet dorks say for the most part but picking an ecosystem means you won’t have 90 different batteries hanging around. Keep in mind with some manufacturers there a sub lines with different batteries (eg ryobi has a battery whereas Makita has 3 different battery types).
Don’t buy Milwaukee. Dogshit tools that work okay until they don’t. Makita, ryobi, dewalt, Bosch, metabo, etc are generally repairable. Makita is my go to because you can generally buy parts (though sometimes cost prohibitive tbf), dewalt too but dewalt is pricier. Milwaukee though tends to have these proprietary pcbs with microcontrollers in everything for some reason that inevitably fail and cannot be purchased so once they fail the $350 tool you just got is junk. Whereas https://www.ereplacementparts.com/makita-parts-c-97.html? And https://www.toolservicenet.com/b2b/dewalt/en//Dewalt/OUTDOOR//p/DCCS623B sells actual oem parts
Harbor freight stuff is fine too especially if you’re not going to use it much (or even if you are, my palm sander is from there and I’ve used that for hundreds of hours. Had to change the brushes but otherwise fine).
Hope you know how to patch drywall.
If you want something like cameras that’s like a whole thing. IMO that’s where you should head over to selfhosted. Easy mode is get some WiFi cameras from whoever like eufy and slap them on your house but then you trade away privacy (uploads to their cloud servers and literally every company has had at least one “security whoopsie”) and connection stability (WiFi connection will inherently drop out several times a week/day/hour depending on your setup/congestion in your area. You go to check the camera and it’s always unavailable when you need it). You also have to either add solar panels to them or recharge them every few months. But this is generally what people do because it’s cheaper and easier
Alternatively you can get power over Ethernet cameras that have much more reliable connectivity and are more likely to run locally (eg record to hardware in your home, either an NVR or a server you make). Downsides here are more expensive (not subsidized by being able to sell your data + the cost of the nvr/server), needing to run Ethernet drops to wherever you want cameras, having to figure out something like tailscale if you want to view cameras remotely and truly don’t want any cloud involved
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.)
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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
I haven’t seen much mentioned yet about emergency preparedness. If you’ve bought in an area you’re familiar with/already living you likely have some idea of what kind of emergencies are more likely. It’s still probably a good idea to check the website for whatever government agency handles emergency response for suggestions on what to be prepared for and what items to have. How likely is it you’ll lose electricity for a few days? Have some food and drinking water, enough for at least a couple days for everyone in your household, including any animals. Keep them in a separate area from your regular food supplies but that’s easy to access. Ideally get food and water you would use anyways and try to use them before they spoil so you’re not wasting your money or food. Be sure to check your supplies at least once a year to replace any food or medicine that’s expired, and make sure your batteries haven’t leaked all over everything.
Some of these things you should keep accessible where you can bring them with you if you have to evacuate, along with copies of important documents.
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Get cheap tools. Buy everything at harbor freight. Don't splurge on anything that's not a safety hazard (get a quality ladder, but buy cheap screwdrivers)
If the tool breaks, buy a quality one to replace it.
Project Farm is your friend to find the cheap option, and the quality option.
Edit: Substitute Princess Auto for Harbor Freight, as you're in Canada.
My 2 cents, get a good drill and good screwdriver set, cheap out on everything else until you replace it.
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Makita gang rise up
My Makita drill is honestly baller. Lightweight and easy to handle, but still powerful enough for almost anything. And it has a light! That said, I still have a big honking Dewalt 18v(?) with the heavy ass batteries that is still going strong after 20 years (even the heavy ass batteries!), that I break out for the really heavy duty stuff. (Or when I can’t find my little Makita. Which is now).
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- a touchless live-wire tester
This right here. Everybody should have one of these - not just homeowners, everybody. They're cheap and easy to use.
Circuit breakers can fail shorted. Miswiring happens. Just because the switch is off doesn't mean the wire is dead.
You may avoid electrocuting yourself or someone else, or starting a fire. It could literally save your life.
Can you recommend one? I have a non-touchless volt meter that I can’t figure out for the life of me.
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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.)
So I personally will forever be on the side of “fuck eufy and I hope they fail miserably” for several reasons:
they initial sold their cameras with the guarantee of no cloud integration. When users found that even if you had it set to be local only it still uploaded thumbnails of every persons face with a “name” attached to an aws server and that portions of camera streams could be viewed remotely without encryption, suggesting that all of this data was being transmitted without encryption. When called out on this eufy doubled down and said it was incorrect. When proven wrong they offered 0 recourse for pissed off customers who purchased it specifically because of their promises that it was “no cloud integration”, their only response was to silently remove references to “no cloud integration” and “military grade encryption” from their website and marketing materials.
This led to a 450,000 dollar settlement earlier this year based on an investigation from the NYAG that found “eufy’s Internet-connected security cameras, video doorbells and smart locks did not fully encrypt video data in transit, despite company assurances that consumer footage would remain private and secure.”
Scumbag company. Fuck eufy.
