What are some things for a new home owner to consider getting early on?
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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.
I mentioned this elsewhere in the thread but I use a dedicated email for the house for this. It is worth doing - use the format that works but do it. I do like emailing this stuff to myself so that I can can access the paint color while I am at the hardware store when I inevitably forget to check that before I leave the house lol. And I just use it to communicate with contractors so I get all the notes and invoices saved at the same time. Anyway, not trying to debate the method as that matters WAY less than the idea of keeping track of this stuff.
OH, and one more thing I track - take photos anytime you have a wall open or a trench dug or whatever. Later if you need to come back to it you will know exactly what is behind the wall and where which will make it much easier to do whatever new things you are doing. This feels silly sometimes, surely I'll remember where I ran that wire, but the next time you need to get behind the wall could be 10 or 20 years from now.
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I love not buying things that I don't need I think it's great
wrote last edited by [email protected]I hope you have fire extinguishers and a plunger. I get your point and generally agree but with homeownership some amount of over preparedness grants peace of mind.
Edit: Waiting until you need something also eliminates the option of research and buying used. A lot of really good tools can be found for very cheap but if you wait till you need it your only option will be whatever the big box store has in stock today. I recently got stuck with a cheap chainsaw and while it has done everything I needed it to I could have bought a much better one for probably less money AND not given money to the hardware store if I'd have done it in advance.
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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.
This is all so thoughtful, thank you for sharing!
I was thrilled when I bought my first home just a few years back and they had a single page hand written note explaining a couple of minor issues, some unusual plumbing, and an apology for a small hole in the wall done by accident during move out day. It was a relief just for some insight, since I didn't really know what to do with a house and was a bit scatterbrained already.
This would be above and beyond expectations in the best way possible. Thanks for the reminder for me to get this started.
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I hope you have fire extinguishers and a plunger. I get your point and generally agree but with homeownership some amount of over preparedness grants peace of mind.
Edit: Waiting until you need something also eliminates the option of research and buying used. A lot of really good tools can be found for very cheap but if you wait till you need it your only option will be whatever the big box store has in stock today. I recently got stuck with a cheap chainsaw and while it has done everything I needed it to I could have bought a much better one for probably less money AND not given money to the hardware store if I'd have done it in advance.
As I was always taught, I'd rather have it and not need it than to need it and not have 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
Take a bunch of pictures of everything. You'll probably want to look at them somewhere down the road and it's interesting to have empty photos everywhere.
TOOLS (none of this is yard stuff, I won't really go into that)
-Tape measure
-finishing (smooth face) hammer
-a drill kit. This can be pricey but I wouldn't recommend getting a really cheap one unless you must, but it's ok if you do to start and don't abuse it. Crap and decker is fine. You'll want a basic drill bit set that has Phillips, flat head, and a bit extension. You can get little bricks of cheap drill bits off Amazon, they work fine but they won't last if you strip them a bunch, which is fine because they're cheap.
-headlamp
-adjustable wrench. If you want to get a set of wrenches in standard/metric, go for it, they're cheap. An adjustable kind of sucks but it works most of the time but sometimes the bulk won't let you really turn it.
-Allen wrench set, metric and standard
-a basic screwdriver set for when your drill is too bulky or you don't want to put too much torque on stuff
-a tool bag. You can use anything but I like an electricians bag with a bunch of small pockets. REALLY handy.
-an extendable sliding ladder is great for in the house and stores easy. A step ladder will get you pretty much anywhere in the house though, and I wouldn't use an extendable one for outside. Recommend if you want something for outside you get an A frame ladder. Remember you can always rent stuff like that from home Depot or whatever so if you're only going to use it once a year you don't need to buy a 20' ladder.
-not necessary, but a torpedo level, hack saw (to cut weird metal and plastic stuff every now and then), a stud finder (you don't need to buy anything fancy, I use a little strong magnet with a strip of cloth that I drag across the wall, it sticks to nails on studs that are at the joints of Sheetrock), an an inexpensive multimeter, a set of wood drill bits and a socket set.
Anything else buy as you need.
OTHER STUFF (I'm leaving out basic stuff that you'll pick up naturally)
-FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. Recommend at least two, if not three. Kitchen, garage, upstairs at a minimum. And DON'T get some crappy 5 or 10 lb ones they will get you a couple seconds of spray. A fire blanket is good for the kitchen too if you like to deep deep fry or you're a crazy whirlwind cook.
-you mention cameras in your OP, I really hate recommending anything cloud based but it's what's available for most without effort. I think most important is a doorbell camera, helps mitigate porch pirates and helps with deliveries.
-if you get a lot of snow I'd recommend a snow blower. Also, depending on your roof you'll want to make sure you have some way to get snow off your roof when it piles up. A foot of snow across your roof is heavy and if it piles up more you risk roof damage.
Water intrusion and mold are now your greatest common enemies. Guard against them with extreme prejudice or risk major headaches and costs.
Thrift stores are good places for picture frames so you can start decorating. Make sure to hang stuff on studs if they're even just a bit heavy, drywall doesn't hold weight for shit. There's a ton of different types of drywall anchors, many require drilling but some don't. There's S shaped wire hook thingies that you can push through drywall and hang lighter stuff like bigger pictures off a stud without leaving a big hole.
People like floor rugs in the wintertime, I don't really care though and rugs can be surprisingly expensive and hard to clean. You can rent carpet cleaners, I recommend doing that instead of buying a crappy one for home, using them sucks and they do a shit job unless you get a REALLY good one which is stupid expensive, just rent them.
Don't wear shoes in the house! Fuck. Have a shoes off house, it keeps things clean and doesn't wear down carpet nearly as much. Wear slippers if you want but just don't, and ask guests to remove their shoes. Some people think it's weird but I don't care don't wear shoes in my house, take them off or fuck off. That being said it's really inconvenient for workers to wear them so I have a couple sets of heavy duty washable shoe covers to offer people that come to service my stuff.
Do NOT neglect maintenance. Set up a schedule in your phone calendar for AC/heating, water tank, septic if you have it, whatever. AC twice a year if you have it, furnace annually, water tank annually if you have normal hardness water or maybe 2x a year if you have really hard water, chimney inspection and cleaning if you have one (chimney fires bad). Also you'll want to clean your dryer duct every year or two (lint fires bad) and you can do it yourself if you have a drill and order one of the cleaning kits with the rods. A leaf blower can help also (from inside out, I hope that's obvious lol).
I personally have shifted to battery operated lawn tools like lawn mower and leaf blower. They're not as powerful but if you have a small yard they're a good trade off vs always trying to fuck with small engines.
Good luck!
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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]Get stuff from garage sales!! A rake, hoe, shovel, hoses etc all that stuff is like 1 dollar at a lot of garage sales. No reason to go to a store and pay many times more. I got a snowblower for 25 dollars once that ran fine. Used it a few years till it needed work and then sold it for 50.
Get a leaf blower for cleaning gutters, its worth it.
Get a bunch of wood screws and a drill. You'll need it for repairs. Wood filler too.
Drywall supplies are handy too, scrapers, sanders, a lot of this you can find at garage sales too.
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Buy good quality air filters (highest particle rating). Just the dust control alone will make a huge difference, especially in an older home.
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One good power drill
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One good set of driving bits
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One good set of drill bits
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Duct tape
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Lubricating oil (wd40 or a 3in1 style oil)
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Hammer
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Drywall anchors for having heavier items
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Kit of random screws and nails
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Flashlight
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Fire extinguisher
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Old towels (for WHEN you spring a leak)
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Measuring tape
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Channel lock wrench (the kind that can be various sizes)
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Wrench/socket set
This will cover a LOT of issues. Outside the drill/bits feel free to cheap out on tools. When they break, then replace with better quality
Know what needs filters or other consumables now - get and read the manuals. No one does all the 'required' maintenance but you should be making an informed choice to ignore them. Example, my water heater recommends a full flush every 6 months to prevent scale buildup - lol yeah right. Add up all these kinds of tasks and say goodbye to any free time you have. BUT now I know and if I am doing some other maintenance or have the water/power off for some other reason then maybe I'll tack on a flush of my water heater while I'm at it.
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I am also a new home owner. Would anyone be interested in a community for swapping tips, answering each other’s questions, ranting about our favorite power tool brands, etc.?
A homeowner handyperson help and discussion space would be great.
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Get stuff from garage sales!! A rake, hoe, shovel, hoses etc all that stuff is like 1 dollar at a lot of garage sales. No reason to go to a store and pay many times more. I got a snowblower for 25 dollars once that ran fine. Used it a few years till it needed work and then sold it for 50.
Get a leaf blower for cleaning gutters, its worth it.
Get a bunch of wood screws and a drill. You'll need it for repairs. Wood filler too.
Drywall supplies are handy too, scrapers, sanders, a lot of this you can find at garage sales too.
Skip getting a drill. Go for a quarter inch impact. Better yet spring for a complete 18 volt, brushless set, including a hammer drill, recip saw, multi-tool and circular saw.
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Get stuff from garage sales!! A rake, hoe, shovel, hoses etc all that stuff is like 1 dollar at a lot of garage sales. No reason to go to a store and pay many times more. I got a snowblower for 25 dollars once that ran fine. Used it a few years till it needed work and then sold it for 50.
Get a leaf blower for cleaning gutters, its worth it.
Get a bunch of wood screws and a drill. You'll need it for repairs. Wood filler too.
Drywall supplies are handy too, scrapers, sanders, a lot of this you can find at garage sales too.
Good advice, except a quarter inch 18 volt impact is way more useful. I use mine almost daily. Impact drivers drive and remove screws much better. In fact get a complete set of decent 18 volt tools. You will use the shit out of them.
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I don't own many tools, let alone enough tools that would necessitate an entire chest. What in particular do you suggest I fill it with?
For now get something better than a cardboard box for your tools, something you can carry all the basics around with. A bucket works, a bucket with a handyman belt on it (they sell these for buckets) works well enough. When you run out of space just know that no matter what you upgrade to you will run out of space again. Start small and upgrade as needed.
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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 get a lot of snow, a snow blower/thrower for the driveway. If your driveway is not paved, that will be a challenge, so, sheer pins to spare.
- A good battery charger and rechargeable batteries.
- An LED lantern, if/when you lose power.
- Candles
- Replace the smoke alarms unless you know their age
- Fire extinguisher
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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
Toilet plunger. Get it before you need 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
It depends what sort of person you are but if you ask me, battery powered impact screwdriver and basic hand tools like socket set, pliers, hex keys, plane, chisels, mallet and hammer, shovel, crowbar.
If you're out in the sticks maybe keep some emergency rations and water, blankets, stove, firewood, lamps.
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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
Lot of good suggestions.
I would add wet dry shop vac for cleaning big messes of all kinds.
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Buy good quality air filters (highest particle rating). Just the dust control alone will make a huge difference, especially in an older home.
-
One good power drill
-
One good set of driving bits
-
One good set of drill bits
-
Duct tape
-
Lubricating oil (wd40 or a 3in1 style oil)
-
Hammer
-
Drywall anchors for having heavier items
-
Kit of random screws and nails
-
Flashlight
-
Fire extinguisher
-
Old towels (for WHEN you spring a leak)
-
Measuring tape
-
Channel lock wrench (the kind that can be various sizes)
-
Wrench/socket set
This will cover a LOT of issues. Outside the drill/bits feel free to cheap out on tools. When they break, then replace with better quality
Small pet peeve of mine, wd40 is NOT a lubricating oil, it’s a penetrating oil, and a cheap one at that.
Penetrating oil is what you use when things are stuck. It will dissolve whatever old oil or grease was in a joint, and flush it away, and it can be useful for rust removal as well, but it is NOT protective. Get some kind of protective oil like silicone, lithium grease, or balistol for lubrication and protection.
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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 think there’s a lot of great ideas in here, but I’d start with the stuff that, when you need it, you need it now.
Something I didn’t see mentioned yet was a wrench to turn your water off at the line that goes into your house. If you’re on a well, then whatever tools you’d need to turn that valve off. If you spring a bad leak you want to shut that off asap
A few other things that seem like good things to have BEFORE you need them
- Plunger and drain snake (Good to have both, sometime the plunger won’t cut it, but it’s much easier to use a plunger if that’s all you need)
- First aid kit
- Fire extinguisher
- Carbon monoxide/smoke detectors
- Spare keys, give them to people you trust or hide them really well so you don’t have to break in if you get locked out
- A big bucket for leaks, mopping, etc
- ladder
- Generator if you can afford it
- Emergency bag with food, water, flashlight, spare batteries, cheap phone, list of numbers, map, first aid kit, etc
Those are the kinds of things I’d look to buying first since anything else you can just go get when you need it.
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Small pet peeve of mine, wd40 is NOT a lubricating oil, it’s a penetrating oil, and a cheap one at that.
Penetrating oil is what you use when things are stuck. It will dissolve whatever old oil or grease was in a joint, and flush it away, and it can be useful for rust removal as well, but it is NOT protective. Get some kind of protective oil like silicone, lithium grease, or balistol for lubrication and protection.
Absolutely agree, 3in1 oil usually raises eyebrows which is why I mention wd40.
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Know what needs filters or other consumables now - get and read the manuals. No one does all the 'required' maintenance but you should be making an informed choice to ignore them. Example, my water heater recommends a full flush every 6 months to prevent scale buildup - lol yeah right. Add up all these kinds of tasks and say goodbye to any free time you have. BUT now I know and if I am doing some other maintenance or have the water/power off for some other reason then maybe I'll tack on a flush of my water heater while I'm at it.
Also check the anode rod (might have a different name) in the water heater from time to time. It will save your ass a huge failure down the line.
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Makita gang rise up
Hell yeah brother.
