What are some things for a new home owner to consider getting early on?
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
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.
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.
Shop Vac. Tool chest. Beer.
Definitely a shop vac. Specifically a wet/dry vac so if something good wrong and leaks all over, you have a quick solution.
Besides a typical big corded model, I also have a small cordless one which is super convenient. Depending what kind of stuff you plan to do, the small one might be enough. Be aware this can be another way to start the vendor-specific battery lock in. (Though you can get adapters.)
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?
Inevitably you are going to need tools after you tire of paying contractors to fix or install things.
A set of screwdrivers, pliers, tape measure, hammer
That’s your starting set. As a homeowner trust me, you’ll find places to use them.
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.
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.
First thing I installed when I moved into my current rental!
Really depends on your home, but a few that I had...
- 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.
most microwaves have a way to enable "silent mode", do that
are you fucking kidding me. the thousands of times i have thought about why this didn't exist, fantasizing what changes would be required in the world economy to get rid of those awful noises. you are telling me it does exists?!
Yeah! If you can find the manual for your microwave (can usually find a pdf one online) there should be instructions on how to do it. Usually a wacky sequence of buttons you gotta press and hold.
100% on the water sensors! Gas sensor and carbon monoxide sensor too! I have a gas stove and people are always leaning against it and turning the gas knobs on.
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.
Yeah, excellent idea. No reason not to use BOTH methods.
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.
I'm glad it helps. I originally got the idea when I renovated my first house. I had so many before and after pictures. I was single back then and completely transformed the whole house working every night and all weekend for the years. I was on the last room which just needed paint when I was layed off from work and had to sell it. Was a pretty big bummer because I never really got to just LIVE in it. How it goes better for you.
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?
Buy good quality air filters (highest particle rating). Just the dust control alone will make a huge difference, especially in an older home.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I found the ladders that can turn into scaffolds to be of immense use. Also start going to every yard, estate, and garage sale you can find as there are often tools and ladders and all sorts of stuff being sold cheap.
Also pawn shops are great for used tools
Create an email address for the house and use it for everything house related. Contractors, mtg payments, instruction/owner's manuals for appliances, etc, all get sent here and it's very helpful. Also suggest doing a first look for manuals now. When you need to fix your water heater - even if you opt to pay a contractor - having read the manual first will put put you in a much better position to understand what needs to be done or what you are choosing to pay for.
Tool wise I'd include a couple pipe wrenches plus a 90° angle one for under sinks. The actual ones are probably less useful for plumbing inside the house but are just useful tools. A pickaxe is useful for small irrigation or electrical trenches. A pry bar for - you'll find a use. Someone else mentioned a hand truck which is really handy. Basic electrical tools, lineman plyers, wire strippers, an electrical tester. Some basic chemicals, acetone, alcohol, bleach, etc will come in handy for cleaning/prepping (don't store acids around tools/metal unless you put them in an airtight container as an acidic pH in the air causes rust). Other basic consumables are good too - a tube of caulk, electrical tape, couple boxes of screws and nails, plumbing tape, a small tube of epoxy, I tend to buy an extra of these kinds of things as I see them so that I have them when I need them. Once you have all this and other basic tools it's awesome to have a project and be able to do it without needing to go to the hardware store.
Not something you can just go buy but I keep an eye out for jars and drawers of junk at yardsales and thrift stores. Have bought a couple of little Grey boxes with the 30 tiny drawers full of odds and ends someone else collected - super handy. All kinds of oddball stuff, hinges, springs, rubber gaskets, cotter pins, that have saved me many trips to the store.
Outdoor bug lights - yellow bulbs that don't attract bugs. Not sure why I'd never heard of these but they make the patio more enjoyable. Not gonna keep bugs away but at least there isn't a swarm of them.
Good luck!
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
Those are the kinds of things I’d look to buying first since anything else you can just go get when you need it.
Also, a small wet/dry vac!
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!
Beer fridge. Or you'll get no help with any of this.
Lot of good suggestions.
I would add wet dry shop vac for cleaning big messes of all kinds.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Electricians call these widowmakers, because apprentices trust them and then grab live wires. Get a real multimeter if you plan on doing electrical work. Or hell, plug a lamp in and see if it turns on.
Water softener.
If your climate is dry in the winter, a whole home humidifier.
LUXE Bidet NEO 185 Plus: https://www.amazon.com/LUXE-Bidet-Plus-Next-Generation-Self-Cleaning/dp/B0B1H9W4D2
There are plenty of places where the water is plenty soft.
Contact details for a plumber, electrician and HVAC tradesperson.
PPE - Gloves, ear muffs, goggles, face shield, etc.
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.
Reminds me of an old lock at my job, which was notorious for eating keys. I had the magic touch and could get keys unstuck without any issues. But apparently nobody else in the building could figure it out. I was getting calls to come get random people’s keys out of the lock, like it was a fucking sword in a stone. So a maintenance request was put in to fix the lock.
The very first thing the maintenance guy did was blow some graphite into the lock, stick a key in it to wiggle it around and spread the graphite… And promptly get the key stuck in the lock. I had to walk all the way across the building, to pull the maintenance guy’s damned key out of the lock.
Toilet plunger. Get it before you need it
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.
except a quarter inch 18 volt impact is way more useful. I use mine almost daily. Impact drivers drive and remove screws much better.
If I only had to pick an impact or a drill, I’d actually choose the drill… Purely because impact drivers aren’t great for drilling. They’re better for driving screws, sure. But sometimes you just need to put a hole in something. And an impact driver will give you hell if you try to use it as a drill. A regular drill will be more versatile in that regard, because it can do both. So if I only had money for one, I’d choose the drill.
In fact get a complete set of decent 18 volt tools. You will use the shit out of them.
Yup, I agree completely. Even the cheap Ryobi stuff is fine for casual users. You only need the nice power tools if you’re in construction and plan on using them for 8 hours a day. Their One+ series of tools will be fine for 99% of homeowners. Ryobi had a really awful reputation for a long time, and they deserved it. But the brand got bought out, and now they’re manufactured in the same facilities that produce the (much more expensive) Milwaukee tools. Teardowns have shown that they use basically the same internals now (which makes sense, because no company wants to spend twice as much on two different types of components), just with a different plastic housing around them. The brand is still haunted by that old reputation, but these days their tools are actually fairly solid.
Get the big multipack of power tools, and maybe an extra battery if you plan on using them a lot. It’ll have 99% of what you’ll need, and the rest of your purchases will be focused on getting things to use with those tools; Bits, blades, sockets, etc…
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.
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
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.
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.
If you're going to want wall-to-wall carpets or need to fix flooring, replace them before you move in -- or at least while things are still sparse and it is easy to move stuff. Paint your walls now, too. Need more insulation? Better sooner than later.
If it is an older house, you probably want more electrical outlets, and may want to add circuit breakers for new lines to the fuse box (I needed to do that to run window air-conditioners plus several PCs on the upper floor).
It seems like all new appliances die in 10 years, but they're more energy effcient. I'm glad I put a water filter on the line into the refrigertaor so I can replace the exterior filter instead of the one for the current refrigerator (which gives ice and water from the exterior with no need to open the doors). How's your water heater? What type of home heating do you have?
Edit: and try to introduce yourself to your neighbors! try to catch them while yuo're both doing yardwork or some such, but neighbors can watch out for one another ... but of course, some are real jerks, so until you get a feel for everyone, it is best to be diplomatic and not share opinions on things like politics or relgion.
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.
Plunger.
Impact driver and bits.
Multimeter.
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!
Plunger, plumber's snake, and step stool. Watch out with that ladder; ladders are killers. Up to a six foot folding ladder is pretty safe, but I won't go up an extension ladder.
A box running homeassistant with the appropriate zigbee / zwave dongle.
-Drill/driver with a decent set of drill bits -set of screwdrivers -pipe wrench -adjustable wrenches -hammer and rubber mallet -at least a couple flashlights -plunger and drain snake -extension cord -tape measure -pliers -ladder and step stool -multimeter -good scissors/shears -snow shovel, snowblower, and ice melt -extra lightbulbs and batteries
Go to whatever the Canadian version of harbor freight is and they probably have a home owners tool kit that'll have most of the hand tools you need. You can cheap out on most stuff to start out and if you use it enough to break it or wear it out buy a better one.
Also not specifically stuff to buy but knowing where the electrical and water shut offs are and having a well labeled breaker box.
Solar panels and home battery 100%, but you have to do it before Dec 31 2025 because the tax credit is going away due to the GOP and Trump
I don't know that ever new home owner has that kind of money just sitting around
True, but you can take out a HELOC loan or other if needed. The tax credit that GOP killed and ends Dec 31 is 30%!!!! Everyone should be getting as much solar as they can afford.
I love not buying things that I don't need I think it's great
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.
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.
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.
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.
Things I haven’t seen mentioned: Fire extinguisher. Socket set. Battery storage and fill it up. Shelving for backstock items like TP, paper towels, other things you tend to blow through. You don’t want to have to get out during some of those northern winter snow times.
Haven't seen this yet so I'll suggest it, a fly swatter.
Before you go out and spend a lot of money on stuff, check local resources - tool library, your neighbor, estate sales, etc. You'll still want your own stuff eventually, but setting up your first home is expensive and there's going to be hundreds of things you need to pick up. Borrow what you can, pick up what you can't borrow or will need regularly as inexpensively as possible.
First day or two move-in pack, packed completely separately from everything else, and preferably moves with you in the car so you know where it is: two full sets of clothes, plus nightwear. Cash - for pizza, or tipping, or whatever else might come up. Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, comb. Shower curtain, washcloth, towels. Shampoo and body wash. Soap for the bathroom sink. Paper towels. Flashlights. Phone chargers. An assortment of bandaids. Sharpie. Packing tape, garbage bags. Drinks. I'm another bag: pillows and one set of bedding.
The most basic toolbox: regular and Phillips screwdrivers, both small and large bits. Hammer. Vice grip, a couple of adjustable wrenches (large and medium), pinch nose pliers.
My best advice: buy a box of heavy-duty quart and gallon sized Ziplocs and a sharpie. As you put things together, you're going to have parts left over ("if installing on a wall, use mounting plate A; if installing on a ceiling, use mounting plate B", etc). Every time you have leftover pieces, even if it's just a couple screws, put them in a separate Ziploc, and label it with a description and the model number of the item: "hoover vacuum, model xyz345", "phillippe cat door, model 17b", etc. Get a decent sized box and all those spare parts go live there together. When you need it, it's in the box, kept separate by the Ziploc, and labeled. And every five years or so, to through the box and, if you no longer have the item, either get rid of it or move it to general use (is, the spare screws).
Electronic programmable thermostat. Don’t need it to be WiFi connectable. But program it for different times of the day. It will save a ton of money for you.
Weatherproofing to whatever degree needed. I check around exterior doors and windows, replace seals and sweeps, and put the cling wrap on windows if needed before it gets really cold.
Change all locks so prior occupants can't have access.
Snow scoop and salt since you mention the Canadian winter.
Door viewer for the front door. I am currently in a rental with a metal door I can't drill through and I HATE not being able to see who's at the door.
I skipped cameras and just went with door/window alarms. Easy to setup. Less expensive to buy and maintain. Also easy to move and install elsewhere once I find a place that works better. My threat model for home invasion is also quite low.
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.
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.
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.
Subbed! Thanks for doing that
Plumbers tape. Electrical tape. Wood glue. Colored markers that match wood flooring. A fire extinguisher is a good thing to have on hand
Know how old your roof is and what the lifespan is.
Our house had a 20 year old roof with a 20 year lifespan. First thing we did was replace it with a 50 year roof.
When the mortgage is paid, the roof will still have 20 years left on it.
Depends on the kind of home and how "handy" you feel yourself to be. There are a lot of minor things around the home which can save you boatloads of money (and be faster to deal with) if you do them yourself.
Tools:
Comfort:
Convenience:
Lastly, for furniture and other things, unless you're in a really small area, check various community marketplace kinds of sites. You can find a lot of critical stuff for less than MSRP, and non-critical stuff at a point that won't break your budget.
Whatever you decide to do, do NOT skimp by buying cheap tools. Buy the best quality tools you can afford.
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.
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.
-=-=-=- 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.
-=-=-=- 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.
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.
I'd ask in !dadforaminute@lemmy.world they're great for advice on tools, safety, home management etc.
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.
Do not cheap out on a power drill. Get a nice one with a light and everything. Otherwise, you’re just pissing money away.
Disagree, drill drivers are cheap these days. Don't lock yourself into an expensive battery platform yet.
Don't get anything more than a Ryobi drill and see if you need a good one, once it breaks, then you can decide what color you will use for the next 20 years.
The target here is home owners, not trades. The cheapo ozito drill I bought is half the price of a "good" one, and for the homeowner use case is plenty. Spending more on a drill would have been pissing money away.
Start collecting tools from yard sales.
Great option
I disagree, don't buy cheap tools, especially screwdrivers. You don't need to break the bank, but the cheapest options are going to be problematic for a number of reasons. Not only are the cheap tools, themselves, prone to breaking, but they also have the potential to strip your screws. Depending on what you're working on, that screw may be almost impossible to replace, if it's not in a standard sizing.
Personally, I suggest Wiha tools, based on a recommendation I received here on Lemmy about a year ago. They're made with high-quality materials so they're a bit more expensive than your typical Craftsman garbage, but they're not unreasonably priced, and far from being the most expensive in their category. I've got a few Wiha driver sets that I make use of pretty frequently, and they're all still in excellent condition, and none of them have ever stripped a screw yet, despite my clumsy ass handling them.
My 2 cents, get a good drill and good screwdriver set, cheap out on everything else until you replace it.