So I’m closing on a house this month (yay!). As a first time homebuyer, I don’t have much in the way of tools, gardening equipment, etc. I don’t want to start stocking up on stuff at the moment, but I would like to know what I should expect to need. I’d like to throw things into two categories:
Things I will need immediately (lawnmower, vacuum cleaner, power drill, garden hose, etc.)
Things I will not need immediately, but will need at some point (trimmer?)
What I have:
lawnmower
vacuum cleaner
socket/ratchet set
hammer
screwdivers
Please exclude kitchen items, as I’m all set there. I have $200 in Amazon gift cards right now that I’d like to use in the next week or so for things I’ll really want to have around my first week.
Non-powered long handled lawn tools. Rakes (bow and leaf) shovels. Do you live in the Snow belt? Powered blower and a snow pusher. Plumbing tools, a good plunger, trap wrench, snake.
If you garden, buy a Mantis tiller. You can rent bigger things that you only need rarely.
Buckets. At least one indoor bucket (for water + cleaning solution) and one outdoor bucket (for things one needs buckets for outside). I actually have 4.
A decent battery-powered drill. When I first moved in I spent most of my time hanging window treatments, and that gets real old real quick if you’re trying to use a manual screwdriver. To go along with that I suggest an array of screws and wall anchors, and a scratch awl (perfect for making wall-anchor-sized holes and screw starter holes).
Get new batteries for the smoke alarms if your new house has battery-operated ones. And if you don’t have a CO detector pick one of those up too.
Some meta-requirements. A step ladder, but a full ladder if you have a two story house. Some place to put all the stuff everyone else is recommending. Do you have a workbench? You need one, and some drawers to put the extra screws you will collect. Trust me, never throwing out little bits of hardware has been a lifesaver more than once.
It is good to have a garden shed. When we moved in I bought a kit for one, and a power screwdriver, which is the tool I have used most over the past 12 years. It is good for storing stuff for the yard that you won’t want in the house, like gas or fertilizer. I enjoyed putting it together, but I like 3D puzzles. You can get a prefab one which is moved in, but that costs more.
If you are going to be hanging pictures you’ll need some picture wire. A stud finder is handy. Is there enough light? We had an electrician come in and put in the basic hardware for fans and overhead lights in the rooms that didn’t have any, and I put them up myself.
The main question is, how close are you to a good hardware store. You’ll be visiting it frequently. Just-in-time works very well for this situation. Just plan to be spending some money.
I live in the snow belt (sorta - Indianapolis), but won’t need a blower. I have a detached garage on an alley, so no driveway to speak of.
Work gloves. Check. Pipe wrench. Any recommendations? What do I need here? Stepladder. Good call. Do I need both a step- and full-ladder? One of those fold-in-half ladders?
**A decent battery-powered drill. ** Very good call. I checked amazon right after I made my post, thinking that’d be an immediate need. There are a lot of options! garden shed. My garage is huge. 2 car, but only 1 car door, leaving plenty of storage room. bonded locksmith. Huh - *never *would have thought of that. Other garden tools. My mother is itching to come visit and endow me with half of all of her hastas. She’s a tremendous gardener, and I’ll be taking her to the garden center to pick out all the necessities I need to buy there.
Two story, carpeted but with hardwood underneath. Nice big shaded back yard.
I will mention that I’ll be putting in a fence in the near future. Contract that out, or attempt it myself (with help)? The lot’s 170’x40’.
When all else fails, it’s surprising how often I’ve had to resort to this set of tools
Anyone with a screwdriver and an ounce of technical acumen can replace a door lock by themselves.
Munch, the two yard tools I didn’t think I’d need but absolutely have needed are a trimmer/edger and a leaf blower.
We only have two deciduous trees in our yard (a laurel oak and a maple) and both disgorged astonishing numbers of leaves. It took me ~6 hours just to get to the point where the leaves weren’t in piles working with just a rake and shovel. It took the neighbor about six minutes with a leaf blower. :smack:
Pipe wrench, you want at least a 12" or 15"; ask someone at Lowe’s or Home Depot what a good size for working on kitchen/bathroom sink pipes would be. (also useful for hooking up washing machines, stuck garden hoses, etc.)
I use my stepladder for indoor stuff, mostly, so unless you’ve got vaulted ceilings or other craziness, that should be good to start with.
Later on, you’ll want a big ladder for outside stuff – at least high enough to reach the gutters. But best to wait on getting that until you’ve got it figured out where to store the thing.
Something you need that’s non-physical is highly recommended contractors for everything. Do you have a home warranty (that came with the house)? Even then, there are things it won’t cover, or things you’ll refuse to wait for them to send somebody for. Ask people you know for a good plumber, good HVAC guy, good jack of all trades. Especially plumber. You don’t want to have to be scrambling at 3 AM when the toilet explodes.
I’m going to be living in an historical district. I plan on getting a nice list of professionals from Angie’s List real soon, and compare it against any neighbor recommendations once I move in. There’s going to be a lot of specialty things needed (like - where do I replace a wood frame window these days?!?).
For the wood windows, you would be surprised. The window installer I used had them as an option as well. I looked at a few other installers and they all had it as an option.
I would second the power screwdriver. That has turned out to be the most useful purchase so far. Get one that comes with the allen wrench bits. It makes assembling Ikea and other furnitures much less time consuming and painful.
Get a cordless drill. They are a hell of a lot more convenient than using a corded drill.
Get a few decent paintbrushes and a decent roller. Don’t cheap out on paint supplies and the job will go a lot smoother. I’ve also found that if you don’t cheap out on paint, that you will use less and get a better result.
You can totally buy wood frame windows from the big guys, but it’s expensive. I’m considering compromising on that. Of course, you’ll need all custom sizes, etc., etc.
However, living somewhere with reasonably sized historical districts does mean there are experts around - I have a fantastic painter who works miracles with plaster.
Ladders: for outdoors, I’d consider an adjustable ladder. We have this one - it’s great because when it’s fully collapsed it doesn’t take up much storage space and is easier to maneuver that a full-size ladder, but it’s still very sturdy even when fully extended.
Shovels: You’ll need two - one for snow and one for gardening.
Plumber: Seriously, find one now. Old homes are full of surprises, and seaching the Yellow Pages for a plumber is the last thing you want to be doing when your basement drain starts backing up. I learned that the hard way.
Stuff that’s good to have:
Flashlights: It’s a good idea to have a flashlight on every floor, so that if the power fails, you’re not stumbling around on the stairs in the dark looking for one. I like the ones that plug into an outlet, because then I always know where they are and I don’t have to worry about whether or not the batteries are still good.
Carbon Monoxide Detector: Assuming there isn’t one already in the house. Better safe than sorry.
Space Heater: You may never need one, but they’re a lifesaver if your furnace goes out in the middle of winter,.
