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.
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
Really depends on your home, but a few that I had...
If you have wood floors, a bulk pack of sticky felt pads for furniture you buy to not scratch them up
Robot vacuum (or vac/mop)
Basic power tools
Electric lawn mower/weed whacker that uses the SAME BATTERIES as your power tools
if you're a nerd and wanna do "smart home" stuff, don't buy smart lights, buy smart switches
a touchless live-wire tester
A label maker
Big pack of furnace filters
an accordion folder thingy for the billions of documents you'll wanna keep (receipts/user manuals for appliances), property tax assessments, etc
Bulk pack of lightbulbs with the same colour temperature (it looks idiotic if all your lights are different hues)
nail-in picture frame hangers, wall anchors (they're YOUR walls now!)
keycode deadbolt
most microwaves have a way to enable "silent mode", do that
water sensors (smart if possible), put under your hot water tank and dishwasher
double check your laundry room drain actually has a slope to it, and isn't the damn high point in the room
if you're not living with a romantic partner... I'd suggest not blowing your budget decorating... Let them have the space to feel like they can make the space thiers as well, and accept that means some of your decorations are going to be retired
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.
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!
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
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.
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.?
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!
Shop Vac. Tool chest. Beer.
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!
Drain snake, plunger, bidet, Hammock and most importantly a cool fridge magnet.
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.
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.
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.
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".
Beer fridge. Or you'll get no help with any of this.
A smart water monitor/shutoff valve.
Some part of your plumbing breaking can cause your house to flood, ruining your possessions and costing you tens of thousands in repairs. Plus a huge headache to deal with even if insurance covers it all.
Smart water monitors will notice when water is pouring into your house and automatically shut the water off.
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.
Toilet plunger. Get it before you need it
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?
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.
Contact details for a plumber, electrician and HVAC tradesperson.
PPE - Gloves, ear muffs, goggles, face shield, etc.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A box running homeassistant with the appropriate zigbee / zwave dongle.
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.
-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 love not buying things that I don't need I think it's great
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