Buying and moving into a new home can be a very exciting time. In many ways, it’s a blank canvas, ready for you to make your mark on it and turn it from a building of brick and mortar into a home full of memories and love. Along with the joys of home ownership, however, is the need for maintenance and upkeep on things around the home. Getting a jump on these things as soon as you move in means you’re starting your home ownership journey off on the right foot and being proactive about the maintenance that needs to take place.
Change the Locks
The very first thing you should do when you move in is change all the locks on all the doors in the house. You never know who has copies of the keys or when last these locks were changed. For the most part, you’re stopping the previous tenants or owners from being able to access your property. You should also have a look around the areas near doors for spare keys that might have been hidden and forgotten too. Don’t forget to change any remote-control codes, particularly your garage doors if they are automated.
Install or Refresh the Safety Devices
Another thing you should do almost immediately is make sure all your smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire alarms, and house alarms are all in good working order. Check and change the batteries of each device and ensure they have ample coverage. It might be that you need to add a few devices to ensure complete coverage of your home. Pay special attention to fire ‘hotspots’ where fires are most likely going to start, like your kitchen, laundry room, and workshop.
While you’re working on the maintenance of these devices, it’s a good idea to set up a maintenance schedule to check and change batteries and test these devices. Experts recommend you do this about every six months.
Replace the Window Frames and Doors
An area of the house you’ll want to check are the window frames and doors. This is because they can be susceptible to wood rot or just need a good sanding and varnish to bring them to life again if they’ve been weathered and not been refreshed in a while.
If you want to add some personality to your home or have an irregularly sized wood front door, then perhaps consider custom front wood doors. Companies like Hinson Custom Made can design a bespoke door or you can have made to measure doors installed to really personalise your exterior.
Give it a Lick of Paint
If you want to make your house look great and really make it your own, a fresh coat of paint on the walls is a must. You’re choosing your own colours and turning the space into your own, as well as refreshing the look and feel of your home. It might be a good idea to paint before you move the furniture in if you can so that everything is out of the way and you can quickly move through the house with your paint roller and brushes. Spend some time choosing a colour palette – it’s the first quick and relatively cheap way of personalising your space. Most painters will even give you a discount if the house is empty and they don’t have to cover furniture.
Starting on projects and home improvements as soon as you move into your new home means you’re more likely to actually do them. There’s an old saying that says if you step over a box for long enough, eventually it will just become part of life. Don’t wait and become complacent – get stuck in!
