There’s a lot about new houses that you ‘don’t know until you know’, as we learned over the last two years. There’s a lot of unexpected new house essentials we needed in the first few months and beyond that we didn’t already own. Here are some essentials that I recommend grabbing ahead of moving into your new home.
A Yardstick
Hanging large wall decor often times means multiple hooks needing to be leveled. The REALLY large ones will have hooks that are pretty far apart. One method to hang these is to attach picture wire for hanging, but that isn’t always a viable option.
Measuring larger pieces like art, mirrors and especially leaner mirrors might not give you the picture wire option and you’ll have to level it out with something lengthier and sturdier than measuring tape. Enter the yardstick. For 98 cents, grab one next time you’re at Lowe’s to keep on hand. You’ll be shocked how much you use it for all sorts of projects! This was certainly one of the most unexpected new house essentials on my list.
Microfiber Cloths
While not that uncommon, the amount of uses I’ve found for microfiber cloths is crazy. I have one for my glass surfaces, one for copper shining, another for cleaning my chalkboard menu and a few spares for whatever might come up. I bought this colorful multi-pack on Amazon for an amazing price!
Pro Tip: I stitched labels into each one that says what I use them for so I don’t accidentally use the chalk dust covered one on my clean glass, for example.
If you’re not into that amount of work, you can simply write on each one directly with a permanent marker.
Screw and Anchor Kit
Nails won’t hold heavy wall decor, not for long, anyway. Avoid ripping out your dry wall and an even bigger mess on the floor by getting a basic screw and anchor kit for hanging heavier items. The rule is simple, when in doubt, use the screws.
Kevin brings this anytime someone asks him for help hanging something because a lot of times the hardware that came with decor isn’t up to his standards. He swears by this 100-pack with two different sized screws and anchors from Lowe’s because it covers pretty much every job he does.
Portable Workbench
Kevin’s parents got us a folding portable workbench when we lived in our condo, which was great since we didn’t have room for a permanent one. It was especially practical because it folded up and stowed away in our storage unit.
Now that we’re in our house we keep our portable work bench in the garage next to our permanent work bench. Before saving up for our Husky tool bench (pictured below, when Bickell and I took Kev to get his Christmas present) we used this as our only garage tool bench (peep this throwback photo above); it saved us from having to make a really big purchase shortly after purchasing our home.
We bring the portable work bench inside during projects i.e. installing deadbolts or one of Kevin’s many electrical jobs. This keeps the house’s surfaces from getting banged up from power tools. We think it’s worth every penny to invest in a portable work bench!
Laser Level
It’s as cool as it sounds, but not nearly as expensive. Kevin picked up our sticky laser level at Lowe’s for about $20, it’s a game changer!
A laser level is basically essential if you plan to hang a gallery wall or anything with multiple hooks. Kevin hung our entryway picture frame gallery like a total pro with his laser level. It shot a line across the wall so he could make all the hooks perfectly level, leaving the photo gallery perfectly symmetrical.
Bonus: this laser level stud finder combo will kill two birds with one stone!
Stud Finder
The true dad-at-heart in your life will be so thankful you have one. Of course, the first thing they’ll do is put it on their chest and make a beeping noise (Kevin can’t be the only one, right?). This tool is for detecting where the studs are behind your drywall.
Why does that matter, you ask? If you drill a screw into the stud behind the dry wall you don’t have to use an anchor and it’s exponentially sturdier than the drywall and the anchor alone. This stud finder is a best seller with amazing reviews.
Did any of these unexpected new house essentials surprise you? I think the one that caught me most off guard was the yardstick. So simple and inexpensive, yet we’ve used it for SO many random projects! Let me know your essentials in the comments.
More Home Improvement and DIY
- Building a Backyard Fire Pit
- Our Modern Boho Master Bathroom
- DIY Home Sweet Home Sign
- Hanging Farmhouse Shelves
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This post contains referral/affiliate links. A small commission may be earned if products are purchased through my links. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog.
