What are some expenses I should anticipate

Once I move into a home? I'm expecting paint and and cleaning supplies, but what else should I expect?

Message edited 2/8/2010 1:06:32 PM.

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

Home Depot will become your new home away from home!

There are so many things that we got when we moved in.. i'm trying to remember them all..

We wanted to change the light fixtures so ended up buying new lighting, new switchplates, new outlets, lightbulbs etc.
You'll probably want to paint something, so you'll need spackle, sandpaper, paint, brushes, painter tape, dropcloths, rollers, paint trays.
Little things like nails, nuts and bolts, and screws to fix up the random things you'll find need fixing that you had no idea were even there
caulk to fix the seal in the bathtub, wood filler to fill the holes in the moulding that had come undone..
a big industrial size broom, a shop vac

a new lock for the front door, new lock and keys for all the other doors

new blinds for immediate privacy

a ladder

more cleaning supplies for the extra bathrooms that we didn't have before

i'm sure there's a million other things i can't think of right now.. i just remember that we were literally there several times a week because as we did more work on the house and moved in, there was always some new little thing we'd discover that we wanted to change, so we'd be off to HD to buy supplies

have fun!!

Message edited 2/8/2010 1:11:16 PM.

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

window treatments can be a big $$$$ if you need them

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

Its so expensive for us its not even funny... expect to pay out for things like window treatments... they can cost a fortune! Paint adds up (esp if you have someone come in and paint)... Any decorative items for the bare walls will add up FAST...

Put $$ aside for unexpected projects!!!!! Dont go out and buy all new furniture/appliances in 1 shot... You'll need the extra cash for things that just "come up" ... like replacing the heating/AC system, boiler, etc....

Honestly, until you get in the house and start living daily life there, you wont realize just what you need to put $ into... Things that you thought were quick easy and cheap to "renovate" can end up costing much more time and money than you think

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

i agree with everythig posted so far. one thing that surprised me was how much i spent on paint samples alone! i probably spent a good $200 just on those (but it also depends on how picky you are )

not sure what your floors look like but the other thing to consider is once you paint it can make other things looks shabby. we wound up pulling our carpets up bc they looked terrible once we painted (only to have them come out terribly and still have to buy a runner and huge area rugs to cover them). it can snowball!

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

Are planning on doing the yard work yourself? If so, you'll need a lawn mower, gardening tools, rakes, shovels, hoses, water sprinklers (if you don't have in-ground sprinklers).

Our biggest expenses so far were:
new carpets
new blinds
paint & painting supplies
new washer & dryer

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

Expect that you will want to change a million things you originally thought were ok. You may also "discover" things that you never noticed before that need to be fixed/replaced - outlets, switches, a carpet, etc.

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

When we bought our first home we were so excited to see hardwood floors under the carpeting on the main level. After the closing we go there and rip up a corner and they look beautiful. We go that weekend and take up the carpeting, the floors were destroyed. She had a few cats, so there were pee stains in so many spots AND she put her plants on the floor so there were water stains. It was so much easier to redo the whole floor (LR and DR) instead of replacing the boards.
We also came to find out that our home had low voltage wiring instead of regular electrical wiring. So we needed to have the house rewired.
Luckly, we only needed to play for the supplies and my DH and family members were able to do this, if we had to pay for it, it would costed a small fortune.

As far as other extras, I think everyone else covered it.

We needed to buy new garbage cans and hoses because the previous home owners took them. Snow shovel or even snow blower if you have a lot to shovel.

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

everyone else really touched on what you need. When we first moved in, our $ went to paint, new carpet in the bedrooms, replaced all the toilet seats, and window treatments. Those were the things we did in the first week. That was in august.. and the projects have not stopped, despite it being a 'newer' home (2006). We just wanted to change so much to make it our taste.

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

I just spent $$$$$$$ but we redid the entire first floor minus the bathroom and upstairs we painted and put down new flooring...

It really depends on the house.

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

You guys are so helpful thank you!! I would have completely forgotten about shovels, ladders, locks, hoses, etc. Thanks guys!!

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

washer/dryers always seem to be something people need to replace when they get in.

definitely garbage cans for outside! not something that occured to me lol. you forget about the little stuff.

Re: What are some expenses I should anticipate

we had a leak two days after closing from the upstairs bath into the kitchen...we had to call a plumber resheetrock and paint.....