Owning a home, what do I need to know? Think we can help each other.

I am going to do some googling, but I thoughI would pose this question.

I am a hands on girl. I love tools, and building stuff, and getting dirty. I LOVE power tools too I don't want to be the girl that says "I do t know anything about it, I'll wait till my husband comes home".

Anyway. I am buying a house and realized I dont know a lot about OWNING a house. Can we put together a list of things we as homeowners, and women SHOULD know?

I was watching Holmes on Homes, and he said basic maintenance on a house is cleaning the filter on the furnace.

There's a filter on the furnace????

If anyone wants to, can we make a "homeowners" guide, so to speak, on things you should know to own a home.

1. There is a filter on the furnace. Check that filter to see if it's clogged.

Next?

Re: Owning a home, what do I need to know? Think we can help each other.

I knew about the furnace filter from my dad changing them, but you should also know:


--dryer vents need to be de-linted

Re: Owning a home, what do I need to know? Think we can help each other.

There's almost an infinite number of things you'll need to know, depending on your house, and how it ages.....

Turn off outside faucets in the winter from the inside shut-offs so they don't freeze.

Make sure you know where all the shutoff valves are in the house. If there's a massive leak, that's not the time to search for a valve! You should know about the whole-house shutoff, as well as the room/fixture shutoffs (under the sink, behind the toilet, etc)

If your circuit breaker isn't labeled, it's a good idea to label it. Doesn't have to be all in one shot. Shut off a breaker, and plug a device into outlets until you find out all of the outlets it handles. It will save you time later on.

Make sure gutters are cleaned regularly, and the downspouts empty away from the house. One of the biggest causes of basement flooding is having the gutter downspouts empty right at the foundation.

Have a plunger in the house. Not something you want to have to run to the store to buy after you find out that you need one!

Have extra bulbs in the house, at least for the majority of bulbs (most likely 60 watt, or equivalent)

Re: Owning a home, what do I need to know? Think we can help each other.

What a great idea!! Until I met DH, I had no idea how much goes into the homeownership responsibilities (before I met DH, I lived in a condo and before that, my parents home where I was rarely home). Its amazing how much more there is to do on a house than an apartment where everything is already there (garbage pickup, no outdoor snow removal, etc).

A few things I learned from DH once I moved in..were

1- knowing what day was garbage day (on more than 1 occassion, DH put out the garbage on the wrong day not realizing it was a holiday).

2- keeping recycling bins outside (helps to have them separated inside the house too)

3-gardening for the front and back yards (weeds grow so quickly!)

4- internal thermostats - knowing how to set timers for auto on/off and temp control

5- if you have a basement/attic - watch for insulation issues (my parent's house had a squirrel burrow their way through a tiny hole in the attic)

6- awareness of electrical 'problem spots' throughout the house (ie we can not run the Dishwasher and Washer/Dryer and Microwave at the same time because they are all on 1 circuit). Also, monitoring electricity so you don't have a surprise bill (ie dont leave the lights/TVs on all day when you leave for work in the AM)

Re: Owning a home, what do I need to know? Think we can help each other.

know how to turn on and off:
-electric/ breakers
-water main
-oil burner emergency shut -off
- gas burner emergency shut-off

if anything floods and there is electric outlets under water... DON'T WALK IN THE WATER!

gas/CO/Fire alarms, if you smell gas (and its not cause it took the stove an extra few seconds to start), call fire dept ASAP

when your not using the washing machine, its a good idea to shut the water to it off.

this list will be infinite!