Furnishings, appliances, tools for a new home?
June 24, 2023 9:39 AM Subscribe
I recently purchased a new home, and coming up will be 4th of July sales. What sorts of things should I make sure to purchase on sale? What sort of things should I wait to buy until Black Friday or some other regular sales cycle? What sorts of things do I want period, that I may not know I want?
The house is actually a condo; no yardcare needd. It has appliances (range, washer, oven), including a gas dryer. I've never had a gas dryer before, and am considering replacing it with electric just because of that. The range is serviceable, but I'm tempted to pick up an induction range.
I have a nice countertop toaster oven / air fryer.
I don't have much of anything else.
Examples of things I know I want include an Instant Pot, carbon steel pots and pans, and a reverse osmosis system for drinking water, but there are probably house / homeowner items I don't even know I want that would be good to get.
The house is actually a condo; no yardcare needd. It has appliances (range, washer, oven), including a gas dryer. I've never had a gas dryer before, and am considering replacing it with electric just because of that. The range is serviceable, but I'm tempted to pick up an induction range.
I have a nice countertop toaster oven / air fryer.
I don't have much of anything else.
Examples of things I know I want include an Instant Pot, carbon steel pots and pans, and a reverse osmosis system for drinking water, but there are probably house / homeowner items I don't even know I want that would be good to get.
Response by poster: Forgot to mention: all tile floors, no carpet.
posted by Number Used Once at 9:47 AM on June 24, 2023
posted by Number Used Once at 9:47 AM on June 24, 2023
I use a vacuum on my tiled floors.
posted by dianeF at 10:14 AM on June 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by dianeF at 10:14 AM on June 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
Congrats!
Carbon steel saute pans are great, as long as you maintain the seasoning. If you cook a lot of eggs, you may want a smaller nonstick pan exclusively for eggs. For sauce pans, pasta pots, stainless clad pans are great. I prefer equal thickness for the sides and bottom for even heat distribution (versus ones that just have a thicker metal plate on the bottom).
You will want anti fatigue mats in the kitchen where you will be standing (cooktop and prep areas). Tile is hard on backs/feet.
In general, you might want felt pads under the furniture legs.
There are advantages to gas dryers (quicker, less energy usage), so I'd consider keeping it at least for awhile to see if you like it. A lot of appliances go on sale in late fall/early winter...
Do you have a toolkit and supplies for doing things like hanging artwork and minor repairs?
Another vote for a vacuum type situation for the tile. I just used a rechargeable stick vacuum at my friends' place which has tile floors and area rugs. Worked like a charm.
posted by jenquat at 10:30 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Carbon steel saute pans are great, as long as you maintain the seasoning. If you cook a lot of eggs, you may want a smaller nonstick pan exclusively for eggs. For sauce pans, pasta pots, stainless clad pans are great. I prefer equal thickness for the sides and bottom for even heat distribution (versus ones that just have a thicker metal plate on the bottom).
You will want anti fatigue mats in the kitchen where you will be standing (cooktop and prep areas). Tile is hard on backs/feet.
In general, you might want felt pads under the furniture legs.
There are advantages to gas dryers (quicker, less energy usage), so I'd consider keeping it at least for awhile to see if you like it. A lot of appliances go on sale in late fall/early winter...
Do you have a toolkit and supplies for doing things like hanging artwork and minor repairs?
Another vote for a vacuum type situation for the tile. I just used a rechargeable stick vacuum at my friends' place which has tile floors and area rugs. Worked like a charm.
posted by jenquat at 10:30 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
If the dryer is working I’m not sure there’s really any functional or safety advantage to replacing it. (You would also have to have a licensed plumber come and safely cap the gas line.) The main factor affecting whether a dryer performs well is venting—make sure you have the ducts cleaned regularly (or at least once initially), and that the dryer is rated for the length of duct the air has to travel to the outside. That’s unrelated to the power source.
We’re bigfans proponents of ceiling fans in our apartment—if you’re thinking of replacing any lighting fixtures, consider getting a combination fan/light. You may have to have a new box installed to support the weight, but any contractor or handyman who can install a fixture should be able to do that as well. Tip from bitter experience: make sure the fan is not only reversible and remote-controllable, but that the remote can control the reversing.
Upgrading lights to dimmer switches is also a nice and fairly easy improvement.
If you’re thinking of replacing your refrigerator and the current one doesn’t have an in-door ice dispenser, I find this to be one of the most how-did-we-ever-not-have-this appliance features.
posted by staggernation at 10:46 AM on June 24, 2023
We’re big
Upgrading lights to dimmer switches is also a nice and fairly easy improvement.
If you’re thinking of replacing your refrigerator and the current one doesn’t have an in-door ice dispenser, I find this to be one of the most how-did-we-ever-not-have-this appliance features.
posted by staggernation at 10:46 AM on June 24, 2023
I have tile floors and mostly love my steam mop. (I would link, but I'm getting a blank page on Amazon.)
I say "mostly" because I have hand and strength issues, and I don't know of any that are ergonomically friendly. It's still overall worth it for me because it's easier than using a regular mop. It also cleans with just water. If an area of the floor is a little more troublesome, you just leave it over that place longer, and the steam takes care of it.
(Speaking of ergonomic issues, I have a highly rated Shark vacuum and I hate it with the hatred of a thousand suns for the same reason. Plus it turns out I hate bagless vacuums because of the flying dust when I empty it. I also have to use a stick to pull the globs of hair out every time I empty it.)
One thing I'd caution you about though is buying a whole bunch of new things at once. That's a recipe for getting things you don't really need.
posted by FencingGal at 12:15 PM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
I say "mostly" because I have hand and strength issues, and I don't know of any that are ergonomically friendly. It's still overall worth it for me because it's easier than using a regular mop. It also cleans with just water. If an area of the floor is a little more troublesome, you just leave it over that place longer, and the steam takes care of it.
(Speaking of ergonomic issues, I have a highly rated Shark vacuum and I hate it with the hatred of a thousand suns for the same reason. Plus it turns out I hate bagless vacuums because of the flying dust when I empty it. I also have to use a stick to pull the globs of hair out every time I empty it.)
One thing I'd caution you about though is buying a whole bunch of new things at once. That's a recipe for getting things you don't really need.
posted by FencingGal at 12:15 PM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you're a paint-it-yourself person, Sherwin Williams typically has a paint sale on large holidays, so that should be imminent. Their paint is good stuff, but expensive enough it's worth using the coupon. (If you know any painters who would share their account number you'll get a better deal all year round, mind. They're often happy to, because if their account gets a bigger spend on it they get a bigger discount.)
Lowes and HD have tool sales over July 4th, but if you don't know what you need I would stick with the most basic - probably an electric drill/screwdriver and a set of common screwdriver bits (it's almost always Philips #2, so the rest are nice to have rather than essential). You're looking for offers that include the tool, battery and charger for sensible money.
Try and find the instant pot with the sous vide feature. It's not much more expensive, it takes up no extra space and it's convenient enough that I actually use it. Bear in mind that instant pots are big and inconvenient to store (but I'd still recommend the 8qt size, smaller gets a bit annoying if you batch cook).
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 12:55 PM on June 24, 2023
Lowes and HD have tool sales over July 4th, but if you don't know what you need I would stick with the most basic - probably an electric drill/screwdriver and a set of common screwdriver bits (it's almost always Philips #2, so the rest are nice to have rather than essential). You're looking for offers that include the tool, battery and charger for sensible money.
Try and find the instant pot with the sous vide feature. It's not much more expensive, it takes up no extra space and it's convenient enough that I actually use it. Bear in mind that instant pots are big and inconvenient to store (but I'd still recommend the 8qt size, smaller gets a bit annoying if you batch cook).
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 12:55 PM on June 24, 2023
Response by poster: Is there any brand of cordless power tool I should steer towards / away from (Craftsman, Kobalt, Dewalt, Ryobi, Black and Decker)? It feels like you’re buying into an ecosystem with proprietary everything, and I know I need a drill at the very least.
posted by Number Used Once at 2:04 PM on June 24, 2023
posted by Number Used Once at 2:04 PM on June 24, 2023
Seconding or thirding that unfamiliarity is no reason to ditch a gas dryer. They run the same as electric.
If your stove is also gas, remember that swapping out your dryer or range for electric will also mean running 208/240 volt lines to them which might be a pain.
If you have 208V instead of 240 like a lot of multifamily does in the US, your dryer or range will be a little less powerful than its specs say. Like a total power of 10000 instead of 12000 watts out of a 50 amp circuit. This is fine, everything is designed to work that way too, but stuff will just take a little bit longer to get done / heat up.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 2:22 PM on June 24, 2023
If your stove is also gas, remember that swapping out your dryer or range for electric will also mean running 208/240 volt lines to them which might be a pain.
If you have 208V instead of 240 like a lot of multifamily does in the US, your dryer or range will be a little less powerful than its specs say. Like a total power of 10000 instead of 12000 watts out of a 50 amp circuit. This is fine, everything is designed to work that way too, but stuff will just take a little bit longer to get done / heat up.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 2:22 PM on June 24, 2023
For power tools, I bought what I needed based on guidance from the Wirecutter. I figured I could waste a lot of time reading reviews and asking advice, and that what they recommend would be on the good-to-great side of performance. I bought my tools in the past 3-7 years, and they are all holding up just fine.
Did you get an inspection when you bought your condo, or did you have it waived? If you waived it, you might consider hiring an inspector now to look at your place and tell you the status of your appliances, a window of when you might need to replace them, and how to maintain them. Your realtor can recommend someone to do this. I learned a lot from it and it gave me piece of mind.
posted by OrangeDisk at 3:27 PM on June 24, 2023
Did you get an inspection when you bought your condo, or did you have it waived? If you waived it, you might consider hiring an inspector now to look at your place and tell you the status of your appliances, a window of when you might need to replace them, and how to maintain them. Your realtor can recommend someone to do this. I learned a lot from it and it gave me piece of mind.
posted by OrangeDisk at 3:27 PM on June 24, 2023
On the power tools front, I am a mid-level DIYer, and have been happy with the Ryobi One+ ecosystem, and they have a very wide range of things that are ... plenty good for average use ... and very affordable all things considered.
posted by jferg at 4:09 PM on June 24, 2023
posted by jferg at 4:09 PM on June 24, 2023
When my daughters left home, I bought them each a "40/50 Piece Cutting Plier Tool Set General Household Kit ". Hammer; pliers/wiresnips; screwdrive-handle with flat and philips heads; hex keys; craft-knife; tape-measure; mini spirit-level; adjustable wrench . . . all in a neat bag that tucks in under the sink. Coloured shocking pink so they can't be lost. Add a mini hacksaw with 6in/15cm replaceable blade and you're good. The average life-time use for a cordless drill/driver is 12 minutes; it occupies as much space as your entire toolkit: cultivate your neighbours for that.
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:46 PM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:46 PM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
These days, many power tools are sold without a battery which must be purchased separately. I guess the theory, or maybe excuse, is that you don't need as many batteries as you have tools. But it does tend to lock you into a brand.
I do suggest you buy high quality screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, etc. Bad tools can make a job much harder. And not having the right tool can make a job impossible. And be organized about how your tools as stored.
Spend a few moinutes in a hardware store looking at the array of products sold for fastening things to sheetrock. Note how many are designed for objects of a certain weight, and how many tell you what size hole to drill.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:17 AM on June 25, 2023
I do suggest you buy high quality screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, etc. Bad tools can make a job much harder. And not having the right tool can make a job impossible. And be organized about how your tools as stored.
Spend a few moinutes in a hardware store looking at the array of products sold for fastening things to sheetrock. Note how many are designed for objects of a certain weight, and how many tell you what size hole to drill.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:17 AM on June 25, 2023
Is there any brand of cordless power tool I should steer towards / away from
There's a big difference between quality/price in cordless tools and there's no need to pay more than necessary. if you just want to drill a hole in a wall to hang something twice a year, pretty much anything will do, so save your money for more important things. I'm a more serious home improver and swear by the Ryobi One+ tools because they're priced reasonably and perform almost as well as the crazy expensive 'professional' grade tools. I mostly take the same approach with hand tools - I buy tools that are not famous brands but are good quality and perfectly OK for home work. Buying the super-cheap crappy tools will give you a crappy experience and end up having to be replaced all the time. Spending about 50% of the super-fancy expensive tool for a generic equivalent will give you a great result.
If you're moving into a new home and not sure what you need, I absolutely recommend that you buy the least possible before you've lived there for a while. I would definitely not replace working appliances before trying out whether they do actually meet your needs. Really, all you need to live somewhere in the short term is a bed, a fridge and a couple of chairs to sit in while you ponder how to make your new house a home. A good quality vacuum will help you keep it clean, even with tile floors and some basic cleaning supplies will get you started until you work out what you actually need.
posted by dg at 4:26 PM on June 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
There's a big difference between quality/price in cordless tools and there's no need to pay more than necessary. if you just want to drill a hole in a wall to hang something twice a year, pretty much anything will do, so save your money for more important things. I'm a more serious home improver and swear by the Ryobi One+ tools because they're priced reasonably and perform almost as well as the crazy expensive 'professional' grade tools. I mostly take the same approach with hand tools - I buy tools that are not famous brands but are good quality and perfectly OK for home work. Buying the super-cheap crappy tools will give you a crappy experience and end up having to be replaced all the time. Spending about 50% of the super-fancy expensive tool for a generic equivalent will give you a great result.
If you're moving into a new home and not sure what you need, I absolutely recommend that you buy the least possible before you've lived there for a while. I would definitely not replace working appliances before trying out whether they do actually meet your needs. Really, all you need to live somewhere in the short term is a bed, a fridge and a couple of chairs to sit in while you ponder how to make your new house a home. A good quality vacuum will help you keep it clean, even with tile floors and some basic cleaning supplies will get you started until you work out what you actually need.
posted by dg at 4:26 PM on June 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
if you're a handy person and enjoy doing small diy projects, then a chop saw and a drill is always handy.
posted by jdthompson at 7:54 PM on June 25, 2023
posted by jdthompson at 7:54 PM on June 25, 2023
Of the three battery sets I have experience with:
Makita has good tools across the board, with a lot of garden selections (chainsaw, weedwhacked, that sort of thing) alongside tracksaws that you only need for serious woodworking and everything in between. Good brand, priced accordingly. I borrow these from a neighbour so I haven't been collecting them (or paying for them).
DeWalt is good for shop tools. I admit I only own the drill/driver and impact driver and also that the impact driver is not essential, but they were a step up from the Ryobi I had before - both more powerful and smaller. I bought them as a set on sale, and I suggest you pick your moment too. They come up cheap in home depot on occasion.
Ryobi is okay. HD have Ryobi days when a tool and battery together are super cheap, so I don't feel like I've overpaid and I have quite a battery collection at this point. Everything I get from them eventually strikes me as 'okay' - neither excellent nor terrible - though I'd highlight my leaf blower as particularly good value, being light and variable speed and well balanced with the battery attached. If you get particularly into something (woodworking, see above) then you're more likely to feel the need to upgrade, but for household tasks I don't think they'll disappoint.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 1:18 AM on June 29, 2023
Makita has good tools across the board, with a lot of garden selections (chainsaw, weedwhacked, that sort of thing) alongside tracksaws that you only need for serious woodworking and everything in between. Good brand, priced accordingly. I borrow these from a neighbour so I haven't been collecting them (or paying for them).
DeWalt is good for shop tools. I admit I only own the drill/driver and impact driver and also that the impact driver is not essential, but they were a step up from the Ryobi I had before - both more powerful and smaller. I bought them as a set on sale, and I suggest you pick your moment too. They come up cheap in home depot on occasion.
Ryobi is okay. HD have Ryobi days when a tool and battery together are super cheap, so I don't feel like I've overpaid and I have quite a battery collection at this point. Everything I get from them eventually strikes me as 'okay' - neither excellent nor terrible - though I'd highlight my leaf blower as particularly good value, being light and variable speed and well balanced with the battery attached. If you get particularly into something (woodworking, see above) then you're more likely to feel the need to upgrade, but for household tasks I don't think they'll disappoint.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 1:18 AM on June 29, 2023
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posted by Juniper Toast at 9:46 AM on June 24, 2023