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New House Tips

C

cpals

Diamond Member
In a month or two the house I'm getting built should be done and ready to be moved into. What are some tips/hints for new homes and first-time homebuyers? Example - spray the house for insects every four months, clean the air conditioner filter, etc...

Thanks!
 
Water is your enemy, I might even get a home inspector to go over the place. Check the drainage on the lot before you sign off on the house. Downspouts and flashing around windows and gutters. Check the plumbing and make sure you have drain pans for any of the appliances that need them like the HVAC equipment. Replace the washer hoses with high pressure hoses if they are not already. Insulate any pipes in the basement or crawlspace.

Next winter when its cool move along around the frames and trim for all of your windows and check for drafts.

I wouldn't let anyone in my place to spray chemicals. We try to cut chemical cleaners out whenever possible around my place.

Congrats!
 
make sure that the crawlspace has a dirt floor. It sounds strange, but it sure comes in handy when you need to get rid of the body.
 
Don't scrimp on window coverings thinking you will update/upgrade later. Do it first thing.
Also, if you are thinking about finishing the walls in the garage, do it before you move in. You won't want to move stuff out to texture/paint after you move in.
Is the backyard landscaped?
 
Completely air out the house for a few days* after it is built. There are actually quite a few airborne chemicals released by new buildings. By airing the building out it will drastically lower the levels. If you do not believe me regarding the chemicals, so a search on new medical buildings and you should run across the data.


The hospitals I have looked at did it for a full week with all the HVAC systems running and that was after designing the building with low-emissions materials.
 
Originally posted by: OrByte
get it inspected before you close.
Click to expand...

Wast eof moeny on a new home. The home is inspected by ethe building inspector throughout the various stages of construction. Not to mention that hte trades people actually know what they are doing.

Having said that, hope you enjoy the cheapest things that look the nicest in your new home. That's the basic trend in construction these days. Oh, and I hope you clearly stated that your new forced air system has an air filter and humidier built in. It's sad looking at new home construction these days. These builders do anything to save a buck.
 
Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
Originally posted by: OrByte
get it inspected before you close.
Click to expand...

Wast eof moeny on a new home. The home is inspected by ethe building inspector throughout the various stages of construction. Not to mention that hte trades people actually know what they are doing.

Having said that, hope you enjoy the cheapest things that look the nicest in your new home. That's the basic trend in construction these days. Oh, and I hope you clearly stated that your new forced air system has an air filter and humidier built in. It's sad looking at new home construction these days. These builders do anything to save a buck.
Click to expand...

So true. Nobody seems to understand that for an extra 10% you can get materials that are MUCH higher quality.
 
Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
Originally posted by: OrByte
get it inspected before you close.
Click to expand...

Wast eof moeny on a new home. The home is inspected by ethe building inspector throughout the various stages of construction. Not to mention that hte trades people actually know what they are doing.

Having said that, hope you enjoy the cheapest things that look the nicest in your new home. That's the basic trend in construction these days. Oh, and I hope you clearly stated that your new forced air system has an air filter and humidier built in. It's sad looking at new home construction these days. These builders do anything to save a buck.
Click to expand...

Not a waste of money. I've had at least two friends who found MAJOR problems after moving into their brand new houses. In one house, the AC ducts were left out of the basement (builders totally forgot them). The second one, a pipe was placed wrong resulting in MAJOR water damage - which the builders admitted as their fault.
 
Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
Don't scrimp on window coverings thinking you will update/upgrade later. Do it first thing.
Also, if you are thinking about finishing the walls in the garage, do it before you move in. You won't want to move stuff out to texture/paint after you move in.
Is the backyard landscaped?
Click to expand...

There's just grass in the backyard... the front has a couple trees, shrubs, etc. Also, I don't have a basement since I live in Florida and the house is on a well and septic system.
 
- Look at your roofline for places where your soffits meet the roof (really common if you have "hip" roofs with lots of angles like my house). Any place where an animal such as a raccoon or an opossum can access your soffits is a potential entry point into your attic. Make sure the soffits are reinforced at those locations. It'll save you a lot of potential headaches later.

- Look around your external window sills, especially the tops of second story windows. Lots of builders cut corners by not fully sealing around these windows. It's not uncommon to find gaps big enough to poke your finger through.

- Take a good look at the lay of your yard. Make sure things are sloped away from your house. Don't want rainwater runoff from your neighbors' yards to find its way into your house. Low spots in the yard might cause water to pond and not drain for a few days. This could lead to a mosquito problem. It's easier to fix these problems now while the builder is still around...

- Insulate! Get up in your attic and add some additional blown-in insulation. Doesn't cost much to add another R-19 worth of blown cellulose but depending on where you live, it could give you a huge payback.



IHateMyJob2004 Oh, and I hope you clearly stated that your new forced air system has an air filter and humidier built in. It's sad looking at new home construction these days. These builders do anything to save a buck.

This depends. If the main furnace is in the attic or if it's in a crawlspace then a built-in humidifier is a pain in the ass to maintain. If the main furnace is in a basement or in a utility closet where it's easily-accessible then by all means a humidifier is a good idea. These guys can be installed in an afternoon as a DIY project.

 
Ask your builder to provide you with several addresses of homes that he or his company has built. Contact the owners and talk to them. They will be glad to tell you about their experience with the builder and the home thus far. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. Good luck.
 
Hire your OWN inspector, and get him in there NOW!! pre dry wall if you can. My builder, his friend the *inspector*, and the code compliance people will pass anything. Screw down the steps
on a stairway, attic ventilation, and fan, 3+ inch thick 3500psi concrete driveway with steel, galavized screws for drywall,(my steel nails have been popping out for 3 years), 12ga. wire for bathrooms, or anywhere else you might need it, natural gas line for your new bbq?, gfi's?, my builder daisy chained ONE gfi for 4 bathrooms on 3 different floors, this will pass but is that what you really want? Roof shingles and there quality? 4" rain gutters, instead of 3", stub outs for laundry room?, outside drainage, both gas,and elec. for stove, and laundry. etc., etc., etc.,etc.
Good luck OP!
"We're all Bozo's on this bus"
 
Originally posted by: Greyd
Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
Originally posted by: OrByte
get it inspected before you close.
Click to expand...

Wast eof moeny on a new home. The home is inspected by ethe building inspector throughout the various stages of construction. Not to mention that hte trades people actually know what they are doing.

Having said that, hope you enjoy the cheapest things that look the nicest in your new home. That's the basic trend in construction these days. Oh, and I hope you clearly stated that your new forced air system has an air filter and humidier built in. It's sad looking at new home construction these days. These builders do anything to save a buck.
Click to expand...

Not a waste of money. I've had at least two friends who found MAJOR problems after moving into their brand new houses. In one house, the AC ducts were left out of the basement (builders totally forgot them). The second one, a pipe was placed wrong resulting in MAJOR water damage - which the builders admitted as their fault.
Click to expand...

not a waste. There are a few lawsuits out right now because the builders failed to provide proper structural reinforcements during construction and PASSED inspection. Know and check all electrical switches. Same goes for plumbing. Most important, pre-wire as much as you can. As far as appliances go, there are all very heavily used in our house so we didn't skimp skimp there . If you have irration, make sure they work as they should. During walk-thru, make sure you take carefull notes of EVERYTHING even if it seems minor.

Trust me, I'm in the business.
 
Get a lawnmower and Ladder

Oh since it is in Florida...go buy yourself some of those cheap, plastic pink flamingos for the front yard. Extra 4x8 sheets of plywood kept in the garage for securing windows/doors for Hurricanes. Oh yeah, make sure to close off crawlspaces under decks and stuff to keep out those 30ft long pet pythons which escape from your neighbors yard - enjoy, being a homeowner is fun!
 
An inspector is ALWAYS a good idea. No personal offense to IHateMyJob, but anyone who thinks that the "default processes" are there to protect the buyer is a FOOL. Case in point: the first home I built had MAJOR issues after the fact. Structural, plumbing, HVAC, you name it.

If the house doesn't FALL THE FSCK DOWN while the "code inspector" is there, it will pass.
 
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