We have .23 acres and use an electric mower. DH looks funny lassoing the extension cord all over the place, but it works well.

We love our black and decker electric mower. Lots of good suggestions here, but for decorating- wait a few months until you see what you really like and want.... definately by some lawn furniture- table and chairs and some heavy leather gloves for weed pulling, prickly branches etc.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The yard is about .25 of an acre. It's pretty compact. My mother has an electric mower she offered to give us, do you guys think that'll work?

Yes. At least try it, if it doesn't work you can buy something else.

OP here. The yard is about .25 of an acre. It's pretty compact. My mother has an electric mower she offered to give us, do you guys think that'll work?

There are lots of things you won't think about until you get into the house-several more little trash cans for your bathrooms, more shower curtains if you have more than one shower/tub in the new place, obviously a ton of furniture, window treatments, rugs, and stuff to hang on the walls. A grill and deck or patio furniture.

10:52 had a good list.

If the yard is smaller don't get a lawnmower with a powered axle; they're more expensive. I have a 2/3 acre lot and still use the rotary blade push behind mower. Check Consumer Reports on these and for used on Craigs List or prices and sales at dealers. If buying used have an equipment repair place do the maintenance before you use.

Carbon monoxide detectors for each floor to go along with smoke detectors. One by the water heater and furnace.

Fire extinguishers: one for the kitchen and they recommend one for each floor and one for the garage. They expire even if unopened, so buying used doesn't necessarily save you anything.

a lawn service

How big is the yard? We moved from a townhouse with a tiny yard to a house on 0.12 acre and I didn't have to upgrade my electric mower - I just had to buy a longer cord. It's nice not having to worry about gassing it up, and it's light.

For yardwork: lawnmower, edger/weedwhacker, 2 rakes (so you can rake at the same time), snow shovel (and rock salt for winter) and dirt shovel (large and small), pruning shears (long-handled and short-handled), yard clippers, small hacksaw (for sawing off branches too big for the pruning shears), and probably some sort of aerating device for fall reseeding. Also a dandelion tool, which is the most useful weeding tool I've ever found. It is metal with a fork at the end like a snake's tongue. Clear bags for leaf collection and paper lawn bags for branches and larger debris.

Also, a six-foot ladder, a garden hose (or 2), an exterior push broom for your sidewalk/path, a couple of buckets, a good power drill and any tools you probably already have for your apartment. (hammer, flathead and phillips head screwdriver.) Light bulbs to fit every random fixture in the house. Smoke detector batteries, and flashlights + batteries for several places in the house.

Also, if you don't have a garage, you might consider a shed to keep your lawnmower dry. And a patio table and chairs so you can enjoy a beer after you've finished your yardwork.

I would recommend joining the neighborhood list serv or Freecycle and asking for some of these things on there. They don't all need to be new and then you can upgrade when you actually find yourself using something a lot or wanting different features.
For us:
- drill (lightweight)
- screwdriver with multiple heads
- pruning sheers
- trash can for yard waste (we use this kind of like a wheelbarrow also)
- rake and/or leaf blower
- lawnmower
- shovel (flat one for show and regular for digging)
- ladder

Anonymous wrote:+ Rake, hose, and a shit load of other stuff.

House suck up money like a hoover.

PP here - i forgot - a hose!

Depends on the condition of the yard and how much work you plan to do yourself, but we spent at least 2 thousand on various yard equipment when we first
Moved to our house. This was to save money on having others do some necessary landscaping, but also think wheelbarrow, regular shovel, pruning sheers, saw, weed wacker, in addition to the stuff already listed.

+ Rake, hose, and a shit load of other stuff.

House suck up money like a hoover.

and a lawn mower

Shed. Snow shovel. Power drill. Stud finder. Screw driver.

And you will have to spend $$ on blinds.

So, we are going from a 1 bedroom to a 3k sq ft house... what are we absolutely going to need for the house? I know that a lot of things are going to come up as we go along, but what are the essential tools/supplies you need to take care of a house?