Building my first home this year, curious to know what OzBargainers think the most important items were to purchase first when moving in (i.e. what furniture/appliances).
Obviously when you start buying furniture the bill quickly adds up so I will be slowly filling my house with furniture.
So far I am thinking to have at the time of moving in:
Would love to hear your thoughts!
EDIT: Oven & Stove are included with the house
Oops I should have mentioned stove is included with the house, thanks!
Ok, maybe add a washing machine in replacement of that to my list
Washing Machine.
Microwave.
Kettle.
NBN
Wireless router
Ad blocker
Power boards
Extension cords
Microwave
Kettle
Toaster
Fridge
Cutlery
Glasses
Plates
I mean, it should be fairly obvious… Are you living with mum n dad currently?
Thanks for the reply, I was curious more about the bulky more expensive items which would you prioritise.
Yes currently still with my parents.
Gaming PC
Also consider what you might be using and how it's connected in the house.
Eg. additional power sockets, network cable and sockets in the walls, TV surround system cabling/location, internal-wall routing for TV cables, etc. I know it's not what you were after, but I encountered a few issues with my new build in this regard.
I would've thought the order of your purchasing would be on its importance or need to you/family.
Thanks, you raise a good point I have already asked for a few extra power-points here and there, will have to do a headcount of what I will need plugged in where.
And no harm getting a few extra of things. Eg. an additional power socket will be (say) $80 during build. It will be $250+ (assuming it can be installed at location) once the house is built.
Also think about things you think you might want later but don't want/need now. Eg. pendant lighting over island bench - we didn't get any but should we need to, the wiring and connection is in the ceiling to make for easy install later down the track.
Get some Cat 6 cable run around the house too
Sure wifi is getting better but nothing beats cable to each room and very cheap to run whilst building
Especially if house is 2 storey
Even run to just a couple of points and do a mesh from there
King size bed.
Make it Super King bed.
… plus electric blanket.
Have you built yet?… if not, you should consider getting ethernet cables run throughout the house back to a central point (patch panel, where you can put a switch and nbn router, etc)
also think about where you are going to have your TV. are you wanting to mount on the wall? get power points and ethernet points run to behind the TV and an in-wall conduit down to near floor level if you also are going to have other settop boxes/receiver/bluray/shieldTV.
oh and a dishwasher is handy if you hate doing it mostly by hand.
Also most new builds don't come with a washing line, so either one of those or clothes horse/rack
Some sort of table and chairs? Or you going to eat on the couch/bed/floor/standing up?
Dishwasher.
I thought this thread was more about what you learnt from building a house.
Not what i should prioritise when i move into my first home.
Having Build and Renovate my House
I looked at the Paladin and decided to go in the end with a heat pump that I can control via a smart plug.
Lube
just moved in to a new place 2/3 weeks ago. have been non stop doing things!
first purchase was washing machine and a sonos one, followed by a couch (well sofabed)
only just ordered a fridge yesterday, however unsure when the store will get stock.
other purchases i remember making:
a good cordless drill (for mounting and putting together random stuff, good drill is worth it ive saved so much time)
curtains or blinds
hand towels
clothes airer
pillows
letterbox (and numbers)
trash bins
i'm a believer of buying things when you need them - i had a tv on my list but i never actually watch tv, so got rid of it on my list and got a speaker instead.
i haven't needed to use a microwave at all, any reheating done on stove and im enjoying it more (but see how long that lasts)
and don't RUSH and get things just because you need them! take your time, took me 2 weeks to find a couch pillow i liked! unless it's essential obviously
just saw your comment about mainly big things - for me its actually been the small things which have been the most annoying!
like, cooking was a PAIN until i bought knives and block (ikea 365) draining beans and pasta a pain until i got a strainer - i was stirring pasta with chopsticks and that was so annoying too, same with dish rack
first shower was weird as no bath mat, so went out and bought one later that day.
had a friend over a few days later and had to give her a spare towel to wash her hands, found some nice hand towels on the weekend.
and don't go overboard with buying things as you said - i have two hand towels, one in each bathroom. chuck them in the wash with the towels each week, dry them and put them back that night :) that way you don't put off washing them for weeks
Things I wish I did (some may seem trivial)-
- Have gutter brackets on the outside so they can be cleaned easier (I have a bracket to get around every 2 meters)
- you can never have enough powerpoints, especially in kitchen but don't forget hallways and walk in wardrobes. Also try to get some PowerPoints with USB charging points too (I think that is a thing) especially in bedrooms/lounge etc. I have 3 teenagers so half of the power points in the house get used for charging something.
- Conduit put in for data cabling at a later date. With 5G coming that may not be relevant to you but that's what I thought about wifi 15 years ago yet I still find times I wish I had ethernet connection.
- Include alfresco area under main roof (instead of pergola). We always planned to do it but took us 10 years in the end.
- Garage doors tall enough to store a caravan (I have sloping driveway so caravan wont fit due to the driveway angle)
- exhaust fan in the toilets (not sure why my house does not have them?)
- I got 6 TV areal points throughout the house but now mainly watch streaming services (I honestly don't think I would install a tv antenna if I built again)
- provisions for wall mounted TVs
- Make sure they tile under kitchen cupboards. My wife wants to renovate the kitchen (covert a wrap-around bench to an island bench) but that means we need to find the same tiles again.
- get a double sink. I have a 1 and 1/2 sink for some reason?
- Install a 3 way water filter tap
Things I am glad I did
- alter the house plan to my liking. I had a wall moved to increase my ensuite size (this made shower, wall length mirror and cupboards bigger).
- used semi-recessed basin to allow narrow cupboards in the ensuite (makes the space bigger)
- His and Hers basins
- built-in computer desk the length of the "study" (study is approx. 2.5m x 4m)
if your toilet is a separate room it only has to have a window, not mandatory for an extraction fan unless there is no window.
And the reason for the 1 and a half sink is because I presume you have a dishwasher.
i would say furnitures and appliances are not important at all. but think + plan what + where you are going to use in the house so you can check the floor plan + electrical plan properly.
these 3 things i think are important
power point + ethernet data outlet + lighting
make sure you have enough power points throughout the house, some builder try to save money, they don't install many, add more if you can.
ethernet outlet in every bedroom and locations of where you would put tv and wireless router, don't reply on wifi
lighting, dining table lights, mirror lights, outdoor lights etc, if you are not sure what lights to use, get them to provide electrical point wiring only.
and if you are installing security cameras, have them run the electrical wiring too
try to match furniture otherwise it will all look out of place.
ceiling cavity walking boards - so you dont fall through the roof into the house while stepping through the roof trusses..
I have ducted gas the unit is in the ceiling, so lighting in the ceiling cavity for service etc
and with the man hole, have a 'landing' board that you can step onto, mines about 1.5m square, also makes servicing of the heater easier
power points in the ceiling cavity - makes it easy to put in downlights that have a plug and for exhaust fans
external power points - great for when you have a BBQ etc
With power points, use doubles - you can get 'wide-spaced' doubles, so use them.. eg: nothing worse than when your Google plug crowds a standard double power point
light switches at both ends of a large room, i.e from the entry though the family room and out into a hallway, turn on or off from either end.
If house has toilets near living areas get plumber to modify installation to include an odour fan
http://www.odourvac.com.au/system.html
Cheap at build, impossible later. I don’t need this because I smell beautiful, but wife uses words like stench and revolting 🤔
Think about future lighting and get points and switches installed, including outside security lighting, surveillance.
As much as possible, beg, borrow furniture, even appliances at first. Then buy quality stuff you really like bit by bit as you save for it.
Blinds and carpet(optional)
Fridge
Kingsize (at least) bed.
Washing machine (and dryer if you can afford) - make sure models you select fit with your laundry layout.
House number/letterbox (not always supplied with new builds unless specified)
Window covering of your choice (needed for the first night in residence so may need to be near top of list).
Lounge.
Dining table (if you still use one).
Lawnmower (unless you can borrow one for a while)
Good quality sheets and towels - will last longer and feel so much better.
Kettle/jug
Battery powered drill with wood/metal bits and screwdriver set.
Hammer (when the screwdriver just isn't enough)
Full length wall-mounted desk for computer etc.
If wall mounting TVs it can be worth having builder block in behind the wall where it will likely be mounted. Costs little but makes it much more secure.
Wall mounts for cupboards/units/chest of drawers for when kids start climbing.
You can never have too many power points (and CAT6 outlets too).
Get NBN done as early as possible. It's usually 3 weeks but if something goes wrong it could be months.
Blinds/curtains. They normally take 6 weeks to be manufactured. We had to stick up paper on the windows for privacy reasons. Looked awful.
Letterbox & house numbers if not already included.
Bed, sofa
Sheets, towels
Lawnmower and edger/trimmer
Stove/oven
Fridge
Bed
Couch
Everything else can wait