First round is on me.

So - what will you have?

Me, I will have a bloody mary, please, Duchess!

Congrats dip!

Raises coffee mug (don't worry- I snuck some bailey's in )

To Dip: The best of luck and we wish you many years of happiness in your new home. I'll pass along what my dad said to me when I bought my home: water is your enemy as a homeowner!

Cheers!

following buccs' example:

My dad's words of congratulations were: Welcome to the poor house - but at least it's YOUR poor house!

Congrats, again Dip! May you fill your new home with many happy memories!

Congrats Dip!!!!!!!!!

::tips a glug of goodness is KT's diet DP::

back atcha

Ditto the coffee w/Bailey's - cup held high.

Have fun decorating but live in it a little while before you do anything major.

Flea markets and yard sales are great resources. You never know what you may find.

Tip: always use primer if you are painting light over dark paint.

Good gracious this. ^^^^^

We painted a purple kitchen (!) white, and it took 4 coats, because we didn't primer. Don't make that mistake.

I would also agree not to do anything major before living in the place- but if you want to paint ANYTHING, now is the time to do so. Painting is so much less stressful when you don't have to work around furniture. And if you're planning on replacing carpet- you have a build in drop cloth

Congratulations Dip!

Here are the words of wisdom my family gave me when I bought my home:

Everything will take longer than you think!

followed by....

If you need a certain tool, go buy it!

Don't cheap out now... it will only cost you more in the long run.

And as DEL said, if you need a certain tool, buy (or rent) it! You would be amazed at how much time, stress, time, labor and time having the right tools can save you. Trust us, you will always find a use for it again down the road.

Good tools, both hand and power, are always worth the investment.

my dad's sage words were "lock your doors." he's always been a trifle worrisome.

anyway - congratulations! make it yours!

regarding tools:

Depending on your level of handiness, you may or may not want to pick up that table saw at home depot. This is what I've found useful for basic stuff:

Socket Set
Drill (and a set of drill bits)
Ikea's "Fixa" tool set. Seriously the best tool purchase I've ever made. It comes with a hammer, pliers (with wire cutter), screwdriver with interchangable bits, and an adjustable crescent wrench. They're all well-made. The best part? 8 bucks.
Duct, masking, and electrical tape. Keep all on hand at all times. I cannot tell you how frustrating it was when I replaced a light fixture and I had to leave mid-project to get some electrical tape.
A supply of nails and screws. Incredibly handy.
I'm sure there's more I'm not including, but this is the stuff that was really helpful to me.

don't forget the handcuffs!!!

In addition to those above:

WD-40
two paint brushes
roller with pads
paint tray
tape measure
level

Welcome to the exciting world of home ownership! I especially enjoy the tax writeoffs...and chasing kids out of the yard.

All this talk of tools in the Cooler is making me uncomfortable...

Congrats, Dip!

Oh come on - everyone knows you only really need two tools in life: duct tape and WD40.

If it moves and shouldn't, apply duct tape. If if doesn't move and should, apply WD40.

Thanks FBH - was going to mention something else about painting. (we painted the entirety of our 2000 sqft house in 5 days between posession and move in. And we were both working full time.) Don't get cheap paint rollers. Your walls will reflect it. Purdy makes really good ones.

Never start a major project if your local home depot or lowes is not open.

I just painted a whole house as well in about a week...

Hire painters.

But if that is not in your budget, yes, Purdy makes great rollers. Only kind I use. And get plenty of paint tray liners... just pennies apieve, and much easier to toss when done versus tryign to clean paint trays.

Also, if you don't finish with the same color paint by the time you want to quit, wrap the roller or brush really well with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight, less time cleaning your brushers/rollers.

And don't use oil based paint to paint a ceiling.

Or be prepared to bathe in turpentine.

Screw that.... buy lots of rollers. They too are cheap, and you never get them as clean as they are new.

Rollers and paint brushes stuffed into baggies and into the refrigerator saves countless gallons of water and lots of time. Just clean then once...when you are done!!

Congrats Dip! I bet she has the day off and isn't reading any of this.