Since I am currently in the process of moving to a new home, I have many items to finish and projects to work on before possession date!
There are always so many details and considering how little time we actually spend looking at prospective houses, you can miss a lot of things. When you have decided on the house of your dreams it may need some renovation; make a list of items you may need for the new place.
Write down a count of lights that you want to replace and the types you need. Do they need to be tight to the ceiling or can they be hung on a chain?
This is very important around doors that may swing and interfere with the light – especially in entryways. Check clearance above bathroom mirrors as these spaces can be tight for space. Bathroom lights can sometimes be installed facing up or down which gives you a little more flexibility for space.
Carefully consider whether the existing light is the style you like and if it has enough candlepower. For instance, some ceiling buttons in hallways or closets may only hold one or two bulbs. You can easily replace these with ceiling buttons containing three bulbs which dramatically increases the light from a single fixture.
Paint colours are very important! On a second visit to the house take your current linens or sofa toss cushions to see if it will work in the home. It makes sense if you have some flexible days after possession to paint the house before moving in. Often people say they will get to it later but once everything is placed in a room the motivation to re-colour can be hard to find.
If you are planning on painting, hire a designer for one hour to go to the second viewing with you and paint choices will be so much easier than doing it on your own. This can save costly colour mistakes and can save you money re-coating a badly chosen paint!
You may be considering flooring for your new purchase and this can take a few weeks to put together. Most real estate agents will book a time for a flooring estimator to go to the house and measure for new flooring. Our estimator Matt draws a full-scale blueprint of your home so that we can plan the perfect choices even before you take possession!
This also gives you a clear budget and lets you know what you can expect for the cost of new flooring. It is a very handy tool to have not only for new flooring but for special planning, furniture placement and just to aid your memory as to what the layout of the house actually looks like.
It is also a good idea to check out the window coverings. Nothing is worse than moving in and either having no window coverings or insufficient ones. Your first night in your new home and you are putting your jammies on with the lights off so the neighbours don’t see you…or you are ripped out of bed at 5 a.m. by a blinding sunrise.
These items can be measured and ordered in advance for your convenience.
With everything happening in buying a new house, you want your early days in the home to be as pleasurable and stress-free as possible, it just takes a little planning ahead.
Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre. Contact her at 403-343-7711 ext. 227 or email her at klewis@carpetcolourcentre.com.
