Ten Things to Do Before You Move In

Before moving into a new house, people often take care of major structural, electrical or plumbing projects. But there are also a number of smaller projects that are easier to accomplish while you're still living somewhere else. So, for all of you soon-to-be homeowners out there, here are 10 projects you'll be glad you did before moving day.

Repair and Paint the Garage Floor
Before you load the garage with extra tires, garden tools and unpacked boxes (not to mention cars), it's a good idea to repair cracks in the concrete with masonry patching compound. You can even go a step further and finish the floor with a hard-wearing concrete paint. The most durable and stain-resistant concrete paints are epoxy-based, and some of them are specifically designed for garage floors. Epoxy-based paint costs a little more, but it'll give you a more durable finish.

If you plan to use your garage for workshop activities and storage, check out Garage Makeover.

Strip Wood Trim
This job takes a lot of elbow grease. But if you have beautiful old trim buried beneath layers of cracked and peeling paint, you'll be richly rewarded for your work. You'll need few tools and materials, but the job is messy and the chemicals are noxious. Your family will appreciate having this project completed before the move-in date. It's a good idea to strip a small area to see how long it will take. If the trim is contoured or ornate, stripping it could take months.

Tools
• Detail brush
• Molding scraper
• Steel wool

Materials
• Stripper

Remove Old Wallpaper
Though it's a simple job that requires just a few tools and materials, removing wallpaper is a sloppy process. Aside from the chemicals or steam that you'll use to loosen the adhesive, you'll also have a ton of sodden wallpaper to get rid of. For step-by-step instructions, see How to Remove Wallpaper.

Refinish Wood Floors
Redoing floors can be a major expense if you have a contractor do the work. Still, if your floors are sound and made of hardwood or yellow pine, it may be well worth it. A professional floor refinishing can have an incredible effect on your home's overall appearance. Of course, you can do the work yourself for much less, but if there's a lot of floor to cover, this can become an enormous job. (For more on this, check out our articles on Refinishing Wood Floors and Choosing a Wood-Floor Finish.) Before you choose either route, make sure the floor doesn't just need a heavy-duty cleaning.

Tools
• Paintbrush sets
• Rags

Materials
• Wood stain
• >Polyurethane
• Shellac

Clean or Replace Carpets
Don't fill your rooms with furniture and then try to deal with wall-to-wall carpeting. Get to it while the house is empty. Clean what's worth saving, and replace what isn't. Our Stain Removal Toolkit can give you some help with stubborn spots.

Tools
• Sponge

Materials
• Carpet cleaner
• Carpet protector

Upgrade Attic Insulation
Your prepurchase house inspection should include the attic insulation. If it's damp, compacted or foul smelling, have an insulation contractor remove it and install new material. Or, if you're adventurous, do it yourself.

Clean Fireplaces and Flues
This is another job that can really get messy. Just how messy depends on how often the previous owners cleaned the fireplace. A professional chimney sweep has the right equipment to do this job quickly and cleanly. Once again, it's a lot nicer not to live in the house until it's all over. If you'd like to tackle this yourself, our article Maintaining Your Chimney will tell you how.

Replace and Upgrade Exterior Door Locks
Your security is the main reason to change locks, but you can make another big improvement at the same time. Choosing new hardware gives you an opportunity to improve the look of any door. (For more information, check out our guide to Door and Window Security Hardware.) We have a wide selection of entry locksets and deadbolt locks. And installing them is an easy do-it-yourself job that's made even easier by our animated How-To.

Install Smoke Detectors
Your house should have smoke detectors on every floor. Be sure they're working properly before your family spends their first night in your new home. For more on installation and placement, see our article on smoke detectors.

Reorganize the Closets
A lot of closet accessories are available nowadays, from shelving units and storage bins to closet rods. Some of them are likely to improve your storage situation. Installing them is simple enough—but save yourself the extra work and do it before you move your clothes in.

Materials
• Storage bins
• Shelves
• Closet rods

Tim Snyder, writer, photographer and carpenter, was a senior editor at Fine Homebuilding magazine and executive editor of American Woodworker magazine. With TV personality Norm Abram, Snyder coauthored two books in the best-selling New Yankee Workshop series. He's also written books on deck design and furniture making.