Project Managing and Building My Own Home – Part 2.

Check all of your appliances are working. 
Although we had bought our oven some time ago, it wasn’t until it was installed and we went to use it that we noticed it had a fault. We ended up without an oven for two weeks whilst we waited for it to be serviced/repaired. It was very challenging hosting friends and family who wanted to come for dinner to celebrate the big move (thank goodness for slow cookers!). If you are building through a building company, the final “walk through” should cover this (if appliances were included in the install).

Pack in advance and label all boxes – “cushions, cutlery, kitchen items, bedding” etc. 
This way, the boxes can be placed in the relevant places within the house to speed up the unpacking process.

Call out to friends and family for help – not just for heavy lifting but also to help clean prior to the move too! 
If you cant afford a commercial cleaner or your building company does not supply one as part of their contract, be prepared for a days work in cleaning (you will be surprised how well dust can hide e.g on top of architraves, in draws etc).

Organise draws and cupboards based on functionality and use, and buy trays and boxes to store items so they look nice and tidy. 

Make sure you are happy with artworks or paintings locations before hanging them up – this will limit damage to paint (even if you do use adhesive hooks).

When you are moving in, ALWAYS start with making your bed (and no, not for the reason you may think!).
If you are tired after the big shift and don’t get everything done, you still have a bed to sleep in

Make sure you have essential items to avoid a trip to the supermarket.
For example, milk and toilet paper!

Be ready for pets. 
Pets need time to settle in to a new home and to feel comfortable with their new surroundings. Keep cats inside for a week or so to get used to the smells. If you let them out early they are likely to try and make their way to their old home. If you are keeping them inside (even in the garage) and still want to be able to secure the home, ask for pet senors to be installed. This allows you to turn the alarm on without it triggering by the pets.

Ask your painter for the leftover paint. For those ‘whoopsie’ moments that need touching up!

Have fun decorating – bring colour and life in to your home with art, rugs, knick-knacks and decor.

Don’t worry if its not perfect or if the outside areas are not complete – good things take time! Sometimes its not a bad thing to live in the home before making landscaping or decorating decisions.

Ensure the home and your contents are insured accurately.

Have all documents ready for the final inspection (if you are organising these things yourself) 
e.g as built drainage plan, waterproofing product specs and applicator warranty, electrical certificate etc – this speeds up the COC process. If you are building with a building company, trust that they will have this under control – but feel free to ask for updates.

Quirky additions to think about:

USB  powerpoint. 
These are very handy in rooms where you like to charge your phone and plug in USB devices e.g the side of the kitchen bench, bedrooms etc. Picture attached.

Sensor lights.
Our tread lights in the hallway and our strip lights in the bathroom have got to be my favourite! They turn on via sensor, so as you enter the room the lights turn on. Awesome for little ones when getting up at night to use the bathroom. We also put a sensor light in the scullery, so if you are half asleep and craving a midnight snack, there is no need to find the switch!

Check your slide shower/rain head are going to work for you based on your height. 
I purchased a rain head that I just adored, but unfortunately, the removable shower head does not slide all the way down the rail, so its too high for me to enjoy without getting my hair wet each time! My Fiance just loves it though – and I will never hear the end of it!

Built in headboards don’t just look good but they are super handy too! 
You can display all of your knick-knacks on it, as well as your phone, reading book etc.

Some great tips in here – whether you are building with a company or managing your own build, there are always those small things you didn’t expect or think about at the time.

Thanks for sharing Tiffany!