What Do I Need To Know For My First House

[OneShotFOGE]

Im far from an expert prepper but Ive been working at this for about 2 years now. I always keep water and food on hand, and have a decent amount of guns and ammo. Been reading up on tons of stuff, especially here.

But one of my shortfalls has been renting an apartment for the last few years. Well, I just put an offer in on a house, and will likely be moving in within the next couple months. What kind of advice can INGO give me on protecting my home, and being prepared. This place is out of town a little bit, so we plan on putting some shelving in downstairs to store some food. Also the gf wants to start a garden, which Im thrilled with, even though I dont know the first thing about gardening. haha.

Thanks in advance for any advice guys!

 

[TaunTaun]

Start combing through some of the threads here. There are links to great sources for ebooks, texts, and first hand accounts on many projects. This area of the forum is one of the most useful places I've found for gathering info.

 

[eric001]

On a mundane line of thought, you might want to think of investing in one or two chest freezers for food storage as well. Something that has no auto-defrost cycle and will keep food fresh much longer. Given the precedent set by weather in the last couple of months, you might also want to look at alternative energy that would fit your property and budget--something to at least make life more pleasant when the grid goes down for days at a time. Backup generators are great, but are limited by fuel requirements and are very noisy; alternative energies have their limitations too, but neither of the previous would give you away to those looking to "liberate" a genny for their own purposes.

Just a couple thoughts to get you started.
Good luck with the home purchase--hope things work out well for ya!

 

[KittySlayer]

OPSEC... be careful what you tell the neighbors and what you let them see until you get to know them. Once you know them probably be even more careful. Same goes for contractors, be there to supervise, have them focus on thier task and not be a busy body nosing around at your other stuff. What has been seen cannot be unseen.

Safety... get smoke detectors, CO monitors, fire extinguishers. Talk through your escape routes for fire, hiding places for tornados, safe room/retreat room and plan for dealing with an intruder(s).

New locks, all keyed alike with quality, keyed deadbolts. Good window locks. Walk the perimeter and harden the house. Hidden safe or secure place(s) in house for valuables and weapons.

Travel routes... how will you and cutie pie get home from work, etc. What's your alternate route and your backup route? Where are your rally point(s) if you can't get home or have to evacuate the home? Practice the different routes that each will take.

 

[OneShotFOGE]

Like a deep freeze? Thats a good idea. Probably going to just get a little backup generator for now. The place does have a wood burning stove too, so theres that.

Thanks man!

On a mundane line of thought, you might want to think of investing in one or two chest freezers for food storage as well. Something that has no auto-defrost cycle and will keep food fresh much longer. Given the precedent set by weather in the last couple of months, you might also want to look at alternative energy that would fit your property and budget--something to at least make life more pleasant when the grid goes down for days at a time. Backup generators are great, but are limited by fuel requirements and are very noisy; alternative energies have their limitations too, but neither of the previous would give you away to those looking to "liberate" a genny for their own purposes.

Just a couple thoughts to get you started.
Good luck with the home purchase--hope things work out well for ya!

 

[OneShotFOGE]

Well, for the most part, I only have one neighbor really. But thats good advice not to show my hand. Got a CO monitor. May have to get smoke detectors; cant recall if the place had them. I do have a safe, but need a bigger one for the long guns.

You've given me a lot to think about. Thanks KittySlayer. haha that name.

OPSEC... be careful what you tell the neighbors and what you let them see until you get to know them. Once you know them probably be even more careful. Same goes for contractors, be there to supervise, have them focus on thier task and not be a busy body nosing around at your other stuff. What has been seen cannot be unseen.

Safety... get smoke detectors, CO monitors, fire extinguishers. Talk through your escape routes for fire, hiding places for tornados, safe room/retreat room and plan for dealing with an intruder(s).

New locks, all keyed alike with quality, keyed deadbolts. Good window locks. Walk the perimeter and harden the house. Hidden safe or secure place(s) in house for valuables and weapons.

Travel routes... how will you and cutie pie get home from work, etc. What's your alternate route and your backup route? Where are your rally point(s) if you can't get home or have to evacuate the home? Practice the different routes that each will take.

 

[Zoub]

Just start by trying to have everything you need for 72 hours at home. A good way to do that is always buy stuff when it is 2 for 1 or half price and put half of it aside. The other day my GF made the comment that I had just bought a years worth of paper towels. A bit of an exaggeration but she KNEW why I did it, it was marked way down. I also stashed a half dozen cans of her favorite soups in one of her many dresser drawers. She has yet to find it but hey, they were on sale!

It is always fun to see what you can get for an extra $10-$20 and how far you can stretch it. Do that twice a month and you have $500-$1000 worth of preps in a year and it is all stuff you actually eat or use. Not crap no one likes.

Good point on neighbors. Back your vehicle into your garage when you unpack guns and ammo from the move. At our first house, during the first winter a neighbors garage was broken into. He followed tracks in rain and mud, came and got me to have me look at them. He called the cops, they went over there and he was already gone. Few hours later cops come back with a pic asking if that was the guy. Yes it is. He had recently been featured on Americas Most Wanted. The guy left so fast he even left his cat behind.

You don't know your new neighbors and you are the FNG to them and they all will discuss you in their conversations and anything they see.

 

[OneShotFOGE]

Good advice man. I definitely stock up on food I eat. I know some people like to bulk up on cheap stuff, but I would never eat that unless I were in a dire situation. I agree with buying good food.

Just start by trying to have everything you need for 72 hours at home. A good way to do that is always buy stuff when it is 2 for 1 or half price and put half of it aside. The other day my GF made the comment that I had just bought a years worth of paper towels. A bit of an exaggeration but she KNEW why I did it, it was marked way down. I also stashed a half dozen cans of her favorite soups in one of her many dresser drawers. She has yet to find it but hey, they were on sale!

It is always fun to see what you can get for an extra $10-$20 and how far you can stretch it. Do that twice a month and you have $500-$1000 worth of preps in a year and it is all stuff you actually eat or use. Not crap no one likes.

 

[actaeon277]

Back up generator.

Back up source of heat.

Look at all the ceilings for water damage.
Find out if any of the pipes require "special" attention during cold weather. Maybe there's one that needs a light bulb kept near it to keep it from freezing.

Get in the habit of checking doors locked before going to bed.

 

[Brandon]

besides the stuff mentioned above.
alarm, cameras, exterior lights if not already there

 

[88GT]

Im far from an expert prepper but Ive been working at this for about 2 years now. I always keep water and food on hand, and have a decent amount of guns and ammo. Been reading up on tons of stuff, especially here.

But one of my shortfalls has been renting an apartment for the last few years. Well, I just put an offer in on a house, and will likely be moving in within the next couple months. What kind of advice can INGO give me on protecting my home, and being prepared. This place is out of town a little bit, so we plan on putting some shelving in downstairs to store some food. Also the gf wants to start a garden, which Im thrilled with, even though I dont know the first thing about gardening. haha.

Thanks in advance for any advice guys!

Gardening is easy. It's hard work, but it doesn't take a vast knowledge base. I started one 4 years ago and have been going gang-busters ever since. Take the time to PLAN the garden. You might want to wait a season and limit your efforts to container crops until you see how your particular piece of property is affected by sun/light, rain, wind, etc. Site location is terribly important in terms of minimum requirements. Meet those and there's not much you can't do. But have one go awry and it will likely double your efforts trying to maintain it.

I recommend http://www.amazon.com/The-Vegetable-Gardeners-Bible-Edition/dp/160342475X. Quite possibly the only book you will ever need for gardening. Even if you opt not to put in the effort of raised beds (whether plank-sided or free), the information on growing each of the vegetables, rotation considerations, companion planting, etc. is invaluable. Though I have never found a need for it, the other highly recommended book is Square Foot Gardening.

Don't grow what you won't eat, but don't be afraid to experiment with new things either. We planted peanuts one year for fun. I'll be trying brussels sprouts for the first time this year (just found out I like them. Who knew!?!). Don't start with a massive garden. Start with a few beds/rows/containers and as the experience/knowledge increases, then expand. There are several garden threads in this forum. A few have followed the growing season as people share how things progress. Those are my favorite.

How will you preserve the food you grow in your garden if you don't intend to consume it all as it is harvested? If you don't already know how, learn to can. Plenty of threads on canning in this forum too.

I would say have a plan for at least a week without power. If you can swing a generator to power some things, all the better. But if you plan for not having it, then you'll be that much better off.

Without knowing the condition of your home, I'm just going to throw out some thoughts. Upgrade windows if you have wooden or aluminum ones. Vinyl replacements are easy to install. And the savings in energy costs is drastic. New doors if the current ones are leaky, ill-fitting, less-secure. Take the extra effort to reinforce the door by using 3-4" screws into the 2x4 framing where appropriate (threads on this also available on the forum). Proper insulation in the attic. Proper venting in the attic. Is "downstairs" a basement? Does it seep? Does it "flood" or get standing water in heavy rains? Can you fix that with exterior improvement to grading/gutters/etc? Are there windows there? What can you do to improve efficiency/security in these areas? A good roof, good gutters, and proper water diversion are absolutely necessary. Septic? Keep it pumped regularly. Keep furnace filters changed regularly.

Will you be having the home inspected as part of the purchase process? I highly recommend it. At least so that you know what you're buying. (And go talk to the neighbors. I know you said you don't have much in the way of neighbors, but they know things the real estate professionals involved in the transaction won't know/won't tell.)

Okay, I have to go fix dinner. That should keep you busy.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

On a more emergency-oriented basis: Does the house you're wanting to buy have a basement? If not, I would consider buying/building a tornado shelter (underground), which, if planned properly, would be a logical space to store emergency preps and might provide additional security for your family.

 

[Rooster 308]

I guess I would want to get to know the neighbors well if they are good people. A good neighbor is worth a lot.

Besides that make sure you have a good well/water source. If in the country, a large dog or two might be good to have.

 

[OneShotFOGE]

Never considered using a light to keep pipes from freezing. Thanks man.

I have a good habit of checking the doors at my apt, but Im going to have to check a few more than Im used to now.

 

[OneShotFOGE]

Thanks for the input! I'll be grabbing that book to get started. It'll at least make the gf happy to see me taking an interest in it.

I dont know anything about canning, but apparently the gf does, so pretty sure thats what we'll be doing. We complement each other very well.

Probably wont get a genny right away, but plan on getting on before next winter. We are going to be stocking up on food for at least a week, likely more. Even in my apt, Im pretty good about this. Mostly cause I just love to eat haha.

Downstairs is the main level, but their is a small basement. Enough for a gym and storage. No windows in the basement. And yes, just scheduled the home inspection for next week actually. Its a little pricey but Im sure its money well spent.

I just found out that one of my "neighbors" (hes about a mile or two away, is a friend of my coworker. He compared them to the Duck Dynasty guys so they should be awesome neighbors. And yeah, that'll keep my busy! Thanks again. Really appreciate all the help Im getting here.

 

[teddy12b]

The biggest prep that gets glanced over is the most important prep for your life, water. Apartments are one thing, but now that you've got a house, there's really no excuse for not having water on hand. The blue 5 or 7 gallon water jugs at the big box stores are a cheap way to keep a portable amount of water on hand at all times. Even out of the city, you can find times when the water isn't working.

If you've got a basement, get a battery backup sump pump. If you don't have one, you're wrong. I know plenty of people who didn't spend less than $1,000 for a battery backup and ended up having to pay $10,000 or more to repair/refinish a basement that was ruined by water.

Personally, I don't have a big generator, but I've got one of those little cheapo $90 on sale harbor freight 800watt generators. They're good enough to run a small power tool if needed, a small electric heater, a utility pump if you've got to get the water out of somewhere, etc. It's a handy little generator for less than $100 that can get you by and at least you have one option.

A little pull behind utility cart is worth it's weight in gold. I don't know how much space you've got, or what you're plans are, but having a four wheel utility cart that you can either manually pull or connect to a little lawn tractor could go a long way towards helping you get work done without wearing yourself out. The one I have isn't the greatest, but it works and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Gardening is tough if you want to be successful at it. I suck at gardening, and I mean I really suck at it. Last year we were in our house for our first year and we put our garden in a nice low spot that looked pretty. Unfortunately, that's where all the water from all the surrounding areas gathers and the garden was drowned out. Site selection for a garden is critical. Next year, we're going to do some raised beds and try to get it done right. That seems to be the way to go.

Fruit Trees are so awesome. If you're going to be at this residence for a couple years, why not plant some fruit trees if you've got the space. Gardening is great, but it takes time to learn and then there's weeds to pull. Fruit trees require digging a hole, putting a tree in it, adding water and mulch to the top of it and you're pretty much good except for pruning and eating fruit. I don't have a green thumb by any stretch of the imagination and every little vegetable I planted is almost sentenced to death because of my lack of skills, but my fruit trees are rock stars because they're hard to screw up. If space is limited, get a 3 in 1 tree that would grow three types of fruit on the same tree. You could have multiple apples, on a single tree that would pollinate itself. If you've got room, space them out 10' on center and plant as many as you can afford. Last year I wait till Lowes got fruit trees in stock at the end of March and I jumped on it and took the best picks. Last fall I bought more off of ebay that were shipped bare root. Both batches of trees were great quality and now I've got over a dozen apple trees, 2 pears, 2 peaches, 3 cherry, and a bunch of paw paw's. It'll probably be next year before the trees produce any sizeable amounts of food, but when they do it'll start to pay for itself and help the land/house/family be more self sufficient. All of that and I don't have to pull weeds to make that miracle happen.

FYI, this is an outstanding youtube video on fruit trees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV2kr50K7Is Dave Wilson Nursery has a great series of videos that span the life of the trees for years and shows you results over time.

 

[JollyMon]

Know where your water shutoff is and if there are any ways to turn off water to the outside spigots (during winter). That is one of the best way to protect your house from potential damage during winter or any other "water" emergency.

 

[churchmouse]

Security.....Motion lights around the house.
As mentioned..new locks keyed alike and dead bolts.
Secure the door jambs to the studs. Door jambs are a freaking joke if you have ever seen one not yet installed.
Pinned hinges. If you do the jambs and hinges with a good metal door it will be pretty hard to kick in the door.
Add a kick stick and the doors are secure.

Energy....Back up genny. Sized to carry the essentials.
It is expensive to put together but down the road consider a battery/invertor back up for low load things such as lights and electronics.

Rain water catch for watering the Garden. There is a lot of info in the forum about these. Well worth the effort/expense.

There is so much more but you will catch on as you go.

Congrates on the house and escaping the Apt.

 

[OneShotFOGE]

Well, Ive been good at buying cases of water bottles but thats really not much water. Might be time to step up to the big leagues and get some of those blue water jugs. I do have a sump pump at this place. Not sure if it has a battery backup. Will have to check that out.

I have a barn, which is essentially just a two door garage, but thats in addition to the attached garage. So I'll have plenty of space for yards tools and what not. Maybe a sports car or an old Bronco some day haha.

I was thinking raised beds as I read your experience with gardening. I have no on hands experience, but I took a class in college and apparently a couple things stuck with me. Pretty sure the gf wanted to do raised beds as well, which would ve been my suggestion. Im sure the first year of gardening will be rough, but we'll live and learn. Should be kinda fun, and a nice excuse to get outside.

Tons of trees are behind my yard. Its heavily wooded. I'll have to scope it out for fruit, but guessing I'll have to plant my own, which would be great to have on hand. Great idea. Thanks man!

 

[OneShotFOGE]

The apt was fun and convenient but it was a concern. I feel good with this decision. Thanks for the input!