When you work in housebuilding, you pick up quite a few moving-day tips along the way. Some are practical, some come from experience and others are things we’ve heard from customers who, with hindsight, would have done things a little differently. So forget the usual checklist for a minute. If one of our friends was getting the keys to a new home tomorrow, this is the advice we’d give them.
1. Make your bed before you do anything else
Trust us on this one.
Moving day always seems to go faster than expected and unpacking nearly always takes longer. By the time evening comes around, the last thing you’ll want to do is search for bedding and start making the bed. Get it done early, while you still have the energy. Put your toiletries and a change of clothes somewhere easy to find while you’re at it. You can then unpack for as long as you like, safe in the knowledge that you can call it a day whenever you’ve had enough.
2. Take a photo before you fill it with boxes
You’ve probably seen your home at different stages of the build, visited it as it’s taken shape and spent plenty of time imagining what it’ll look like with all your things in it. On moving day, remember to take a photo while it’s still empty before you start unloading your moving van.
In a few years’ time, it’s surprisingly nice to look back at your home on the day you got the keys – before the furniture arrived, before you decorated and before you’d worked out which kitchen cupboard was going to become that cupboard. It only takes a few minutes.
3. Learn three things about your home
There’s quite a lot of information to take in when you get the keys to a new home and nobody expects you to remember all of it. If you remember three things, make it:
- where your stopcock is
- where your consumer unit is
- and how to use your heating controls.
Keep the rest of your handover information somewhere sensible and come back to it when you need it. Trying to learn the workings of your ventilation system while a removals van is being unloaded outside probably isn’t the best use of moving day.
4. Leave the trickle vents open
This is one of those small things that makes a difference in a new home. The materials used to build your home contain moisture and the house will continue to dry naturally after you move in. Keeping air moving through it helps that process. So leave the trickle vents open and use your extractor fans when you’re cooking or showering. You don’t need to have every window in the house open and you certainly don’t need to sit in the cold. Just let the ventilation built into your home do its job.
5. Wait before buying that extra piece of furniture
If you’ve already got an online basket full of lamps, chairs and side tables, maybe leave it there for a week or two. It’s difficult to know exactly how you’ll use a room until you’ve lived in it.
That spot you thought needed an armchair might be where everyone naturally walks through to the garden. The spare bedroom might work better with the desk on the opposite wall. You might decide you actually like having a bit more space. There’s no need to have every room ‘finished’ straight away – even when you are excited to show it off to everyone in person and on social media.
In our experience, homes usually end up better when they’re allowed to evolve a little.
6. If something makes a strange noise, find out what it is
The first night in a new home can be quite strange, regardless of being in a new build home. Suddenly you’re very aware of every click, hum and gurgle. Usually, it’s simply the sound of a house you don’t know yet – the heating coming on, ventilation running or pipework doing what pipework does. You’ll stop noticing most of it surprisingly quickly.
If there’s a noise you’re concerned about, though, ask us. You’re not bothering anyone and we’d rather check than have you wondering what it is every night.
7. Don’t get the filler out at the first sign of a crack
Fine cracks can appear as a new home dries and settles, particularly around door frames, skirting boards and where walls and ceilings meet. If you spot one, you don’t need to panic or immediately reach for the filler.
Small settlement cracks are common and there’s more information about them in our Home Hub. It’s also worth allowing your home to go through its initial settling period before doing lots of decorating. Otherwise you could end up doing the same bit twice.
If a crack looks more substantial or you’re worried about it, speak to us.
8. Go easy on the new lawn
New turf looks ready to use from the moment it goes down. Underneath, though, the roots still need time to establish themselves in the soil. Remember to keep it watered, especially if the weather is warm or dry, and try to keep people off it for a little while – that includes resisting the urge to put the garden furniture straight out.
There’s a full guide to looking after new turf in our Home Hub if you want to know when to water, mow and start using your lawn normally.
9. Accept that you won’t unpack everything
There will probably be a box that follows you around for months and that’s okay. You’ll move it from the hallway to the spare room. From the spare room to a cupboard. Eventually you’ll open it and wonder why you packed half of it in the first place. That’s just part of moving house.
Get the things you actually need sorted first and take your time with everything else. Your first weekend in your new home doesn’t need to be spent trying to make it look as though you’ve lived there for six months. Enjoy getting to know your new neighbourhood instead.
One last thing from us
Always ask questions. We know your home because we built it but we also know that most of this will be completely new to you.
You might forget something you were shown during your handover and you might not be sure whether something is working as it should. Sometimes you might just want somebody to tell you, “Yes, that’s perfectly normal.”
Give us a call.
We don’t disappear once we’ve handed over the keys. Our site manager will be looking after you for the first couple of weeks after moving and then after that, you’ll be introduced to your designated Customer Care team. We are still here to help while you get settled and make sure you get to know your new home fully. After all, buying from Owl Homes isn’t meant to feel like a transaction that ends on moving day. It’s the day you finally get to start living there.
