or actually any house….

Useful things to have or to do:

Digital thermometer to accurately read wall and plumbing temperatures, that pipe is only 33 degrees? You want to know that*

A variety of screwdrivers, pliers, hammers, etc. I work at a garden/bird supply store, you wouldn’t believe the number of people who can’t fix their birdfeeder because they don’t have pliers or a screwdriver.

Extra light bulbs. They always go out at night….funny that. Same with batteries.

Not tools, but ultra important. Make friends, good friends with your plumber, the carpenter, the guy the delivers the oil, the admin for the guy that delivers the oil, the electrician, the insurance company, and if you use them, the garbage collectors and landscapers.

Know where the well and the septic system are.  Really, there are a lot of people out there that do not know these things.

Know where the shut offs for things are. All of them. It is the one you don’t know about that you need.

And so forth

*this is as likely an issue in a new house as an old one. Maybe more likely. Really old houses tend to have the plumbing inside interior walls or in cabinets/chases that can be opened. (which may mean just living with the fact that the kitchen cabinet has to stay open) New houses like to hide the plumbing behind faux walls with no air circulation and against the exterior. Out of sight out of mind…..