Entryway Essentials
Keys, shoes, coats and mail: the things that stop clutter from piling up at the front door. 10 items.
Day one
For the first night
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A mat inside and outside each door keeps grit from the moving truck from scratching your new floors on move day.
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You can't know how many keys the previous owners, contractors and neighbors still have, so rekey every exterior door, including the one from the garage.
Owners say: One $15 Kwikset or Prime-Line kit rekeys about six locks; a 118-point reply did six cylinders in under an hour. Hardware-store counters rekey cylinders you bring in for $5–10 each. (Reddit)
First week
The first normal week of living there
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Closings often hand over only one or two keys; cut a copy for each adult and one for a trusted neighbor after you rekey.
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Keeps wet, muddy shoes off hardwood at the door you actually use, which in a house is often the garage or side door.
First month
Once you’re settled
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Many houses have no coat closet by the everyday door, and a row of hooks stops coats and keys landing on the kitchen counter.
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If a door has only a knob lock or a flimsy deadbolt, a Grade 1 or 2 deadbolt with 3-inch strike-plate screws is the most effective lock upgrade you can make.
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Shows who's at the door and deters package theft; check whether your existing doorbell wiring works or you need a battery model.
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Older sliding patio doors can be lifted off their tracks, and a bar in the track stops the door from being forced open.
Later
Upgrades and nice-to-haves
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A keypad ends lockouts and lets you give and revoke codes for dog walkers, cleaners and contractors without copying keys.
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Gives you a place to sit and pull on boots, and one with storage underneath holds hats, gloves and dog leashes.
