General info
Level
Levels are used for all sorts of things but probably the most common for homeowners is leveling photos and wall art. You want to make sure you can keep things nice and level in your house for appearance sake. You can pick up a cheap one like this or you can use a phone app. We feel it will be more accurate and functional to use a torpedo level but if not you can get away with your phone app.
Safety Glasses
If you have been in the construction industry at all its likely you've seen someone injure their eye. This can be serious and life altering. Don't do any kind of project without a simple pair of safety glasses or goggles. The smallest piece of wood, metal, or plastic breaking off of something you are working on can shoot into your eye potentially blinding you for life. Just spend a couple bucks and wear some safety glasses.
Respirator / Safety Mask
You would think it would almost go unsaid that in this day and age everyone would have a mask of some sort but make sure you have one for home projects that cause lots of dust. Things like crawling in your attic or crawl space can kick up some pretty nasty dust and particles you don't want to breathe in. If you don't have one they should be back in supply at home improvement stores so make sure you get one designed for construction.
Tool Kit
If acquiring all the tools on their own isn't your style you can buy an all in one kit that will include most of the items on this list and more. You can spend from $35 - $100 on a decent home tool kit that will provide you with lots of tools to get you started. Just be mindful that these kits provide a great value but often don't provide the best quality. For small home projects they will get you pretty far though. These are a great option for those who just don't know what to buy for sure or are on a limited budget.
This article is inspired by Internachi's Nick Gromicko article on their website.
What Tools Should Every Homeowner Have?
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Mar, 30 2021 -
doublehinspection
Tool List
This is a list of some basic tools that Double H Inspections recommends every homeowner have on hand to take care of simple around the house projects and repairs. Click the photos for links to buy or see more of these products at Home Depot. These are the very basics and we always recommend buying the best tools you can as they typically will perform better. However that is not always possible for everyone so we want to give new homeowners a starting point for tools they should have. Another great way to acquire tools for your home is at garage sales. Often times you can find good used tools at garage sales and you can slowly build up your took kit.
Hammer:
A hammer is often the first tool people think of when they think of home projects. They come in all shapes and sizes for different uses. For simple homeowner repairs and projects you don’t need a fancy framing hammer, a simple one like this from Home Depot will do most jobs.
Pliers
Everyone needs pliers from time to time. These can grab, pull, hold, and cut just about anything you have. There are many varieties and sizes to choose from but starting with a basic 3 pack like this of standard pliers, needle nose, and side cutters will get you pretty far.
Combination Wrench Set:
These wrenches will help you tighten and loosen bolts. While you can use a crescent wrench to fit a wide variety of bolts having an actual set of wrenches that fit exact will be much better. Using wrenches that fit a variety of bolt sizes runs the risk of stripping the bolt or nut heads and then you are in a bad situation. Get the right size combination wrench for the job and save yourself a headache later.
Pipe Wrench
A pipe wrench is what you will need to repair many plumbing fixtures. They can open up wide and provide a lot of torque when needed. Make sure to have one in your tool box so you can fix leaks asap when it matters. There are many different sizes in pipe wrenches, we recommend a 14″ but any standard size will work.
Screw Driver
This might be the most used homeowner tool out there. There are tons of types and sizes but we recommend having at minimum 1 good one that can accept different tips to fit all the different types of screw heads. This will let you have one main screwdriver that will get most jobs done and not have to worry about having 20 different screwdrivers. You can always add specialty screwdrivers as you need when the need arises.
Tape Measure
A tape measure is a must for centering pictures to hang, figuring out what size blinds to order, and many other tasks around the home. You shouldn’t need a big commercial grade tape measure for most hope projects. A 16 foot tape should do just fine for most homeowners. You can pick one up really cheap the line one in this photo but we do recommend spending a few more dollars if possible to get a more heavy duty one, you will thank us later.
Flashlight
Everyone needs a good flashlight. They have come a long long ways in recent years and we recommend getting a decent one if you can afford it. They make it so much nicer when using them to be able to see exactly what you are trying to. It is also a good idea to get a headlamp style flashlight so you can work with both hands if needed.
Level
Levels are used for all sorts of things but probably the most common for homeowners is leveling photos and wall art. You want to make sure you can keep things nice and level in your house for appearance sake. You can pick up a cheap one like this or you can use a phone app. We feel it will be more accurate and functional to use a torpedo level but if not you can get away with your phone app.
Safety Glasses
If you have been in the construction industry at all its likely you’ve seen someone injure their eye. This can be serious and life altering. Don’t do any kind of project without a simple pair of safety glasses or goggles. The smallest piece of wood, metal, or plastic breaking off of something you are working on can shoot into your eye potentially blinding you for life. Just spend a couple bucks and wear some safety glasses.
Respirator / Safety Mask
You would think it would almost go unsaid that in this day and age everyone would have a mask of some sort but make sure you have one for home projects that cause lots of dust. Things like crawling in your attic or crawl space can kick up some pretty nasty dust and particles you don’t want to breathe in. If you don’t have one they should be back in supply at home improvement stores so make sure you get one designed for construction.
Duct Tape
Duct Tape is often a go to repair tool. While we don’t recommend ever repairing something permanently with duct tape we know that in a pinch there isn’t many things as versatile as duct tape to patch, fix leaks, mend, hold together, or lable as duct tape. Get a roll and have it around at all times.
Tool Kit
If acquiring all the tools on their own isn’t your style you can buy an all in one kit that will include most of the items on this list and more. You can spend from $35 – $100 on a decent home tool kit that will provide you with lots of tools to get you started. Just be mindful that these kits provide a great value but often don’t provide the best quality. For small home projects they will get you pretty far though. These are a great option for those who just don’t know what to buy for sure or are on a limited budget.
This article is inspired by Internachi’s Nick Gromicko article on their website.
About Author
doublehinspection
Tool List
This is a list of some basic tools that Double H Inspections recommends every homeowner have on hand to take care of simple around the house projects and repairs. Click the photos for links to buy or see more of these products at Home Depot. These are the very basics and we always recommend buying the best tools you can as they typically will perform better. However that is not always possible for everyone so we want to give new homeowners a starting point for tools they should have. Another great way to acquire tools for your home is at garage sales. Often times you can find good used tools at garage sales and you can slowly build up your took kit.
Hammer:
A hammer is often the first tool people think of when they think of home projects. They come in all shapes and sizes for different uses. For simple homeowner repairs and projects you don't need a fancy framing hammer, a simple one like this from Home Depot will do most jobs.
Pliers
Everyone needs pliers from time to time. These can grab, pull, hold, and cut just about anything you have. There are many varieties and sizes to choose from but starting with a basic 3 pack like this of standard pliers, needle nose, and side cutters will get you pretty far.
Combination Wrench Set:
These wrenches will help you tighten and loosen bolts. While you can use a crescent wrench to fit a wide variety of bolts having an actual set of wrenches that fit exact will be much better. Using wrenches that fit a variety of bolt sizes runs the risk of stripping the bolt or nut heads and then you are in a bad situation. Get the right size combination wrench for the job and save yourself a headache later.
Pipe Wrench
A pipe wrench is what you will need to repair many plumbing fixtures. They can open up wide and provide a lot of torque when needed. Make sure to have one in your tool box so you can fix leaks asap when it matters. There are many different sizes in pipe wrenches, we recommend a 14" but any standard size will work.
Screw Driver
This might be the most used homeowner tool out there. There are tons of types and sizes but we recommend having at minimum 1 good one that can accept different tips to fit all the different types of screw heads. This will let you have one main screwdriver that will get most jobs done and not have to worry about having 20 different screwdrivers. You can always add specialty screwdrivers as you need when the need arises.
Tape Measure
A tape measure is a must for centering pictures to hang, figuring out what size blinds to order, and many other tasks around the home. You shouldn't need a big commercial grade tape measure for most hope projects. A 16 foot tape should do just fine for most homeowners. You can pick one up really cheap the line one in this photo but we do recommend spending a few more dollars if possible to get a more heavy duty one, you will thank us later.
Flashlight
Everyone needs a good flashlight. They have come a long long ways in recent years and we recommend getting a decent one if you can afford it. They make it so much nicer when using them to be able to see exactly what you are trying to. It is also a good idea to get a headlamp style flashlight so you can work with both hands if needed.
Safety Glasses
If you have been in the construction industry at all its likely you've seen someone injure their eye. This can be serious and life altering. Don't do any kind of project without a simple pair of safety glasses or goggles. The smallest piece of wood, metal, or plastic breaking off of something you are working on can shoot into your eye potentially blinding you for life. Just spend a couple bucks and wear some safety glasses.
Respirator / Safety Mask
You would think it would almost go unsaid that in this day and age everyone would have a mask of some sort but make sure you have one for home projects that cause lots of dust. Things like crawling in your attic or crawl space can kick up some pretty nasty dust and particles you don't want to breathe in. If you don't have one they should be back in supply at home improvement stores so make sure you get one designed for construction.
Duct Tape
Duct Tape is often a go to repair tool. While we don't recommend ever repairing something permanently with duct tape we know that in a pinch there isn't many things as versatile as duct tape to patch, fix leaks, mend, hold together, or lable as duct tape. Get a roll and have it around at all times.
This article is inspired by Internachi's Nick Gromicko article on their website.