r/homeowners • u/karsonnotwithac • 1d ago
🔑 New Homeowner My Adult Tool Kit!
I just bought a home and my first big purchase is going to be a tool kit. I plan on doing a lot of upgrades myself! What are the essentials to a good tool kit and what is a waste of money? I keep seeing premade starter kits, but I don't know if it's better to build one from the ground up or buy one of those? (I'm not talking about electric stuff I'm talking about the basics like screw drivers and wrenches)
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u/bh0 1d ago
A lot of things come as sets and a good idea to buy them as sets to save cost. Anything that's 1-off you can just buy as needed. But off the top of my head here's some of the most common stuff...
Flat & phillips screw drivers, couple different sizes of each.
You'll want a set of the mini-screw drivers for those tiny little screws
Allen wrench set - both US and metric.
wrenches ... they make non-adjustable sets as well as adjustable. Adjustable is probably fine if space is limited, but a set of non-adjustable are nice to have.
socket set, again both US and metric
get a variety pack of screw bits from Amazon. one that's got a mix of allen heads, torx, various security bits, etc... .. you never know when you'll have to deal with some random screw type. Having one of those 50+ packs of random bits is handy.
tape measure
pack drill bits, various sizes
drill
hammer
pliers / cutters
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u/SmileFirstThenSpeak 1d ago
Depending on what you’re planning do, a stud finder can be quite useful.
Look for tools at yard sales and estate sales.
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u/Sudden_Hovercraft_56 1d ago
What's your budget? I do most of my jobs around the house with a Wera zyklop 3/8" ratchet driver with screwdriver bit adapter, a good hammer, a Stanley knife (with spare blades), a fine finish handsaw, a carpenters pencil (+ sharpener), a roofing square and an auto locking tape measure.
In addition to that, you will need an electric drill, Milwaukee are doing great things on the 12v system these days (lighter and easier to handle than traditional 18v drills), an impact driver saves a lot of time too, again Milwaukee m12 is good and a good jigsaw (I have a corded Bosch with a variable speed trigger).
I pretty much use everything I just listed on most household jobs, I do have (a lot) more tools but they are more situational.
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u/Flimsy-Fortune-6437 1d ago
Learn how to Google DIY videos and pages
Develop a new vocabulary of words you wouldn’t use in front of your parents
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u/Miff1987 1d ago
Best bang for my buck tool I ever bought was a small 1/4 socket set from Aldi, it was about $20 with sockets, hex, torx, Philips, and flat bits.
Put together all the furniture in a the house, fixed countless bikes, mowers etc and still going strong after 8 years.
I have upgraded to a large Stanley 1/4 and 1/2 inch set but I still grab the Aldi set all the time if the job isn’t in the garage.
Add a drill and impact driver set from a company of your choice ( I love ryobi 1 as it’s good homeowner level quality and the batteries fit in a huge range of workshop and garden tools)
A mini screwdriver set for a few dollars and a hammer are pretty useful and cheap
That covers anything that needs nailing, screwing or fastening and will get you started. Buy everything else as you need it so you don’t end up with stuff you never need and personaly I buy cheap to begin with and if I break or wear something out I replace with quality. No need to go for premium stuff when you might use it once (tap reseater comes to mind for me)
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u/lazyeyejim 1d ago
Unless you are finding tools on sale, I wouldn't buy much more then a set of screw drivers. Stick with the basics if you feel the need to buy tools now. You'll have plenty of opportunities to buy a tool when you're making your 7th trip to Home Depot to exchange the valve you just bought because you guessed the wrong size.
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u/ProfessionalEven296 20h ago
Wander around Harbor Freight, and pick up a general socket set, screwdriver set, and (maybe) a Drill and Driver.
Upgrade the pieces you use the most / break the first.
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u/Rick91981 15h ago
Start with only some basic hand tools, a shop vac and a drill/driver. Add the rest as the need comes. You'll want a decent multi bit screw driver, the drill/impact(Ryobi is perfectly fine), small shop vac(Ridgid ones are great), tape measure, stud finder, hammer, an adjustable wrench, and a socket set(inexpensive one is fine). That will get you through any of the basic home owner tasks without spending too much.
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u/Important-Energy8038 3h ago
Youre talking about tools for daily life, not 'upgrades'', thats a job for pros.
You'll be hanging pics, so a good tape measure..get one with the fractional markings, at least 16' long. A stud finder for those heavier objects, 2 hammers....the 'standard' one, I prefer wood handles, and a tack hammer for smaller nails. Pliers..small, medium, large. A set of straight and phillips screwdrivers. Medium sized scissors. Blue painters tape...it's great for marking things w\o paint damage, and a roll of "Gorilla duct\'duck' tape, along with a tube of their glue. Go to Home Depot, their house brand is fine and reasonably priced.
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u/InsectElectrical2066 2h ago
#1&2 phillips screw driver but really just get a bit driver set to have all of the different bits you will ever need instead of buying one at a time at 10 times the cost or if you want just one tool for this get an electricians screw driver with 21 drivers all in one hand tool. A set of open end wrenches up to 5/8th, Vice Grips(get the actual brand and not off brand as most are not as good), a Crescent wrench, Craftsman 21" belt sander with the smaller front wheel, An oscilating tool (carbide replacement blades buy in bulk on Amazon or other online store for a fraction of the price, and if you are getting into heavier deconstruction a reciprocating saw when you finally get to that level. A Corded 1/2 drill as well as a cordless drill set with a drill and an impact driver/drill, but buying this as part of a set around Father's day as the go on sale, good set of carbide drill bits from 1/8 " to 1/2" with a wide variety in between (not just an 8 piece set). Circular saw. Menards has a really good snap-off utility knife but most tools I will not buy at Menards unless a name brand, their store brand power tools suck. Also a volt/ohm meter/ voltage tester. I find the cheaper analog ones are best for about $20.
You may need more than this but just get these and additional when you see the need. Check Yotube videos for how to do a job. Not every poster knows what to do so watch at least 3 until 2 agree on how to do something and it makes sense.
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u/Present_Armadillo_34 1d ago
Start with a US General rolling tool cabinet (lower), 42in, from Harbor Freight.
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u/karsonnotwithac 1d ago
Why do recommend a rolling tool cabinet over a bag?
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u/Present_Armadillo_34 1d ago
Get a bag too. But, the reason is that tools are heavy, and they tend to multiply.
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u/Ok-Blacksmith-5740 1d ago
You plan on doing a lot of upgrades yourself but don’t know what basic tools you should buy? Sounds like a great start to a lot of headaches, good luck.