Congratulations! You’ve gone through an arduous house hunting adventure and signed your life away on a mortgage note. You’re finally a homeowner and now the fun really begins. From furniture shopping to picking out the right paint for the kitchen, there is seemingly endless number of tasks demanding your attention.
Well, we’re here to make that transition a little easier. We’ve surveyed over 50+ homeowners in New England to arrive at this list of 10 Most Useful Tools every new homeowner should have in their disposal:
One – Screwdriver
This is hands down the most used tool in the arsenal. From assembling furniture, to replacing light fixture covers, removing faucet stems, the screwdriver is essential. We recommend getting a screwdriver that has a fitting for different screw bits. The Husky Ratcheting Screwdriver Set is what we currently use. It’s got a belly that allows us to house all the different screw bits and a comfortable grip with directional ratcheting. Don’t go without one!
Two – Power Drill
Some jobs are just not practical with a manual screwdriver (imagine having to mount a cabinet or TV bracket onto a wall). This is where a power drill becomes essential. Aside from merely driving a screw into a surface, you can also purchase multi-purpose adapters to aerate your soil for gardening, to make appropriate lock openings for old doors and much more. There are a variety of power drills; some pulsates, some are better for ceramic, and the list goes on. A simple cordless drill will suffice and we currently use the Rigid Cordless Drill and Drive Kit. It is sufficient for most drilling needs with a built-in LED light that illuminates the point of drilling which is very helpful. This kit also comes with 2 rechargeable batteries which is helpful when you have a long day of drilling ahead of you.
Three – Joint Pliers
As a new homeowner, you should inevitably expect to deal with basic plumber problems at any given day. From drain leaks to a leaky faucet, a tool to loosen and tighten your nuts and joints in incredibly useful. Of all the pliers that I have used, the Husky Auto Adjusting Joint Groove Plier is by far the most ergonomic to use. With most other pliers, you have to manually adjust the mouth which is a pain when you’re in a dark and damp place. I would also recommend getting two of this in case you have to stabilize joints on another end of the connection (most appropriately used in a gas line situation).
Four – Screws
Now onto the exciting topic of screws and screw types. In most cases, you’ll use the screws that the fixture comes with. However, if you need to use new screws to mount cabinets, or repair a loose wooden step, I recommend using a higher quality screw such as SPAX. Most screws are designed to be extremely cheap and as such, they corrode when exposed to humidity, they are also difficult to use and often requires pre-drilling. A carpenter friend pointed us to SPAX and essentially made pre-drilling unnecessary. Also – the star fitting is a much superior fit which stops the drill bit from slipping out. In all cases, it’s a bit more expensive but it’ll make your simple home repair work noticeably easier and faster.
Five – Stud Finder
No, we’re not talking about going out to the pub to find your soulmate. A stud finder helps you identify where the studs are behind the wall. You may not need one for the majority of the items you’d be mounting (picture frames, diplomas, etc.). However, to mount anything that will support some weight (think TV bracket, handrail, medicine cabinets, etc.), you will definitely want to hang it on a stud so that the load can be properly supported. We recommend a simple one like this Zircon Stud Finder which allows you to find the edges and center of the stud. In some cases, it can also detect if there is an electrical line behind the wall.
Six – Volt Pen
Much like plumbing leaks, electrical fixtures like your outlets, switches, and lights do go bad. They are fairly straightforward to replace but you have to take proper safety precautions. MAKE SURE YOU TURN OFF THE CIRCUIT at the Circuit Panel. Even after you do so, you’ll still need to verify that the power is off and that’s where a Volt Pen comes in super handy. A Volt Pen basically measures if a wire has an active electrical current running through it. If you touch a live wire, you will get shock so use a Volt Pen to verify that the power is indeed off. This is a very important tool if you want to work on electrical fixtures. We use a simple Volt Pen from Klein Tool and we think every homeowner should get one as well.
Seven – Headlamp
Home Improvement shows on HGTV are typically very well lit which does not reflect the reality of the type of repairs that most homeowners will be doing. You’ll likely be crawling into dark and damp places like your basement, or under your sink, or your attic where there’s essentially no light. You’ll be fumbling with your phone while you make your repair and it’s just a big mess. I’d recommend getting a good headlamp that straps onto your head. We use this one from Cobiz which has an adjustable strap and a rechargeable battery pack.
Eight – Filter Mask
Much like how we overestimate how much lighting our work area will be, we also underestimate the amount of dust we will be exposed to. If you’ve ever crawled into the basement or attic of a 150 year old house, you’ll find all kinds of particulates waiting for you. Many older homes were also lined with lead paint. Some may still have traces of asbestos tucked away. In short, if you’ll be working in a dusty area, get a high quality mask. I personally use the 3M Respirator with removal 3M Organic Vapor Filter Cartridge. It may be overkill for most home-owners but it’s very inexpensive compared to the long term cost of having a damaged lung. Get one and make sure to wear it! Since we’re on the topic of safety, pick yourself up a nice pair of gloves and goggles as well.
Nine – Measuring Tape
Furnitures, appliances, cabinets, and other fixtures are real objects with dimensions. And these dimensions have real implications for your new home so you better get the measurements right! A good tape measure will help you when buying new appliances, mounting a picture frame, or cutting wood for your deck. We have a Stanley 25 ft Tape Measure that self-locks and they get the job done.
Ten – Toolbox
Overtime, you will end up collecting more tools as they become necessary. You might pick up some additional wrenches, or plumber putty, or a new set of power tools. Without a proper toolbox to store your items, they will disappear into the corners of your home and you’ll be forced to buy the same tools multiple times. I know this first hand because I would misplace my tools and have to repurchase them again, and again. Obviously this is expensive and moronic and the one thing that helped me get organized was investing in an inexpensive Tool Bag. I use the Husky Tool Tote because it’s large enough for the handful of tools we use but also portable with a nice handle for grip.
This is by no means a comprehensive list but they were voted the most used tools by new homeowners. In general, our philosophy is only buy new tools if you need them and you feel you’ll get proper use out of them. Invest in quality tools and keep them organized as they will serve your home repair needs for years to come.
