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14 Must-Have Tools for New Homeowners

Must-have tools

Congratulations on your new home! With homeownership comes responsibility; no longer can you depend on the landlord to fix that leaky faucet or repair a broken door. It’s all up to you now. Here is a list of must-have tools you need for your home.

1. Assorted screwdrivers – Especially a standard (flat) and Phillips. You’ll need these for various jobs around the house; everything from tightening the loose screws on your computer desk to putting together a new futon.

2. Claw hammer – Unless you want to go caveman and use a heavy rock, you’ll need a hammer to hang pictures on the wall (and the claw to pull the nails out when you decide you haven’t hung the pictures where you want them).

3. Level – You want those pictures to be straight, right?

4. Duct tape – See WD-40

5. WD-40 – As the saying goes: All of life’s problems can be solved with two things—duct tape and WD40. If it moves and it shouldn’t, you need duct tape. And if it doesn’t move and it should, you need WD40.

6. Tape measure – This will come in handy for a lot of odd jobs like making sure the new furniture you want to order will fit in the space you would like it to go, or measuring the size of your window frames before buying new blinds.

7. Power drill – Helpful in assembling new furniture, hanging artwork or other wall decorations that require the use of anchors, and more.

8. Utility knife – Definitely a must-have tool to have in the home. The utility knife can be used for a ton of projects, as simple as cutting open boxes and packaging to DIY home improvement jobs like cutting drywall, insulation, and old carpeting or removing old caulking.

9. Stud finder – You don’t need a stud finder, but it makes life a lot easier when trying to hang things on the wall.

10. Safety goggles – Like a stud finder, you don’t need safety goggles, but it’s not a bad idea if you value your eyeballs.

11. Pliers – This tool is great for gripping things you don’t want your fingers to (like when you’re soldering), and bending things you don’t have the muscle to do yourself.

12. Wrenches – Good for tightening (or loosening) nuts, bolts, pipes, and more.

13. Plunger – A plunger is one of those must-have tools that you really should have before you actually need it. Trust me.

14. Ladder and step stool – Besides the obvious uses – to get in the attic, on the roof, etc. – a step stool or ladder is good to have for less-obvious reasons too, like when the smoke alarm is screaming over the toast you burnt, or your mother-in-law somehow notices all the dust accumulating on the blades of your ceiling fan.

Other Must-Have Tools for Basic Home Repairs

Do you have any home improvement tools you couldn’t imagine getting by without? Leave a comment to let us know what your must-have tools are!

Image Credit: Robert S. Donovan