What genuinely essential DIY tools could you not do without around the home for ‘typical’ jobs a home owner faces (I am aware that is a vast scale but there must be some common experiences)? Or, things you’ve bought and never/rarely used? are B&D Workmates a good investment or a ‘toy’? Just feeling out suggestions for things I’ve over looked and I’m not sure where to start as a new home owner..! current tool selection is principally bike mechanic tools, non-professional low power rechargeable combi drill/screwdriver. assortment of hammers…

A set of decent quality screwdriver, wera for example.

I have a workmate and there are jobs I’d have struggled to do without it but it’s not an essential.

A hammer, adjustable plier, pz2, pz1 and flat scewdriver.

Box of nails, screws and plugs.

You could leave it at that.

First thing you need is a decent tool box….. i prefer the drawer type as it keeps things separate and easy to get to then (in no particular order)
metric socket set
metic combi spanners (up to 20mm)
decent set of screwdrivers (pz and flat)
ratchet screwdriver and bits inclucing torx
decent metric allen keys
multimeter
couple of sets of mole grips
various hammers (including one soft face)
cordless drill/driver
cheap sds drill
saws for both metal and wood
dremel….
workmate can come in handy
decent set of drill bits
spirit level
tape measure

I’d say that with those you can tackle most ordinary jobs around the house. you can add stuff as you need it for specialist stuff…. most power tools excluding drills just speed stuff up and you wont be knackered if you are using them all day but if you are doing a lot of one thing then you can get the best tool for the job.

You don’t need much to get going but extra tools do make certain jobs easier. Its nice to treat yourself to something when you start a new job. Hammer drill, jigsaw, chopsaw, specialist tools for plumbing.

Workmate is pretty usesul. Personally I think two of the basic £10 ones is way more useful than the fancy ones.

A short stepladder is useful too.

Finally a bit if safety gear. A few pairs if specs, gloves, ear defenders. Easy to forget to use them when at home but more important than at work.

Oh, and knee pads are nice to have, or a foam pad to kneel on.

Decent screwdriver set, pliers and side cutters, claw hammer, drill/driver, spanners 10mm, 13mm and decent adjustable (bit of a bodgers tool), multi-meter
Best bet is don’t buy a ‘set’ but just to buy tools as you need them for a job. Sets tend to include items you don’t need and generally poorer quality unless you spend big money.

Edit. Read above. I’m a slow at typing

claw hammer , hand drill , ratchet screw drivers stubby screwdrivers (Philips and flat) spirit level, pliers , pincers , plane and chisels , mallet. awl , tennon saw, wood saw , power drill with masonry bits socket set.

What ever isn’t on that list that you need for the next job like bike maintenance the right tool makes any job easier.

Not sure what people are using sockets and spanners for at home. Don’t get me wrong a love a good spanner but the only job that springs to mind is plumbing and I tend to use an adjustable.

Not sure what people are using sockets and spanners for at home.

+1

What you need depends on what sort of DIY you’re aiming to do. I have several different tool boxes, one for Electrics, one for plumbing (water and gas), which contain tools specific to those activities.

Then the more generic stuff: hammer, drill, screw drivers etc.

Proper range of screwdrivers, no trying to screw in a No2 philips with a No1 Pozi.

It depends on what you’re planning to do. Painting and decorating, with the odd bit of curtain poles and blinds? Or house renovation?

First would be a hammer drill, you can’t drill bricks with a battery screwdriver. Then a good quality battery drill-driver. Invaluable.

A decent set of screwdrivers, pipegrips, claw hammer, pin hammer, a decent set of wood and masonry drills, adjustable spanner, paint scrapers, filling knives, tape measure, a couple of rules, a couple of different wood saws, hacksaw and a junior, a couple of files.

Buy the rest as you need it.

Basin wrench/ Tap spanners. At some point you will need these.

Knipex plier wrench – genuinely the best/most useful tool I own. Far better than a normal adjustable.

Though I do like my Halfords Advanced ratchet spanners too.

First would be a hammer drill, you can’t drill bricks with a battery screwdriver.

You sure?

I pretty much only use by 18v Bosch for drilling holes in bricks. Only get the mains SDS out for big jobs like using core drills etc.

Re: B&D Workmates – it depends on whether you have a good surface already.
They are a useful surface that can fold away and they are stable enough to jigsaw on, etc.
But, if you’ve already got access to a kitchen table and don’t mind using it, then it’s just as useful with a couple of clamps.

Talking of clamps – 2 of these are essential for holding work:
https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Irwin-Quick-Grip-Q-G518Qcn-5706915000085-New-Quick-Change-Bar-Clamp-450Mm-18In
(these are the usefully longer ones).

I’m not sure where to start as a new home owner..!

Do you mean the owner of a newly built home or new to owning a home?

With a hammer and a drill and and some screwdrivers and a spirit level, some pliers and an adjustable spanner you’d be able to do most things. What you might need in addition to that depends on the jobs you actually want to do.

Unless the house is falling down or you plan to make major alterations to it then just having those things to hand is sufficient – and you’d be able to get all them, bar the drill, in a nice bag for about £20 from most DIY stores.

If you find you use any of those things a lot buy a better version of it.

I don’t think I’ve ever bought tools because I “wanted some tools,” rather I’ve bought them over the years as jobs broke out which required them. I bought a heating pump spanner earlier this year in order to liberate (oddly enough) a failed heating pump. It was absolutely essential for the job in hand, but I’ve lived 40-odd years without oever needing it before.

Absolute basics: a few decent screwdrivers, hammer, pliers, adjustable spanner, WD-40, duct tape, zip ties. Oh, and a tool box. (-:

Beyond that, what are you going to be doing? Fixing things to walls for instance: a drill, screws, plugs, ghostbuster, safety glasses (you can get funky ones now, so you don’t like you’re doing school Chemistry in the 1980s).

If you find you use any of those things a lot buy a better version of it.

Buy cheap, buy twice. Life is too short to own shit screwdrivers.

On the drill front, If i could just have one then I’d go for a good quality corded hammer drill. It will feel a bit unwieldy for some jobs and a bit underpowered for others but you’ll get 90% of the jobs done around the house with it. If you’ve more money to spend and can afford two drills then I’d go with a corded SDS drill and a lightweight rechargeable.

Life is too short to own shit screwdrivers.

Can’t disagree with that.

metric socket set
metic combi spanners (up to 20mm)

Don’t think I’ve ever used my socket set or a spanner on something inside the house.

And a multi-meter is only any good if you know what to do with it.

For plumbing jobs a couple of sets of these are perfect

Will the OP please clue us up on what a “typical” job is?

personally;
decent set of screwdrivers
decent cordless drill
selection of masonry bits
hammer

That pretty much gets you around most furniture and shelving type jobs.

Don’t think I’ve ever used my socket set or a spanner on something inside the house.

I use a pair or Bahco adjustable spanners for radiators etc

Do you mean the owner of a newly built home or new to owning a home?

both, I’m the new (first) owner of a new build property.

I don’t think I’ve ever bought tools because I “wanted some tools,” rather I’ve bought them over the years as jobs broke out which required them.

Neither have I- that’s why I didn’t say i “wanted to by some tools” I’m looking for experience and wisdom of those that have gone before me in the home DIY game. This is not based on having lots of spare income lying around because see above.

Some decent pliers are also a good investment – if money’s tight the wide head type are more useful IME than the needle nose.

First would be a hammer drill, you can’t drill bricks with a battery screwdriver.

[quote]
You sure?[/quote]

Depends on your house really – theres hardly anywhere I’ve worked where a regular battery combi driver doesn’t manage absolutely fine so long as you’ve got a good drill bit
.
But occasionally you get a local brick thats very difficult to drill – my inlaws house being an example, weird local bricks that are black on the inside and an absolute devil to drill with anything other than an SDS. But I’d imagine a new build house you’d be lucky to find anything that is brick behind the plaster and blocks are easy enough to drill – concrete lintels can be a pain maybe.

both, I’m the new (first) owner of a new build property.

We’ll you’ll not be doing major renovations then I guess. Hang a few pictures and some curtains?

2 12″ adjustables
a hammer
a set of flat bladed and Phillips screwdrivers.
tapemeasure
spirit level
drill

Will the OP please clue us up on what a “typical” job is?

I’m a new home owner, its a new property and I’m limited in my personal tool collection. I want to see what ppl have found most useful around the home over the years of average or ‘typical’ home ownership and what they would consider the most useful in terms of investment. I’m not talking about knocking through walls or converting a loft etc or building a replica Parthenon- just yet. Whilst i understand most typically buy as they need for a given job, I’ve been curious if there’s been a certain item that stands one in good stead. Simply, good tools to have for the amateur DIY’r.

Thanks for all the responses people, some things cropping up that have caught my eye. The mention of concrete lintels DOES apply funnily enough. Goosed a drill bit recently on a lintel hanging the lightest of blinds- user error there and lessons were learned. SDS/corded drill is on the list..

We’ll you’ll not be doing major renovations then I guess. Hang a few pictures and some curtains?

more or less yeah, some bespoke but simple MDF shelving for cupboards/airing closets are on the to do list.

Owning a 1930s house that’s suffered a lot of bodging over the years my most useful (and favourite) tools are…

…angle grinder, circular saw, and SDS drill!

Decent drill and decent multitool on the electrical front…
Then you scale up depending on the job.

I’ve got loads of stuff … some used more frequently than others but I’d say if you start off with a good drill and multitool plus a couple and hand saws and a hand hacksaw, set of screwdrivers and spanners, files etc. you buy as you exceed what they can manage. (I Could also add cold chisels and wood chisels, a decent ruler, F clamps)

A few bricks are OK on a 18V but drilling a load its worth a decent mains SDS that you only use for heavy jobs… That said I’ve pretty much gutted everything so I ended up with way more than I really need now its all done….

e.g. I have a HUGE mitre saw…. which was great for cutting 300mm wide tiles… chopping a RSJ up etc and once you have it great for loads of stuff but I only bought it when I needed to cut a load of really thick and tough tiles…

A multitool however will cut the bottom off a architrave in place, can be fitted with a diamond cutter etc. and a sander… other than cuttings architraves a proper tool is better for many things but sometimes its simpler to use what’s at hand.

Cock, I totally forgot a tape measure. So useful I actually carry one around with me.

I’m surprised no one else has mentioned one yet but my most useful, most used house tool is my Leatherman. You can keep all your battery powered stuff that when you come to use it, the batteries flat! The only other tool you would need is a good quality adjustable spanner. Job done.
However I do also love all my other tools i.e. Reciprocating saw, combo drill, angle grinder and all the car tools…….

If I was making a list a long as some of those up there I’d also add a set-square to them.

In my defence, my list is a throw back to my days as a site engineer where we had that as a basic kit. interestingly we were not allowed to used pipe grips or adjustable spanners etc due to the habit of slippage which damaged the user and more importantly the thing you were trying to undo. I’ve tried using leatherman type tools but generally found them compromised compared to stand alone tools which i’m likely to have anyway. as for tools i’ve bought but never really used… basin wrench and immersion heater element spanner, firt one used once in 10 years and second became redundant when we got a combi boiler, oh and i bought some spring compressors at the weekend which i doubt i’ll use again.

Buy cheap, buy twice. Life is too short to own shit screwdrivers.

Or buy expensive and don’t use. You can have a full set of top quality screwdrivers but you’ll only use one of them 95% of the time. Buy cheap to have one of everything, the sizes and shapes you actually need to spend good money on will make themselves evident.

Stud / pipe / wiring detector.

Will save holes where you don’t want them and water and smoke coming out of the walls…. 🙂

I’ve got what I would call ‘the usual’ tools for getting most DIY jobs done around the house; hammer, screwdrivers, tape measure, spirit level, Stanley knife, pencil and a sharpener, a small square, a pry set etc.

Then there are the tools that get used a lot less frequently, but are more than worth having: jigsaw, hand-held circular saw, 1/4 sheet sander, Dremel, SDS drill etc.

All of my tools have been bought over the years & none of it is top of the range – for an occasional DIYer I reckon you don’t need to splash out a lot of money to get good results. Obviously if there are certain things you are doing, then it might be worth splashing out a bit more on a decent tool.

I realised a long time ago that DIY is enough of a chore as it is; battling with the wrong tool, just prolongs the pain & you end up doing a half assed job.
Now (within reason) I just buy the tool I need to get the job done. For example – the mini-circular saw was only about £45 and used to get some tongue & groove boards up with a minimum of over-cut and to minimise the risk of hitting any pipes. It was worth the money for that one job.
And the SDS drill – I bought it to demolish a pond that the previous owner had built. After a weekend making slow progress with a lump hammer and cold chisel, I decided to splash out on a decent SDS drill with various bits. It was soooo much quicker doing the job with this. I was happy to have spent the money on it, just for that one job.
But, in reality I have used it for a ton of jobs – it is my go to drill for going into brick/masonry; much better than my hammer action Black & Decker.

Tools can seem like an expensive outlay – but if you buy what you need for each job then over the years you can accumulate a decent collection without spending a load in one go.

The next tool on my ‘want’ list is one of those vibrating multi-tools. I borrowed a friend’s for a quick job last year & it made the task so much quicker; it completely changed the way I could achieve what I was trying to do.

These folding work station/bench things are pretty handy and are solid.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/folding-work-station/2320p