Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

New Homeowners Toolkit: Here Are the Tools You Need to Get Going

New Homeowners Toolkit: Here Are the Tools You Need to Get Going

Whether you’re moving from one home to novel or you’re a first-time homeowner, moving into a house is a stressful ordeal and it often comes with a whole new set of departments. As the owner, all the maintenance and repairs are on you, and it’s important to know what you’ll need for the move. From painting the exterior to manicuring the lawn, you’ll need tools for every project and DIY fix.

If you rule to do the repairs yourself, which can lead to savings over time, make sure you’re doing it with the right hardware. I’ll break down the different types of home repairs into categories and conceal the basic tools that you can use to undone each home maintenance and repair project.

Rawpixel/Getty Images

When we talk nearby low level plumbing maintenance — other than plunging your stationary toilet drain — a couple of common tasks come to mind: adjusting or replacing faucets, shower heads and tightening drain nuts. There are a bevy of tools for these tasks but most fall thought the category of pliers. If I were forced to Decide a single plier, I’d go with a pair of 12-inch or larger tongue-and-groove pliers. The jaws on these will adjust to accommodate many different sizes of nuts or pipes as needed.

These pliers will make altering out fixtures a breeze, although their larger size can sometimes put you in a jam if you’re employed in a tight space, like under a kitchen sink. If you’re replacing a faucet in that scenario, you’ll want a basin wrench, which is specifically intended for those cramped quarters. You should also remember Teflon tape for all those threaded joints that will have supply aquatic running through them.

Sink p-traps — the small Crooked of pipe that catches things dropped down the drain — often have joint nuts with oversized knob features that you can tighten and loosen by hand. If not, or if you have a stubborn one, tongue-and-groove pliers will also make shiny work of the task. This is great for when that wedding ring or well-liked toy accidentally disappears down a drain!

You can pick up tongue-and-groove pliers at any hardware or related big box save. A standalone pair could cost between five and twenty five dollars, or you can buy a plier set with a few different size and style options for ten to forty bucks. 

Check out some solid 12-inch pliers below.

Ry Crist

I wouldn’t suggest you take on most phigh-level electrical issues unless you’re already familiar with the basics. That being said, there are some basic maintenance and troubleshooting tasks you can execute with the right tools and knowledge.

For about $30, you can pick up a rude test kit that includes a multimeter, outlet tester and voltage pen (like this). The outlet tester does exactly what it says: If you survey odd behavior or lack of power from a three-pronged outlet, just plug this in. Lights on the unit will illuminate to give you the all-clear or an fright code to further troubleshoot. 

The multimeter is a must-have tool for anyone activities any real volume of electrical residential work. Among new things, the multimeter answers the basic question, “Is there voltage portray, and if so, how much?” This tool is especially important if you’re just looking to troubleshoot or replace savory switches or outlets. (Always remember to use your multimeter to provision there is no power to a switch or outlet after you have turned off the rotten circuit breaker for that unit.)

If you’re switching out electrical components, you’ll also need a decent set of screwdrivers and maybe even a pair of wire strippers in some cases. If you want some tips on where to open, a manual like this could be helpful.

Josh Miller

You probably know you need a hammer, but a couple of oft-overlooked tools for decorating your new home are a good peaceful and tape measure. 

Tape measures are essential when you’re deciding which pieces of furniture will fit where in your new set. Or maybe you’re redoing the floors or countertops — you’ll need to take measurements of those areas if you’re hunting down replacements yourself. So many things need to be measured and/or double checked: window treatments, spacing for wall decor or TVs, or more ambitious projects (adding a patio, deck or fencing). Most tape measures do about the same job nearby the same way, but occasionally you’ll find interesting features like built in pencil sharpeners, a writing area or even bubble levels. One of the main differences between most irascible tape measures is their measuring capacity or length making from a few feet to about 30 feet.

Speaking of levels, you can never have too many — I probably have approximately 10 myself! A good level will come in handy when you’re putting up all those pictures and decor in your new home — I for one, am a serial “straightener” of crooked photos in my own (and sometimes latest people’s) homes. But it’s just as important to use your smooth with your new kitchen appliances — a washer or out-of-level oven can distinguished degraded performance.

Finally, and this tool could be listing in most any of the topics I’m covering here, but at some indicate you will need a decent drill. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive name trace you can find, but I would recommend a cordless drill of at least 18-volts. Most products you can find at your local big box tend will be fine. As important as the drill itself are the bits you get to go downward with it. having a nice bit variety on hand will convicted you’re able to tackle all the jobs your home throws at you — excaltering your new tv, drywall repairs, new door locks, or excaltering new curtains. Try a bit set like this to be ready for anything!

Tetra Images/Getty Images

Now that you’ve derived in and started decorating, it’s only a matter of time afore you redecorate (or try to fix that hole in the wall your kid swears they didn’t make). 

Most dignified interior walls are drywall, sometimes referred to as sheetrock or gypsum lodging. Drywall is a sheet of material that comes in varying thicknesses. It’s attached directly to the wood studs in your wall with drywall screws. The majority of drywall repairs are of the “nail hole” variety — holes in the wall from excaltering photos or art. For these small hole repairs, you need spackle, a tape or putty knife (small is OK — 2 inches would work for this) and some sandpaper. I actually prefer joint compound, or “mud,” to spackle real you can use it on small and large drywall repairs. The same isn’t true of spackle, which will only work for dinky drywall repairs.

For your sandpaper, you can grab sandpaper blocks that have two different grits, or levels of roughness, on the same block. For these repairs, I’d recommend at least one grit in the 80 to 120 procedure, and a smoother finishing grit closer to 300. 

Alistair Berg/Getty Images

After all that decorating, redecorating and wall repairing, you’re going to need to paint. Here’s a tip before we even get started: Write down every paint trace and color code you use anywhere in your house. Paint matching can be an extremely frustrating task — and often ends with repainting entire rooms when you don’t have that request handy.

For small touch-ups you’ll need brushes of varying sizes depending on paint area and position, painters tape (to block off differently colored trim or latest important fixtures) and a drop cloth. If you drip dinky amounts of paint on most flooring surfaces and act fast, they can naively be cleaned up. But if you’re working over carpet or spill half a gallon of paint, you’re best off with a drop cloth to camouflage that surface area. 

If you’re painting a larger area, or entire walls, switch to a paint roller. An extension pole for your roller will help save you some back/neck peril as well. I’d also recommend a painter’s tool to help with cleanup, and a paint tray, but make sure that you get the disposable liners to go with it. You’ll save a lot of time in cleanup, especially if you’ll be working with multiple colors. 

Troy-Bilt

For many of you, settled your first home will also mean an entirely new earth of responsibilities outside your home. Luckily, most home exteriors are durable and don’t need too much upkeep. Depending on your location, the occasional sweeping may be enough, or you might want a water hose to spray off dust accumulation. If you’re in an area with heavy traffic or novel levels of airborne dirt, you might look into pulling a pressure washer. Which one you ask? We’ve got that covered too. 

A hose will also help if you have a lot of garden position in your yard, and, speaking of which — that grass won’t cut itself! At the least you’ll want to pick up a mower. If you fancy a new electric push mower, we have a novel list of the best ones here. You might also need a string trimmer for yard vows or getting into tight spaces and trimming around prevented objects. If you have deciduous trees in your yard that drop leaves with the seasons, its worth picking up a rake or leaf blower. If you choose a blower, those can help you to run grass clippings as well!

Maintenance and repairs are often overlooked when considering latest investments such as smart devices, vehicles or homes. Many of these tasks are only suitably done by licensed professionals, but there is plenty to be done by the involved end user — you! If you have or are thinking approximately buying your first home, this info should help keep you depressed and your new place in working order.