Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Top Budget-Friendly DIY Tools Every Homeowner Should Own
If you are like us and like to DIY as much as you can in your home, you need tools. We have DIY’ed our way through several homes, some being total gut renovations, so we’ve learned a thing or two about good tools to have on hand. Contrary to popular belief, expensive isn’t always better when it comes to tools, and we’ve put together a running list of some we think you should have in your DIY arsenal. Read on to learn our top budget-friendly tool finds and brands we love.
A flashlight should be in every home
Home Repair Resources
There are a lot of free home repair resources. My husband learned a lot about DIY’ing from This Old House and their website is full of free information. If you are wanting to know more about DIY-ing in your home, you can follow along on our website here. We post many articles to our It’s a Bradenful Life section of our website that truly can help you learn a lot.
We also use YouTube and post videos there ourselves on our channel @carolynjbraden. If you are in need of home repair assistance programs due to needing more affordable help and cannot do things yourself, check out this article by USA.GOV.
See my husband do a ceiling drywall repair in our home in our 1-minute video below or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Basic Tool Set with Drill, $46, Amazon
If you are just starting out in the DIY world or are a new homeowner, having a basic tool set is a great thing. The Amazon tool set has great reviews, and has the basics like:
Hammer
Screwdrivers
Pliers
Wrench
Drill and drill bits (Great for hanging heavy pictures)
Exacto knife and blades
Sockets (mostly used for unscrewing a bolt: think car/tire changing)
Allen wrenches (used to unscrew an allen screw or bolt)
Measuring tape (I use one all the time, especially when ordering furniture online)
Miscellaneous screws
These are some tool basics you should have at home
Things the kit doesn’t have but we recommend:
Level (we like this laser level from Amazon, $10)
Craftsman 2-piece tongue and groove pliers, $16, Amazon (these can get a tight water cut off valve off quick, removing tight nuts or screws, tightening water hoses and lines)
Flashlight (this is a basic flashlight with good reviews from Target, you just need one….especially if your phone dies and the power goes out)
Assortment of drywall anchors and screws (some things need anchors!)
Wire cutter (While my husband uses them on home repairs, I use them in home décor, especially with wired flowers and in jewelry making)
Stud Finder (never hang a heavy photo or picture without finding the wall stud!)
Wet/dry vac (one of our first rental homes my husband and I lived in when we first moved in together had a terrible leak in the brick mortar in the cellar and we used a wet/dry vacuum a lot)
The backside of a basic tire gauge is used to release air
If you own a vehicle or bike, you’ll need a few more things and we’ve listed them below:
Tire Gauge, Pack of 2, $5, Amazon
If you are a new homeowner or even a long-term homeowner, it’s never too late to learn about tools and what you may need them for. I always knew how to use a tire gauge; however, I didn’t learn what the back side of one was used for until my mid-40’s. My husband taught me it was used to let air out of a tire. I knew how to check tire pressure with it, but didn’t know the little ball on the back of some are to let air out if you have too much.
My husband’s Hart socket set
If you drive a car, you need a tire gauge and you need to check tire pressure, especially during very hot or cold weather seasons. Hot weather causes too much pressure, while cold weather can cause too little pressure and both can cause your car to not ride the way it should. If you do a lot of DIY car work, my husband loves his Hart Mechanics Socket Set.
My husband loves this socket set
Air Pumps and Compressor
After losing many tools to Hurricane Ian flooding, my husband needed to replace them. He started liking the Hart brand, which is sold at Walmart. It’s a very budget-friendly line of tools and they are really great quality.
My husband uses his Hart tools a lot
His Hart digital air pump is for car tires, bike tires, rafts, air mattresses and we mostly use it for our dog stroller. It’s great because it helps you know exactly how much air to put in tires. He really likes Hart because the batteries for their tools work for all of them, meaning you can buy a couple of Hart batteries and use them on the Hart vacuum (we have it and it’s great for light cleanings as it’s a little heavy with the battery on it), drills and more.
We mostly used this vacuum in our motor home
My husband has the Hart 20-Volt 2 Gallon air compressor that he uses for the Hart nail gun. You don’t need this in a home unless you are hanging a lot of trim.
My husband’s Hart nail gun
A nail gun and compressor make this work very fast and easy as long as you use the right nail lengths. It was also helpful when airing up our motor home tires.
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Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.