The moment you buy your first home, it’s only a matter of time until something breaks and you have to fix it. Chances are, you used to call your landlord anytime something broke in the past, or maybe you have a handyman in the family that would help you.
But now you are on your own, and any repairs that need to be made suddenly need to be made by you. So, you’re going to want to head down to the local hardware store and pick up a few items to make sure you are always prepared.
Here’s a quick list of 8 tools that you might not have had in your apartment but should definitely have when you move into your first home.
A Toolbox
First thing’s first: you need a place to put all the tools you are about to buy. Sure, you can keep everything in some bag, but you’ll eventually lose so many tools, that buying a toolbox will be cheaper.
Plus, many toolboxes make it easier to organize your stuff, which will cut down on the time you spend doing repairs. Some toolbox sets come with many of the items on this list already inside. However, you might not want to get one of these because it might have tools that you don’t use or there might not be room for other tools you use all the time.
Screwdrivers
You’ll be screwed if you don’t have at least 2 kinds of screwdriver: a Phillips head and a slot head. Nearly every kind of screw will work with these two screwdrivers.
While you might have had one of these before, you should get a set that has several different kinds of tips. If you get one that’s magnetic, it will also help you fish screws out of tight spaces.
A Power Drill
Every screw needs a hole, and that’s where drills come in handy. Plus, even if you have a screwdriver, it is pretty tough to get screws into your studs without a power drill.
When buying a cordless power drill, make sure to get one that has a universal battery type. This way you can use the same battery for other power tools you end up buying in the future.
An Adjustable Wrench
You’d be nuts not to get an adjustable wrench for your new house! Without one of these, there’s no way you could undo any nuts or bolts.
You might also have to get more than one wrench or even a socket wrench set, depending on your needs. They are often necessary to work on different pipes around the house.
A Tape Measure
Once you have a tape measure, you’ll be surprised by how many things you want to measure. Having one will make it easy to find out how big the couch is before you decide to move it into the other room, or how tall your window is before you buy new curtains.
Putty Knives
You probably didn’t need to have a putty knife in your apartment because you weren’t supposed to damage the drywall. Now that you have your own place, you want to make sure to plug up any unsightly holes that you are allowed to cause now.
Putty knives can also be used to scrape dry glue or paint from surfaces like glass and ceramic. It is also best to buy two of them so you can use one to scrape any junk off the other.
A Stud Finder
Now that you can make holes in your walls, you’re going to want to put them in the right place. You might not know this, but you can’t just nail a picture anywhere, especially if a heavy one. You’ll end up creating a big hole in your drywall and the picture will fall down.
Your studs are there to support the stuff you want to hang on the wall, make sure you know where they are. Pro tip: studs are usually spaced 16 inches apart in most homes.
A Snake
You don’t want to have to call a plumber every time a drain gets clogged. You can easily unclog your tub, toilet, and sink with this simple tool. There are many kinds of drain snakes that you can buy, but most of them will pay for themselves after a single-use.
