DIY home renovation is an extremely big commitment, and requires the home owner to possess certain skills and knowledge in order to carry out remodelling safely and efficiently. Certain projects, such as plumbing, may require industry expertise or risk making situations worse. Other tasks, such as knocking down walls can easily be carried out at home but may need a contractor’s opinion beforehand in case it is a support wall or contains electrics.
Then there are tasks which, with a little internet help, can be carried out safely and easily. Choosing to work on projects yourself is a great way of saving money, particularly when there is a large amount of overall work needing doing in your home.
If you’re carrying out multiple projects, it is worth building up a tool kit. There are items which will come in handy over and over again, making them a worthwhile investment at the beginning of your DIY journey.
Solid steel hammer with ripping claw
A hammer will come in handy for almost every project, whether that is ripping a wall apart or putting together new kitchen cupboards. Going for a quality, solid steel one will save time and effort in the long run so is worth the investment.
Crow bar
Any home renovation which will require demolition will be made much easier by using a crow bar. Unlike hammers, a crow bar can fit into small cracks and prize apart cupboards, beams and anything otherwise tricky to work around.
A drill is essential for any work where material needs to be put together; hanging items on the wall, putting together furniture or building a door frame. Cordless drills are more convenient than non-cordless, particularly for hard to reach areas.
Stiff measuring tape
A small but must have item is a stiff backed measuring tape which holds it shape while in use. This version is much more practical when measuring as it can easily be carried out by one person.
Pliers
Pliers allow for an extremely strong grip on almost everything, making them useful for pulling material out of their place, as well as cutting, bending and straightening wires. They can be used to cut almost anything as long as the material is thin enough to fit within the blades.
Screwdriver
A screwdriver can be used to chip up surfaces and pry a part material as well as the obvious loosen and tighten screws.
If a screwdriver doesn’t fit, chances are there will be an allen key that does. These are small hexagon shapes bar which are used to turn bolts and screws. You can usually pick up a decent pack of various sizes which will come in useful on most projects.
Although there are many types of power saws, the circular saw and jig saw are the two most useful to start with. A circular saw is usually hand held, and uses a circular blade in a rotary motion which allows it to cope with heavy duty materials in precision. Different blades can be bought to cope with different materials.
Jig saw
Jig saws use a reciprocating saw blade, allowing more freedom when cutting along different angles. They are good for carving wood in particular shapes, for example in order to slot two pieces together.
Other tools which are likely to come in handy include a paintbrush, drop cloth (to avoid messy paint splatters), and a spirit level. Once you’ve gathered the basics, building up a fully functional kit is a simple case of grabbing tools here and there as and when you carry out more specific projects.