3/8-inch power drill. These range from simple and cheap to embellished and pricey. They’re available cordless, corded, fixed or variable speed, with or without sanding and buffing attachments … choose according to your preferences (and your budget!).
Carpenter’s level. This is a metal bar that has an indicator in it to tell you when a surface is level. The indicator is basically a little tube of liquid with an air bubble in it, located in the middle of the metal bar; when the bubble is in the center of the tube of liquid, your surface is level. Carpenter’s levels have lines on the indicator to clearly let you know when the bubble’s in the center.
Adjustable wrench. This tool has “jaws” on the end; the lower jaw can be moved up or down to tighten over the head of a nut or bolt.
Slip-joint pliers. This is a tool with two hinged arms and serrated jaws, perfect for grabbing, gripping, and turning. “Slip-joint” simply means that the pliers have a joint that’s adjustable to two positions in order to increase the width of the jaw’s opening.
Utility knife. This handy-dandy knife will cut through almost anything. It has a retractable blade that’s kept inside the handle (which also usually contains spare blades).
Retracting tape measure. Useful for – you guessed it – measuring things! Be sure it’s made of metal.
Hacksaw. This is a small, handheld saw that cuts through metal: nails, tubing, etc. It’s a metal arch, with a handle, that fits around a narrow saw blade.
Sandpaper. Comes in varying grades (levels of coarseness, or “grit”) ranging from 30 grit (very coarse) to 1600 grit (extremely fine). The different grades are designed to handle all jobs from smoothing very rough surfaces to polishing as a final finishing touch.
Toilet plunger. Don’t want to be caught without one of these babies! It’s a bell-shaped rubber cup at the end of a stick, and it produces suction in order to dislodge blockages in your plumbing line.
Drain auger. This is also a useful tool for unplugging clogs in the plumbing. It’s a long and flexible tube, made of light metal, with a corkscrew tip; it’s forced through the pipe as a method of knocking pipe blockages loose.
Toilet auger. A.k.a. “plumber’s snake.” Basically like the drain auger but made especially for toilet clogs.
Work gloves. You may need to stick your fingers into icky clogged pipes – ‘nuff said!