Waymark The Homeowner OS

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Essential tools every homeowner should own

Published July 28, 2026.

You do not need a garage full of tools to take care of a house. About ten hand tools cover the vast majority of small repairs and installs, and you can add the bigger, pricier tools only when a project actually calls for them. Below is a homeowner tool kit ranked by how essential each piece is: the must-haves to own before anything goes wrong, the good-to-haves for your first year, and the nice-to-haves for bigger projects. We rank by how often you will reach for a tool, not by brand, so each link goes to a category search where you can pick the price and quality that fit you.

A note on the links: some are affiliate links, which means Waymark may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. We rank tools by how useful they are, never by commission.

Must-have: the core kit

If you own nothing else, own these. They handle hanging things, tightening things, and the small fixes that come up constantly.

Good to have: your first year

None of these are emergencies, but each one turns an annoying job into a quick one.

Nice to have: bigger projects

Power tools and specialty gear. Buy these when a project needs them, and remember that a big tool you will use once is often cheaper to rent.

How to buy tools without overspending

A few habits keep a tool kit from getting expensive:

As you take on specific projects, each Waymark calculator lists the exact tools that job needs in its “Tools for this job” box, and our new homeowner checklist covers the rest of first-year setup beyond tools.

New homeowner checklist →

Frequently asked questions

What tools does every homeowner actually need?
About ten hand tools cover the large majority of small repairs and installs: a cordless drill, a tape measure, a hammer, a screwdriver set, tongue-and-groove and needle-nose pliers, an adjustable wrench, a utility knife, a level, a stud finder, and a good flashlight or headlamp. With those you can hang things, tighten things, and handle the small fixes that come up constantly. Everything beyond that is about specific projects, so add it when a project calls for it rather than buying a full garage of tools up front.
Is it better to buy a pre-made tool set or individual tools?
A basic homeowner or mechanic tool set is usually a good value for the core hand tools, since buying a hammer, screwdrivers, wrenches, and pliers together in one box costs less than buying each separately. Buy individually for the few tools you will use hard, like a cordless drill or a tape measure, where a better one is worth the money. Mixing the two, a set for the basics plus a couple of quality standalone picks, is how most people end up equipped.
Should I buy power tools or rent them?
Buy the power tools you will use again and again, starting with a cordless drill. Rent the big, expensive tools you only need once in a while, like a tile saw, a pressure washer, or a floor sander, since a day's rental costs a fraction of buying and you skip the storage and upkeep. A good rule is to buy anything you will use a few times a year and rent anything you will use once.