Re: Must have tools for the homeowner.
Buy a bunch of tape measures and utility knives and put them in various places so you always have them!
This! Can never have enough of either of them.
House tools can add up very quick depending on what you are wanting to do. Start with carpenter tools, hammers, tape measurers, speed square, 12" square, knife, nail punches, chisels, hand saws. Then add things like drywall tools, 6", 10", 12" knifes, metal mud pan, mixing paddle, good stapler, keyhole saw, drywall sanders, texture sprayer. Then add electrical tools, wire strippers, linesmans, diagonals, screwdrivers, torpedo level, GFCI outlet tester, non contact voltage tester, auger and spade drill bits, hacksaw, telephone cable tools, coax cable tools-stripper and crimper. Plumbing tools, pipe wrenches, soldering stuff-(torch, solder, pipe cutter, inside and outside brushes, flux), garbage disposal wrench, channel locks, crescent wrenches, PEX crimpers. Painting supplies, brushes, rollers, handles, trim brushes/rollers, pans. Flooring tools, tile tools, laminate tools, carpet tools.
Power tools, a decent miter saw is probably one of the most versatile power tools next to a cordless drill. A table saw is also nice to have. A nice big low RPM drill is nice for mixing drywall mud and many other things including drilling larger holes. A hammer drill for drilling concrete, if you can afford one that you can switch to hammer only so it won't rotate so you can use the hammer drill as a chisel. Air nailers are also very nice if you are doing trim.
A good supply of nails, screws, bolts, etc are a must. Over the years I have accumulated a large stock of hardware and it's great not having to run to the hardware store everytime I need a certain screw or nail. Also things like electrical boxes, outlets, switches, wire, wire nuts, staples. Some plumbing supplies for emergency repairs like, fernco couplings, some valves, copper fittings, PVC fittings, a few sticks of PVC and copper pipe.
The list can go on forever and will grow each time you need to do a repair or a new project. The problem is depending on how DIY you want to be the more tools you need. Also unlike working on cars where wrenches and sockets are your main tools and then some specialty tools, home tools are a lot of "specialty" tools with very few being used for more than one thing.
Personally I believe in doing almost all repairs myself. My theory is if I can buy tools and supplies to do a project for around the same price as hiring someone than I will do it myself. Then next time I will already have the tools needed. I bought a tile saw for 700 bucks a few years back, it has paid for itself many times over now.
If you are very DIY and do everything yourself then you will NEED many tools. If you just want to pound a few nails here and there then you really don't need much.
