The 5 Most Affordable Tools Every Homeowner Should Buy At Home Depot

Owning your own home can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Not only is it a great investment opportunity, but there is also a nice feeling of knowing that you can design and redecorate your home just the way you like it. However, home ownership also comes with its fair share of responsibilities. Plumbing might leak, walls could need repainting, light fixtures may need rewiring, and there are plenty of other odd jobs that pop up around the home. Unless you are renting your home and have a landlord to foot the bill, those expenses fall directly on you. As a general rule, when budgeting for how much it may cost annually to maintain and repair your home, most homeowners may want to set aside 1% of the purchase price of their home for these expenses, according to The Balance.

Maintaining your house could become a part-time job, and unless you have extra income to pay a general handyperson, you may want to consider doing a lot of the work yourself. Luckily there are plenty of online tutorials, home repair books, and actual courses you can take to make you a master at the art of home repair. For any job — big or small — you need the right set of tools. But before you go spending thousands of dollars on brand-name chainsaws, industrial-strength floor sanders, and more power drills than you can fit in the garage, we have a handy list of the five most affordable tools that every homeowner could benefit from.

Nothing beats a good set of screwdrivers. From the small household jobs like tightening the hardware on kitchen cabinets to installing new doors in your home, a complete screwdriver set can be just the thing you need to tackle most day-to-day repairs. For those who have done their fair share of minor maintenance around the home, you have probably noticed that no screw is made the same. The tops of screws can range from flat-head, square-shaped, star-head to hexagonal in design and require the matching screwdriver in order to get the job done right, as per Primer.

If you have ever been in a situation where you constantly go back and forth to dig through your toolbox in order to find the exact screwdriver you need, the frustration can be a little much. Luckily, The Home Depot has a full set of 18 screwdrivers that can handle most — if not all — of your fastening needs, and it won't break the bank in the process. Made with non-slip handles and highly durable chrome shafts, this set of Stalwart screwdrivers is built to withstand all the work you put into them, and you can get it for only $18.94. Plus, the magnetized tips help to keep the screws in place so that you are not constantly dropping them while you work. Once done, you can place them back into the convenient storage rack so that they are ready to go for the next time you need them.

Pliers are the type of tool that has a long, rich history. Developed in 1857 by Mathias Klein, the first set of pliers were designed to make the twisting and cutting of wires easier for tradespersons, according to Engineering World. From those earlier plier models came more designs that catered to different types of work. Self-locking pliers enabled the user to not have to grip so hard on the handle while they twist and turn, and Channellock pliers had more adjustable heads in order to grip a variety of sizes of bolts or materials. For more intricate work, needle-nose pliers were developed for smaller jobs in areas where the spaces were a tight fit.

At home, you may need the use of a good set of snipping pliers to cut electrical wires or a tool with grooved teeth so that you can easily grip and bend without hurting your fingers. For a reliable, affordable option, The Home Depot has a set of three Stanley pliers for $14.97 that includes a 6-inch needle-nose, diagonal, and slip joint that should be useful around the home. The handles are made of durable steel that has been dipped twice in a strong rubber-like material to create a comfortable non-slip grip. These tools are backed by a lifetime guarantee and can be just the thing you need for small wiring jobs around the home, whether that is changing light fixtures, rewiring wall sockets, or fixing small appliances.

It doesn't matter if you are really tall or fairly short, chances are that there will always be one job or another that is just out of reach. Luckily for all of us, the ladder was invented to help us out. However, since most work inside of the home won't need the use of a 6- to 12-foot step ladder, we need something that is more compact but can still help with those just-out-of-reach areas. Although the concept of ladders can date way back to more than 10,000 years ago, the modern-ish idea of a step ladder was patented by John H. Balsley in 1862. It was called a step ladder because of the fact that it was more characteristic of walking up a set of stairs as opposed to up a vertical ladder, according to Ohio History Central.

For a convenient and durable step ladder to use around the homestead, there is a Gorilla Ladders two-step model available at The Home Depot for under $30. Lightweight and easy to fold, this ladder can hold up to 225 pounds and has a safety latch so that it is sure to lock into place. With non-slip rubber on the steps, you can rest assured that you won't slip while reaching up for those upper-tier fix-it jobs.

For extra power to help you around the home, you may find that you use a hammer for a lot more than just pounding in nails. A good strong hammer can have the ability to remove nails and get through drywall on remodeling jobs. If you need help to slightly lift up heavier objects, the claw function on the back can be slipped under the material, then, while you pull down on the handle, it can help to lift the weight. Hammers have other uses around the home; from fixing furniture, roof shingles, floorboards, and small demo projects, it can be a truly versatile tool. From claw hammers and ball-peen to mallets, there is a right hammer designed for any type of job, according to Merriam-Webster.

To get you started, The Home Depot has an affordable 16-ounce Husky brand hammer that you can grab for under $12. Made with a sturdy fiberglass handle and ergonomic grip that can help to absorb harmful vibrations from your hard work. The head of the hammer is also heat treated and has a magnetic nail starter tip to help you hit the nail on the head every time.

To keep all of your tools organized and in one spot, ready to take with you no matter where the next home repair is, you need a reliable toolbox. Used for years as a convenient way to travel with the various tools you need, early toolboxes were of a simple design constructed out of wood. As far back as the 1600s, workers were transporting their important tools in boxes that were hinged with wrought iron joints and sturdy wooden frames, according to the Woodworking Archive. As the centuries passed, more elaborate models were designed with metal or durable plastic. Removable parts can provide storage options for bolts, screws, nuts, and washers. While other slots can house your drill bits and removable screwdriver heads.

For a starters toolbox, there is no reason to have all of the bells and whistles quite yet. As long as you can keep your main tools such as hammers, wrenches, pliers, and screwdrivers safe from being lost or tripped over, then that is all you need. For just shy of $20, you can grab yourself a decent DeWalt tool storage case from The Home Depot, which is 13 inches wide and should provide plenty of room to hold your tools. Made of thick plastic with strong metal handles, this toolbox can be stacked with other DeWALT models for you to make the ultimate tool storage unit.