It's common knowledge that plenty of guys love nothing more than a garage filled with tools. Big tools, small tools. All hanging on a pegboard in the right place, or all carefully arranged inside of an impressive tool kit. And most people realize the danger of lending tools out, as sometimes they never return. When you have the right tools, you can do pretty much anything around the house. You can easily handle any repair that comes up.
On the other hand, if you are a relatively new homeowner, or otherwise don't have many tools, facing some home repairs can be intimidating if all you have is a roll of duct tape and a screwdriver. If you happen to have a desire to fill up your garage with an awesome set of tools but don't know when to start, then this article is for you. I'll give you a couple tips that will help you slowly build up your collection of useful tools that won't put you in the poor house.
The first thing to consider is the kinds of things you'll be doing with your tools. Take an hour or so and really give your house a once over. Categorize things by size and how soon you'll start to tackle various projects. Obviously, if you are just starting out, the tools you'll need to buy first are for the most pressing problems. It just won't do to buy some tools for a project you're planning next Spring.
Another thing to think about is how often you think you'll be using the tool. If the tools is fairly versatile and you can use it on many different jobs, then go ahead and buy it. On the other hand, if there are some jobs that require some pretty specific tools that you won't likely use again, you may be better off renting it, especially if the cost to purchase it is expensive. This way you'll only spend a little bit of money instead of a lot.
One final piece of advice is to consider how much home improvement you'll be doing in over the next few years. If you see yourself doing quite a bit, then it may be a good idea to get a rather large tool set, with many different tools included. This can save you quite a bit of money over the long run, compared to buying each tool by itself. If, on the other hand, you only have a couple of specific jobs to do, and then you'll be done for good, then it's probably a better idea to simply buy them one at a time.
Now that you've got a good idea of the kinds of tools and how many you need, you're ready to do some shopping. Be sure to shop around, and check with your neighbors to see which brands are the most recommended. Simply find the guy on your block with the most tools in his garage, and ask his advice. Pretty soon you'll be the expert giving advice.