A well-equipped garage not only allows homeowners to perform small projects around the house but also makes these tasks much more effective and enjoyable to complete. If you tend to pay professionals to do your home improvement projects, know that you can save a lot of money doing these tasks by yourself. If a lack of skills is the reason you haven’t tried doing these things yourself, nowadays there is a great number of step-by-step videos and instructions available on the internet for free you can use to learn to do certain things yourself. Not having the right workshop equipment and tools is the only thing that should stop you from the satisfaction of doing your home projects on your own. Below, I’ve listed what I believe to be the most important workshop equipment and tools that you should have in your garage.
Hand Tools
Although power tools seem to get all the attention today, the truth is that having a variety of hand tools is essential for DIY home projects. You should get a basic socket set, a combination wrench set, a hammer, some pliers, a tape measure and screwdrivers. In addition to these, there are other hand tools such as grips, utility knives and side cutters that you should also get. If you are on a low budget, start creating your tool collection with hand tools rather than investing in power tools that are oftentimes more expensive and take up much more space.
Power Tools
The greatest advantage of power tools is their huge productivity. Simply said, they allow you to get done more things in less time and with less effort. Furthermore, they allow you to perform tasks which are otherwise impossible to perform with hand tools only. Probably the most versatile and essential power tool that you should buy is a cordless drill. It will help you make holes for bolts or make large round roles for things like drains and doorknobs in no time. You can even use it to polish your car with it (for this you will also need a polishing attachment). Other power tools that you should consider investing in are a bench grinder and a circular saw. While you will find a variety of other workshop equipment and tools available online and at local stores they may not be worth buying if you don’t use them very often. Sometimes it makes more sense to rent a certain tool from a home improvement store or borrow it from a neighbor.
Once you start creating your tool collection, you will need a place to properly store them and keep them well organized. A high quality garage workbench is a must-have item and should be the center piece of your garage. Above it, you can add cabinets and underneath it some shelving to make the best use of the space. A chest with drawers makes the perfect solution for storing hand tools while small storage bins can be attached to the wall or placed on top of the garage workbench to keep bolts, nuts, fuse and small bulbs well organized. And don’t forget about your safety. Inexpensive items such gloves, safety goggles, a helmet and a first aid kit should be the most basic things you should have within reach when performing DIY projects around the house.
