Part of the American Dream is still to own your own home, but with high interest rates, and a growing desire for home ownership, less people are interested in purchasing fixer-uppers. More people are staying put and choosing to invest in their own homes and their own financial toolkits. For those who still need to sell, they are having to invest in some of their own home renovations prior to selling, to get the true resale value out of their home. There’s not surprisingly, an increase in interest in people wanting to learn to DIY.

‘The market for homeowner improvement and repair projects in the U.S. is projected to reach $484 billion in 2023, up from $471 billion last year and $328 billion in 2019’, according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Depending on the type(s) of project(s) you’re looking to undertake in your home, hiring contractors for everything can be very costly and time-consuming, resulting in you only being able to do one small project at a time.

Queue the beginner DIY movement where people are taking to the Internet in the hopes of being able to tackle some of their own projects at home as inexpensively as possible.

DIYing is not for everyone and not everything can (or should) automatically by done yourself, but we have some suggestions for the best tools for the beginner DIY Toolkit to help you on your journey.

Your beginner DIY toolkit… what are the best tools you should invest in to get you started?

Power Drill and Driver. You need it to drill holes so it’s essential for easy projects, like hanging photos or wall mounting a TV. Also, an essential beginner DIY item for building furniture. Getting a cordless one will give you more storage options and more flexible mobility when you’re working on your projects.

Oscillating multi-tool. This is a time saver tool to help you get into places you normally couldn’t access. It works either with sanding attachments or rapid cutting with saw or grinding attachments. It’s a versatile tool that allows you to sand, saw metal, food, or drywall, undercut a doorway, cut off nails flush, and much more.

Saws are used frequently in construction, demolition, medicine, forestry, hunting, and you guessed it, DIY. It’s one of the best tools to have in your DIY Toolkit. A jigsaw can cut almost everything that doesn’t require a perfectly straight edge, a circular saw can cut wider pieces of wood, and is versatile for straight cuts; and a miter saw allows you to work on trim projects, or use it for single bevel cuts – straight, angled or beveled. 

Random orbital sander, an ideal tool for refinishing or upcycling old wooden furniture, helps limit dust spread, while also helping to reduce or prevent visible marks or scratches on your wood projects.

A cordless nail gun is essential in your toolkit installing board or molding, or even building your own backyard deck.


Arguably the most essential hand tool for any beginner toolkit (tied with a decent hammer), is a good Screwdriver set. Screwdrivers are used for everything from woodworking and carpentry, to opening computers, fastening, attaching TVs to wall mounts, opening some lighting fixtures to change lightbulbs, and anything in between.   

Speaking of hammers, you’ll need one of these for framing, nail pulling, assembling furniture, finishing, bending metal, striking steel chisels and more…  


Tape Measure – have you heard the saying “measure twice, cut once”? ‘Nuff said.

Unless your home project consists of creating a house of illusions, you’re probably going to want to install your cabinets, shelving, and wall mount things straight. For that, you’re going to need a level.

Some other beginner DIY tools you should add to your tool kit are: an adjustable wrench, wood filler, canvas drop cloths for your painting projects, a manual staple gun, safety googles and face masks, and a stud finder (queue that one dad who always holds it up to himself and makes a beeping noise).

You can also start small by purchasing a basic homeowners’ tool kit on Amazon, Home Depot, or another hardware store for $50-$65 USD.

Depending on which tools you decide to invest in, you’re looking to spend anywhere from $850 to over $1200 as you build your toolkit and start tackling home projects as a beginner DIYer 

If that seems like a lot, consider that the average cost for a bathroom renovation can run you anywhere from $6,500 to $17,000 USD; and the average cost for a kitchen remodel can cost anywhere from $14,500 up to $41,000 USD.

If your projects aren’t quite that large, then learning some new skills and investing in your own beginner DIY toolkit, might be a good, more affordable place to start.

Whether you’re looking to stock up on the best tools for your new beginner DIY toolkit, learn to DIY or speak to seasoned local experts about larger home projects, Marketplace Events produces more than 70 consumer shows annually across Canada and the USA and can help connect you to a pro. Find a show near you for ideas, inspiration, to learn from popular HGTV experts, or just to shop.