Here’s a practical list of tools that would be good to have on hand, whether you’re rebuilding from a disaster or not. These are the tools relief workers brought with them to rebuild Haiti. I would add how important it is to buy good quality tools that last. You don’t necessarily need top of the line contractor-grade tools, but you do want tools that will stand up to regular use. Prices at yard sales (get there early), going-out-of-business sales, pawn shops and online sites such as Craigslist are far lower than building supply centers.
Source: Popular Mechanics
I will add a caveat: Make sure it’s a tool *you* can use before buying it. A professional-grade, excellent quality tool is utterly useless *to you* if you can’t lift, maneuver, or otherwise handle the thing. Tools are often designed by and for large beefy men, and a woman with shorter arms, smaller hands, and less muscle strength may have trouble with some tools, not because she doesn’t have the skill, but because they just don’t fit her. (But don’t buy pink tools! Just… don’t. )
Example: My ex had a Dewalt 18v cordless drill. Substantial, sturdy (you can drop it off a 3-story catwalk onto concrete, put the battery back in, and keep going- most other drills would break), good battery life… but it weighed close to six pounds. I couldn’t hold it steady one-handed. It was not a good drill *for me* because it wasn’t a drill I could use.
When he left, I got a Porter-Cable 12v LiOn drill, which did not have the brute force or as much durability against abuse (or as much $$$$), but it was still pretty potent, and was about 2 pounds. I can use that drill quite well. It’s not a deck-building tool, but then, neither is the Dewalt. That’s what an air compressor and an impact driver are for…