Gifts To Give To Your Home Repair DIY Enthusiast – Forbes Advisor

Searching for the perfect gift for your DIYer? Gift ideas for an avid home repair enthusiast can be hard to come by. It’s also tough to know what gifts might be useful to a DIY beginner. We’ve asked our expert about what gifts would be appropriate for the DIYer you’re shopping for. We also wanted to know what not to give. Here are some tips to make your gift giving easier.

Q: How do you know what gifts to give a DIY enthusiast who has everything?

A: Very experienced DIYers tend to know what tools they like and they probably have the entire collection of them. Tools aren’t likely an appropriate or useful gift for those people. Instead, think in terms of gift certificates. A gift certificate at a specialty woodworking or craft store gives them the perfect excuse to spend the better part of a day at their favorite store, deciding what project or renovation to tackle next.

Q: How do you know what gifts to give a DIY beginner?

A: If your DIYer happens to be a new homeowner, give them general purpose items. Long-time homeowners who do their own repairs usually have a fair amount of knowledge regarding the house they’re in. They’re also likely to have plenty of tools, including specialty tools they’ve collected along the way. A new DIYer often has more enthusiasm than know-how, and usually owns a limited supply of tools.

Get them home repair books or tool kits. Available at any home center and online, repair guide books are packed with excellent, basic information and step-by-step fixes for common house issues. The tool kit you give them will depend on what their tool collection already has. A set of various sized and shaped pliers will come in handy for a very long time. Inexpensive cordless tool sets are perfect for getting a new DIYer on their way.

Q: Does skill level matter when buying tools for a DIYer?

A: High-quality tools cost real money. Average home repair needs don’t necessarily require top-of-the-line equipment. Beginners will benefit from a gift of a tool or toolset that’s of slightly higher quality than they need.

A $1,000 cordless toolset won’t be of much use to someone who hasn’t had the opportunity to develop their skills. Low-quality tools don’t do much good for anyone. Aim for price points one step above the lowest-priced tools in the store. This is usually a good tool quality level for a beginner.

Often, as homeowners’ experience level rises, so too does the retail price of their tools. Higher quality tools generally allow a DIYer to expand their skills and accomplish tasks more efficiently. The $1,000 toolset is likely overkill, but it certainly makes for a nice gift. Tools in the average to above-average price range are often perfect for someone with more developed skills.

Q: What are some specific home repair gift ideas?

A: There are a handful of items that almost no home repair enthusiast can ever have enough of. Portable lighting and flashlights are always useful, and it’s likely that no quantity of adjustable pliers will ever be enough to satisfy a serious DIYer. Depending on the habits of your DIYer, tool organization products are almost always in demand.

Q: Do you have any other gift ideas?

A: Don’t forget about the yard. Many home repair enthusiasts are also just as excited about keeping their landscaping in top form. There are so many variations of yard tools available now, you’re sure to find one that they don’t have yet.

Q: What should you not give a DIYer?

A: There’s been a lot of hype lately about multi-function tools. These are different from general purpose tools. They’re pliers or wrenches that fold up and contain several other miniature tools in the same device. They may be appropriate as a specialized activity tool, but for a homeowner with a project list, they’re not going to get used very often, if at all.

Usually, unless they’re specifically asked for, stay away from job-specific tools. Most of the time, if you’re thinking of a tool that’s specific to a task, your DIYer already has it. However, if a specific project is planned for the near future, and a shiny new ladder or a fancy new power planer is needed, go for it. You’ll become a gift-giving legend.