Home Improvements — Tool Plan

You get both tools in one box: the combi drill (holes + screws) and the impact driver (the screw monster). It also comes with 2 batteries and a charger, which power every other Makita tool on this page. Cheapest way to get the pair.

Only want one tool for now? This is the combi drill on its own with one 5.0Ah battery, charger and case, so it works straight away. It drills holes and drives screws. You can add the impact driver later when you start the decking and stairs.

A spare battery means you're never stuck waiting. While one charges, you keep working. Worth it once you're halfway through laying a floor or a deck.

A thin blade that goes up and down. With no circular saw, this is your main flooring cutting tool: it cuts planks to length, trims the last row to width, and cuts curves around pipes and door frames. The edge is a touch rougher than a circular saw, but on flooring it's hidden under the skirting, so it's fine.

Where you cut. The top clamps your wood so it holds still while you saw, and it folds flat to store. Cut with the line hanging just off the edge so the jigsaw blade swings underneath in fresh air. Doubles as a sawhorse and a vice.

Normal blades chip the shiny top of laminate. These pull their teeth downwards so the top face stays clean and neat. A must-have if you're cutting laminate or fake-wood flooring.

Cheap but really handy. The tapping block knocks planks tightly together without chipping them, the pull bar helps the last plank near the wall, and the wedges leave a small gap so the floor can move without buckling.

You bump it with your knee to stretch the carpet tight and hook it onto the spiky gripper strips at the edges. Without it, carpet goes baggy and wrinkly.

A saw on an arm that chops wood to length with a perfectly straight or angled cut every time — great for deck boards, stair parts and skirting corners. This is the good-value Makita that does the job without the big price tag, and it plugs into a normal house socket.

No power tool needed for digging things up. A strong spade for cutting and lifting soil, and a fork for breaking up hard ground and roots. These ones are tough steel that won't bend.

A bar with a little bubble in it. When the bubble sits in the middle, your shelf, deck or step is perfectly flat or upright. You'll use it on almost every job.

Like extra strong hands. They hold wood still while you glue or screw it, so it doesn't slip. Building cabinets is loads easier with a few of these.

Special rust-proof screws made for outside, so your deck or steps don't go rusty and loose in the rain. These cut their own thread so they won't split the timber.

A little triangle you hold against the wood to draw a perfectly straight line to cut along, or to mark angles. Tiny, cheap, and you'll reach for it constantly.

The bits that go in your combi drill. This set has wood, metal and masonry drill bits plus loads of screwdriver bits, so the one drill does everything: holes for shelves and desks (use the masonry bits on hammer mode for brick walls) and driving every type of screw. No separate SDS drill needed for the odd hole.

Hold it on the wall before you drill. It finds the wooden beams to screw into and warns you about hidden live wires and metal so you don't drill into one. Cheap insurance against a nasty surprise.

A pad that wiggles fast to smooth wood before you paint or oil it. Makes skirting, doors, decking and cabinets feel nice and ready for a coat.

The problem-solver. Its blade buzzes side to side to do tricky jobs nothing else can — like trimming the bottom of a door frame so flooring slides under, or flush-cutting skirting. The cheaper brushed version is picked here.

Rollers for big flat walls and brushes for edges and skirting. Good ones leave fewer streaky marks. Add a tube of decorator's caulk to fill the gap above skirting before you paint.

A handy vacuum that runs off your same Makita batteries. Great for hoovering up dust and offcuts as you work and quick clean-ups after. The standard model is the cheaper pick.

The one you'll reach for on every single job. While you're on Screwfix, also grab a pencil, a sharp knife, and safety glasses, ear defenders and a dust mask — always wear those when cutting or drilling, as sawdust and noise are no joke.