Best Hack or Right Tools For the Job

[Joe Splitrock]

I have learned that having the right tools can not only save you time, but you can do things you thought were impossible. When I say tools, I am broadly including processes, chemicals, machines, etc. What are some game changers you found at solving problems?

Here is ten of my favorites in no particular order: 

1. Ozone machine for smoke or other odors.

2. Foam post set for replacing mailbox or fence posts. Pour the foam in the hole, wait five minutes and done - no more cement.

3. Shower drain top retrofit. I had the drain part in a shower that joins to the pipe rust out. I was told the shower needed to be removed to replace. I found a $25 top mount retrofit part that saved me over a thousand dollars.

4. Lithium batteries on power tools. I upgraded all my tools to these batteries and they are lighter, charge faster and hold more charge.

5. PEX plumbing pipes. No more soldering and even a guy like me can do plumbing now. 

6. Finding the right cleaning chemicals for the job. Degreaser for grease, CLR for calcium or rust, TSP for cleaning walls,

7. Odor blocking primer for pee on sub floor. When changing carpet after pet damage, odor block any stains with primer. It will seal the smell in and leave the place smelling fresh.

8. Kwikset smart key for rekeying a lock in less than one minute. No more changing locks. I can change the key to a "showing" key and rekey to a fresh key right before someone moves in. Need extra keys? Lowes has a bucket of scrap keys and gave me a handful for free. I never have to worry who has a key.

9. High quality Sherwin Williams paint. Yes it costs way more, but it covers anything. One coat, thick so it doesn't drip. Durable so you can clean it. Easy to color match. Call ahead pickup or free delivery. 

10. Learning that time is the most expensive thing. If I can buy a tool for $20 to save me 30 minutes, it is a no brainier. I can expense the tools. My goal is to do more in less time.

[JD Martin]

Cool thread! I'll have to think of some of my stuff later but here's some things off the top of my head that have made life infinitely easier:

1. Truck cap on the bed of my truck. Hands down the best "tool" I've ever had for working on any of my properties. I can load the back up with all the tools and things needed for the next day and not have to worry about rain or thieves. Nothing blows out of the bed any more. 

2. A water shut-off key (looks like a big letter "T") in every vehicle I own, so that if I or my wife are in town and someone has a problem the water can be shut down faster than the city can get out there.

3. Strap-on headlamp. Like the coal miner type setup. I can't hardly believe I ever existed without these things. 

4. A big piece of cardboard, like refrigerator sized, for sliding massively heavy things into and out of the truck bed. 

5. A huge storage bin of under-the-sink plumbing pipe parts, mostly retreads from rental rehabs. This box has saved me a number of times from having to run out to Lowe's/HD right in the middle of fixing something where you need a p-trap extension just an inch longer than the one that's there. 

6. Musical appliances. When I get a property that has mismatched appliances, I'm usually able to repurpose the mismatch to another house that also had mismatched appliances, because usually the mismatch is black or white. 

7. A storage garage for spare stuff and "downsizing" materials. I can take a set of 4 or 5 cabinets out of a remodel and save them for a later rehab's laundry room. 80SF of good flooring that's too small to cover a remodeled room now fits into a closet or bathroom later. 10 foot 2x4s torn down from a drop ceiling get the nailed & cracked ends cut off and become 8 foot wall 2x4s. ETC. Not only does it save me the cost of hauling to the dump, it saves resources all the way around. 

That's just some of the stuff off the top of my head. I am sure when I have a chance to think I can really get into tools and other processes.