3 Tools You Didn't Know You Could Buy at Costco for Your Fixer-Upper Home

So, you've bought a fixer-upper home, and it was a steal -- but you're gonna need a lot of tools and equipment to get the project from where you are now to where you imagine it can be. I know this song and dance too well, having bought my own fixer-upper nine years ago this month.

If you're a creative soul, a fixer-upper home will give you limitless canvases to work on and endless problems to solve, provided you can get over the financial hurdle of acquiring the things you need. I recently learned that Costco has a healthy selection of tools and equipment that rotate in and out. You might find that something you really want there is no longer available if you wait too long, but on the flip side, you never know what new tools may come in.

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Here are my top picks today for tools and equipment as a fellow owner of an endless project home.

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1. DEWALT 8 gallon wet/dry vacuum

I've had my wet/dry vac for over two decades, and it has followed me loyally from place to place on its tiny little plastic wheels. Once affectionately named "R2D2" by my construction crew, the little fella has never given me a moment's complaint, even that time I used him in place of a regular vacuum cleaner because my floor vac bit the dust. He's hands-down one of my most consistently used tools even today.

So, when I saw that Costco had an 8-gallon DEWALT wet/dry vac for sale, I knew it had to make this list. Not only is DEWALT a brand known for its reliability but eight gallons is a great size for one of these vacuums -- not so big to be annoyingly and needlessly bulky, and not so small that a job like sanding drywall or refinishing trim work will mean you're doing more emptying than working.

Costco has this vacuum for sale right now for under $80 with your membership discount through June 16, 2024.

2. Little Giant MegaLite+ 18 foot reach ladder with leg levelers

Unless you're a giant yourself, or you bought the shortest house in America, you're going to need a ladder before you get started on anything. There are lots of different kinds of ladders, but if you're looking for your first, a multi-position ladder will be the most useful kind you can invest in.

These ladders allow you to do lots of different things, including taking them apart and using them as scaffolding (read your instruction booklet for more information on that), raising and lowering the top of the ladder when in A-shape mode, and even unfolding it for even higher reach as an extension ladder.

And Little Giant is one of my favorite ladder manufacturers -- in fact, my most recent ladder acquisition is a fiberglass Little Giant number. They feel beefy without being too bulky to carry around, and everything is just generally nice about them.

The MegaLite+ is made from aluminum, but rated for 300 pounds, so you, a bundle of shingles, a small dog, and a bucket of paint can easily all be hanging from this thing at the same time. It's currently $189.99 at Costco, which includes shipping and handling if you choose to have it delivered.

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3. Greenworks 24V 4-piece power tool combo kit

Greenworks has long been a leader in battery-powered tools, and it now offers a huge range of options for homeowners, from tools for working on the house to tools for working in the yard. So, the fact that the company is offering a kit through Costco with some of the most-used tools for fixer-uppers is absolutely great.

This kit is a fixer-upper owner's dream starter grouping: a drill driver, a reciprocating saw, an oscillating multi-tool, and a circular saw. All of these tools work with the same 24-volt battery packs, which are included, and share batteries with the 200-plus other tools in the Greenworks lineup.

Look, I come from a time before battery-powered power tools were the norm, and it was far less convenient. Can you imagine being up in an attic, trying to make a cut with a corded circular saw, when you run out of cord? You're so close you can almost reach it, but not close enough. Sorry, Charlie.

But the battery tools are fantastic because they go anywhere, they can reach anything, and they're largely designed to be lightweight enough to be able to be used anywhere. The one drawback is that sometimes they're not quite meaty enough for really big jobs. The circular saw in this set is the same size as mine is at home, and it could be tricky to cut anything thicker than about four inches with it. But on the upside, you likely will almost never need to do that.

Check your local Costco for tools for your fixer-upper home

If you've bought a fixer-upper or you're just still living in one, you'll need to stretch your tool budget. So remember to check Costco before you make a tool purchase. Surprisingly, it offers generators, work lights, tool kits, shop vacs, tool boxes, and so much more.