• A portable drill is a construction tool no home should be without.drill image by Vladislav Gajic from Fotolia.com
  
  Home and garden construction jobs don't have to be handled by an expensive contractor. Many building projects in and around the home can be accomplished with the purchase or rental of a few key tools and machines that can give any project a professional look. It's important to maintain property safety protocols when working with construction machines and to always wear protective clothing, gloves and goggles.
  
  

Ladders, Steps and Platforms

• Many home improvement and construction jobs happen above ground level. A section ladder is an ideal tool to safely and reliably reach higher-up places such as a second floor window. Section ladders often incorporate a tri-fold system where users can turn the tall ladder into a shorter platform, increasing its stability for lower-level building or home-repair projects. "Catwalk" ladders are made in the traditional A frame style and are used strictly for the hard-to-reach jobs. It's important to work in pairs when using a catwalk ladder as its fiberglass construction can tip over without warning, potentially resulting in bodily harm.
  
  

Cement Mixers

• Home and garden construction jobs sometimes require the use of a portable concrete mixer. These devices can turn patio construction, garden pond building or brick laying from an expensive contracting job into a do-it-yourself affair. A 230 volt concrete mixer provides all the power necessary to keep the building compound moving and spreadable. While a portable mixer is suitable for smaller jobs, larger tasks such as foundation repair still require the supervision of a licensed building contractor.
  
  

Rope and Adhesive Tape

• No home should ever be without rope, bungee cord or adhesive tape of some kind. Rope and elastic cord help bind building materials for storage and to simply ensure that nothing gets lost during the construction process. Adhesive tape has multiple uses from protecting surfaces during painting and finishing to marking places on the construction site where people shouldn't stand or marking parts that should not be touched.
  
  

Hole-Drilling Equipment

• Whether it's building a tool shed, dog house or garden bench, at some point you're going to need to drill a hole in something. Magnetic drilling systems are portable and designed for precision drilling with enough power to drill holes as deep as two inches with a one-inch diameter. These devices also have attachments that enable a small degree of cutting power to help in trimming down wooden building components.