Used for shovelling rubble and for mixing mortar, concrete etc.
Sledgehammer
These come in different weights (7lb being the normal size) but choose a weight that you can handle comfortably. They are also useful for hammering in stakes in the garden.
Pick
Unless you do a lot of building work it is probably better to hire one.
Bricklayer's Line
Cheap enough to buy one, especially if you want straight walls. When you have finished with it you can always use it as a garden line.
Cold Chisel
A narrow chisel for cutting stone and punching holes in brickwork. Cheap enough to buy.
Bolster Chisel
These are wider than cold chisels (up to 6 inches wide) and are used to cut bricks, stone and paving slabs.
Club Hammer
These have different names in different parts of the country but this (usually) 3lb hammer is for use with the chisels above, tapping paving into place (the wooden handle only), walling jobs etc. They are also useful in the garden for knocking in stakes.
Tape Measure
No building job would be possible without a tape measure. The length you get depends on the maximum length you will be working with. Steel measures start at 3ft and go up to about 25 ft, The longer wind in flexible ones can go up to 500 ft. For use outdoors consider getting a fibre glass one, it will not rot if it gets wet and they are not much more expensive.
Straightedge
A straight edge can be anything from a 12 inch steel rule to a 10 ft wood batten, depending on what length you need. Either way it has to be dead straight and dead flat.
