When it comes to homeownership, one of the greatest joys is putting a personal touch on how your home looks and functions. From building/adding/maintaining a variety of additions like decking, gardens, and patios, to maintaining your yard. Having an outdoor space to call your own is a wonderful thing. It can be exciting to look forward to those late summer evenings where you and your family & friends can enjoy the pool, the deck, or the outdoor entertainment area. But like most things in homeownership, there is the other side. In order to have this space and for it to function and be aesthetically pleasing, there is a lot of work that needs to be done on your end.
You can break that work into three categories.
- On-Going Routine Maintenance: Mowing the lawn, weeding, and other projects are going to be routine.
- One-Time Projects: New installations of patios, rock pathways, gardens, etc. are one-time projects you can enjoy over the course of a few weeks based on the size of the project.
- Larger Projects: Some bigger projects like building a deck might require you to work with exterior remodelers or landscaping companies.
Based on these three project types you can consider whether you are going to want to own your own tools or rent them temporarily. If you live in the New Hampshire or Southern Maine area and need tools, you can always go through our inventory to see daily rates. Otherwise, keep reading for more insight on what to buy, what to rent, and why.
Should You Buy Your Landscaping Equipment?
Let’s talk about the big factors that determine whether or not it make sense to buy your own equipment.
- Frequency Of Use: If you are going to be using equipment frequently, it might make more sense to own it. Just like any rental vs buying question, you should consider the cost. If the cost of ownership is going to be less than the cost of repeat rentals, you should consider owning it. For example, if you have a large backyard and prefer using a ride-on lawnmower, you might want to rent it once or twice to get a feel for it, but eventually buy one for both the economic benefit of owning your own as well as the fact that you will be able to use it whenever you want.
- Maintenance Costs: It is important to understand that the equation is not simply “rental cost times number of rentals per season” vs “purchase cost”. You need to also factor in maintenance & storage costs. The quickest way to ruin the investment of getting a piece of equipment like a Bobcat Skid Steer Loader is to not maintain it. The cost of replacing rusted or broken parts is going to add up quickly. Even with perfect use, maintenance, and storage solutions, your machines will need repairs over time, so you need to account for this as well.