A toolshed is pretty much a requirement on any farm. It’s the perfect place to store your tools and small machines where they’ll be protected from the wear and tear of weather. Plus, a toolshed encourages better organization, so you always know where to find the right tool for any job.
Perhaps your farm already has a toolshed (or two, or three) perfect for your needs. But if your farm somehow lacks this practically essential feature, you’ll probably want to add one. The question is, should you build a toolshed yourself or purchase one?
The answer depends on several factors. Let’s explore some of the pros and cons of each approach:
Build a Toolshed
Pros
If you’re a DIY-type, handy with construction projects, building your own toolshed can be the perfect choice. Building a toolshed from scratch offers maximum flexibility. If you’re handy with blueprints, you can design a toolshed of the precise dimensions and style to suit your needs.
It can be as simple or complicated as you desire, and constructed from the precise materials you wish. Best of all, building a toolshed tends to be less expensive than purchasing a toolshed.
Cons
Building a toolshed takes time and effort, and for busy hobby farmers, that can be quite a commitment. Working in short spans of free time can stretch the project across a longer timespan than you might prefer.
And if you’re not very experienced with construction projects, it can be a formidable undertaking.
Read more: When it comes to farm tools, hand tools get the job done (sometimes better than powered ones).
Buying a Toolshed
Pros
The main advantage to buying a toolshed is the time and effort you’ll save. If construction isn’t your strong suit, you may be able to purchase a prebuilt toolshed and have professionals deliver it to your site. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!
But even assembling a prefabricated toolshed kit is faster and easier than designing and constructing one from scratch. You might also find you can purchase a more complex and/or decorative toolshed design than you would be capable of building yourself.
Cons
Buying a toolshed may afford you less customization options than building one yourself. This might not be a major issue, but if you have very specific requirements (or if you’re trying to match the design style of other farm buildings), you may run into limitations.
There’s also the price aspect to consider. The tradeoff for saving time and effort might be an increase in the overall cost of the project.
Read more: On the farm, a little organization can go a long way!
Conclusions
By now, you probably have a fair idea of whether you should build or buy a toolshed. But to recap, you should consider building a toolshed if:
- You’re skilled with construction projects
- You want to save money
- You have enough free time to commit to the project
On the other hand, you should consider buying a toolshed if:
- Your construction skills are limited
- Your time is consumed by other farming projects
- The cost isn’t a major concern
Whether you build or buy a toolshed, you’re bound to be happy with the extra storage space on your farm!
