DYI vs Off the shelf breakeven point?

[Jukas]

I've always liked the idea of DIY, and am inclined to so when possible. However I've had quiet a few that ended up with a final cost within 20% of just going out and buying it which usually bums me out.

For example I'm pricing out DIY stirplate with parts from radio shack bare minimum I"m looking at about $25 bucks include tax. That's assuming I can scrounge up the extra wire and wall wort I need. If I have to buy 2 spools of wire cost would go to about $30. (I have tons of PC fans and dead hard drives lying about)

By comparison I could simply order a pre-made stirplate from Stir Starters: Yeast stir plate for the home brewer for $42 shipped.

So if I do the DIY right and don't screw anything up at best I'm looking at a 40% savings off retail, not counting my time. That's usually a good enough breaking point to go the DIY route for me

This lead me to wonder what everyone's breakeven point is on when they decide to head down the DIY path vs just buying it off the shelf (and getting a warranty).

 

[ahave]

For me, the benefit is the DIY aspect itself. If it looks like I can build it for less and/or if it looks like it is a project worth my time I will go the DIY route.

 

[SecretBrew]

I think in the case of the stir plate, you can build one that would be equivalent to a higher priced stir plate and it would still cost less than the cheapest one you could find. I always feel I could just buy the cheap one, but I never want just the cheap one. I wan't a bada$$ one.

 

[3PegBrew]

I like DIY when it comes to things I KNOW how to do. I recently ghetto rigged a DIY stir plate. That was stretching my DIY talents.

I made my own Keezer and Keezer cart. That's way below retail cost.

But as I said, sometimes buying it already done is easier for some of us and not worth the hassle of losing one's temper when it doesn't work out they way other people said it would.

Those who DIY with everything, more power to you. come to my house and lend me your whits.

 

[Tomtanner]

For me the novice I initially looked at my brewstand like this.

Buy new..... Roughly $1000
Pay a welder $500-plus burners etc
DIY.. Price of materials. $300-$400

What I failed to account for was all the other things I needed. My welder was only $100. But then my angle grinder miter saw work bench additional tools etc added up to over $500 plus hours of learning to actually use this stuff. .... I guess the trade off is that I've learned a fun new skill and will eventually be able to build a lot of other things with my new skills and tools.. I prefer the DIY route because it's more fun, not because it's cheaper in my case.... That's just me though.

 

[TomSD]

I do it for doing it and don't think much about the price. I could've made my own stir plate, I even have most of the parts, but it is a boring project for me so I just bought a couple. I put lots of money into my Keezer but probably ended up paying less than a comparable unit (if there is such a thing). I am making some BIAB bags simply because it looked like a fun project and I wanted to brush up on my sewing. Don't think I will save any money since I'm planning on trying a couple things so bought extra stuff but don't really care.

 

[hmmmbeer]

For me, it really isn't the idea of how much I save when doing a DIY, its the fact that I save at all and I have a project that gets me in the garage doing what I love and it is going towards something I love more (brewing). I do understand the idea of a warranty on something I can buy but if its something simple like a PC fan that I can get all day long for free (friends in low places) I'll still do the DIY. If you dont love doing DIY, follow your heart. Myself, I've built everything from my brew stand to my brew pot to my mash tun (cooler came from a roadside find, no shame on my end).

 

[stevea1210]

For me it's more than just cost. Electrical work isn't my strong point. For $15 difference, I'd definitely buy one. That's me though.

There's other things where in the end I lose money, but I HAVE to diy. Best example is....brewing beer. I'll probably never break even on the equipment I have, but I simply don't care.

 

[3PegBrew]

For me the novice I initially looked at my brewstand like this.

Buy new..... Roughly $1000
Pay a welder $500-plus burners etc
DIY.. Price of materials. $300-$400

What I failed to account for was all the other things I needed. My welder was only $100. But then my angle grinder miter saw work bench additional tools etc added up to over $500 plus hours of learning to actually use this stuff. .... I guess the trade off is that I've learned a fun new skill and will eventually be able to build a lot of other things with my new skills and tools.. I prefer the DIY route because it's more fun, not because it's cheaper in my case.... That's just me though.

hehe I just met a guy on here who lives near me. He built a single tier and is mounting my current burners onto it. All for just 280.

 

[Transamguy77]

For me it depends on how comfortable I am with the DIY, I'm a mechanic by trade so most things I'm comfortable with, simple electrical, welding, and using power tools.

However I'm also a busy guy with a large family so I look at the project and ask myself, how much am I going to save?, how long is it gonna take me? And do I have put out all the money now?

My stirplate I made I scavenged most parts but sill had to buy a few things and it cost me $20 so I made it. My bottle tree is 6 ft high and holds 90 bottles and it took an hour to make and have less than $20 invested so I made it. Now my IC I bought one it was gonna cost me more for the parts than I could get one shipped to my door and I was still gonna have to actually make it.

I look at the big picture not just will it save me money.

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

I'm definitely NOT a DIYer

 

[Tomtanner]

I'm definitely NOT a DIYer

Wait a minute.... Don't you sell brew strands?

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

LOL... was wondering when someone would comment. There are few things I don't do myself.

 

[A4J]

For me, DIY'ing is more fun than actually brewing. It's not really about saving money, it's about getting it done the way I want. Actually, I guess it is about saving, 'cuz there's no way I'm gonna be able to afford it if it was done the way I want it. Take my keezer for example. It would've cost me 4 times as much if I would've paid someone to do it.

I'm not gonna DIY anything that I can go out and buy for less than $50 even if I save a lot of money doing it myself. It just wouldn't be worth it.

 

[TheDom]

For me, I weigh the value (to me of course) of the skill learned and the cost savings vs the PITA factor of the task at hand. For example, I don't think I would learn anything particularly valuable relative to the headache that coiling stainless steel tubing can be, so I would just buy a SS immersion chiller if I were making a HERMS coil. Copper, however is much less aggravating to coil, so even given moderate to low cost savings, I would probably coil that myself.

Also, if buying new tools causes me to just break even with retail, I figure I've come out ahead because the project is done AND I have new tools.

 

[PKLehmer]

Also, if buying new tools causes me to just break even with retail, I figure I've come out ahead because the project is done AND I have new tools.

This is the logic I always try with SWMBO, it rarely works but oh well. She claims I "tinker" to much with stuff, but that's whats fun to me. I'd rather spend 10 hours building a counterflow chiller so I know intimately how it works, rather than buying one online, paying a couple bucks extra for, and not having the parts or know-how to fix it when I'm done.

 

[Homercidal]

I try to DIY all that I can because it's fun and I have a bunch of tools and a small amount of experience using them.

However, I already have tons of projects, so sometimes I do buy something that is not much more than I can build it for.

Last night I tested a home etched PWM circuit for stirplate control. With the several printer switchboxes and computer fans I have set aside, I can make stirplates for my friends for less than $10 each.

I'll admit that when I saw the StirStarter plates at a homebrew event, I was pretty impressed!

 

[Texan]

I love the experience gained from DIY.

That being said, the degree of time/cost comes into play. in the example of the stirplate, an extra $20 bucks over what it cost to build it myself is a deal. That time can be spent doing other things for your brewing.

If it is a $200 difference then it is going to perk up my ears and give me justification to get the wife to go along.

It also matters to my skill set and what comes easy for me, and what materials I have laying around or have access to.

I built a HLT and probally would have come out ALOT cheaper if I had had someone else build it, but as a poster above stated, I wanted done a very specific way for my system. (= DIY project)

So to answer your question, it really is a case by case scenario for each DIY project.

 

[Moomaw30]

For me it is a balance between the amount of time, cost difference as well as the quality of the finished product. If I feel I can make something better for the same cost I will make it myself. Plus if I feel like I will gain a better understanding of how the unit works or learn something in the process that influences my decision as well.

I just built my first stir plate and any one you build with parts from Radio shack will be equivalent to the "Stir Starter" plate. The person making these is essentially building them the exact same way as you will. It doesn't take too much time and its a fun little project.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I really only try to DIY for custom solutions. If someone is making a quality product exactly as I want it, I will just save to buy that item.

The stir plate is a perfect example. I bought two, because I wouldn't have saved a ton building them myself, I was guaranteed they would work as advertized, and I didn't need to find the time to build them/source parts.

 

[Lucky_Chicken]

I am all over DIY... just something else to do in this hobby. so if it doesn't cost more I will build it.

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

I love the experience gained from DIY.

That being said, the degree of time/cost comes into play. in the example of the stirplate, an extra $20 bucks over what it cost to build it myself is a deal. That time can be spent doing other things for your brewing.

If it is a $200 difference then it is going to perk up my ears and give me justification to get the wife to go along.

It also matters to my skill set and what comes easy for me, and what materials I have laying around or have access to.

I built a HLT and probally would have come out ALOT cheaper if I had had someone else build it, but as a poster above stated, I wanted done a very specific way for my system. (= DIY project)

So to answer your question, it really is a case by case scenario for each DIY project.

Just an FYI for those looking for custom kettle work. We do a lot of that. We also have the 'street coupling' (male one side, female the other) like the one used on MoreBeer valve ports.

 

[socalboomer]

For me it's both fun, and the knowledge that I'm getting out of it exactly what I want, as long as I plan it out.

My first stand was great and it's now in the hands of a friend - I used it to get going and to know what I REALLY want in a stand. I re-used old stuff laying around.

Now I'm building a new stand out of an old stand-alone server rack (before the rack-mounted servers) - really robust and I have plenty of room to pipe gas and water and get the heights, the desk, everything exactly where I want it.

 

[3PegBrew]

Just realized it says DYI....Do Yourself In?

 

[TheDom]

Just realized it says DYI....Do Yourself In?

Lol! Can't believe I missed it!

 

[Bitty]

I DIY as much as I can, but then there's also the consideration of time. If I can make something for $40 that sells for $150 but takes a whole boatload of time, I'll seriously consider just buying it instead.

 

[Xtant]

I DIY because I enjoy it and for the money, generally come out with a better product.

Keezer- about $1200 in. But it holds 10+ cornies, four taps all individually regulated. For the money, I could have bought a nice kegerator, but not nearly as functional.

Keggle- probably got over $200 in...but that won't even get a a good 15 gal plain pot

 

[autobaun70]

for me it is a function of three things

1) can I do it myself (I'm pretty handy and have nearly any tool I could need, plus plenty of machine tools at work, so that part is easy), so I do end up doing a good many things DIY.

2) $'s saved divided by time spent . I could care less about the percent, who cares if it is 90% off if it is $5.00 project. My time is valuable.

3) end result. Take my fermentation chamber for example. It is half store bought fridge(well, craigslist), half DIY. I put the $40.00 or so into the aquarium controller, but had absolutely no interest in hacking up one of my mini fridges and trying to attach it to an insulated wooden box. That would have just been too much effort, and if I ever wanted to use it for something else it would be difficult. With my setup all I have to do is remove the aquarium controller & put the shelves back in. Plus it looks nice sitting in the garage.

 

[Jukas]

Just realized it says DYI....Do Yourself In?

Lol! Can't believe I missed it!

Can't believe I missed it also I don't seem to be able to edit the title, so I guess this thread will just have to live with doin itself in

I seem to share the same sentiment with a lot of people in this thread. I'll look to a DIY option if I can save at least 25%, come close to even but end up with new tools or if it can be done cheaper and looks like a fun project to learn (stir plate for example).

 

[kh54s10]

I've always liked the idea of DIY, and am inclined to so when possible. However I've had quiet a few that ended up with a final cost within 20% of just going out and buying it which usually bums me out.

For example I'm pricing out DIY stirplate with parts from radio shack bare minimum I"m looking at about $25 bucks include tax. That's assuming I can scrounge up the extra wire and wall wort I need. If I have to buy 2 spools of wire cost would go to about $30. (I have tons of PC fans and dead hard drives lying about)

By comparison I could simply order a pre-made stirplate from Stir Starters: Yeast stir plate for the home brewer for $42 shipped.

So if I do the DIY right and don't screw anything up at best I'm looking at a 40% savings off retail, not counting my time. That's usually a good enough breaking point to go the DIY route for me

This lead me to wonder what everyone's breakeven point is on when they decide to head down the DIY path vs just buying it off the shelf (and getting a warranty).

My break point is a couple of dollars if the diy project is easy.

As to your stirplate example why is it costing so much?

Mine:
Box = free
magnet from hard drive = free
fan from computer = free
power supply from old answering machine = free
Rheostat and knob from Radio Shack = $4.75
Nuts and bolts for mounting fan - Walmart = $.99

Total = $5.74

Made a chiller. 2 lengths of copper tubing $40, Vinyl tubing $5, hose fitting and hose clamps $3 Total $48 dollars.

Online = $38 + $20 shipping = $58 total

I priced out a cooler valve and could only save a few dollars so I bought a kit and did not have to locate and figure out all the parts.