To rent or to buy?

Words: Jennifer MorrellIt’s July already? How can that be?

Summer is the perfect time for many things: beach trips, afternoons spent poolside, and — oh yeah — projects around the house. That grass isn’t going to cut itself, now is it? And, even though it’ll probably rain today, the cars are in need of a scrub down, inside and out.

Here’s something else we need to get around to, and soon: pressure washing. The patio and the driveway could stand to lose a few pounds of dirt, oil and var- ious stains. (In Georgia, the peskiest of stains tends to be that of red clay.)

My next question is whether to rent or to buy a small pressure washer. It seems we need one every year, but never want to take the plunge into pressure- washer ownership. The question is tossed about for a couple of weeks, when the answer seems to crystalize in the form of a Lowe’s circular in the Sunday edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The price was right, and now we have a household-sized pressure washer, all shiny and red, parked in the corner of our garage. It works well, and we do feel our decision was the best one.

What about you? Which factors do you consider on the jobsite when you are in need a piece of equipment? When is it more cost effective to simply rent, and when should you make that investment for your company?

In our piece, “Realizing the Benefits of Equipment Rental” on pp. 22 of the July 2013 issue of Masonry, Tom Hubbell with the American Rental Association outlines the benefits of rental with some solid considerations you can use to weigh your options. Hopefully, you’ll keep your July 2013 of Masonry close by to consult this article when you need it.

Now, I’m off to pressure wash. Have a safe and happy summer!
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