Can I build it DIY from scratch?

The Hideaway team have been in the aluminium industry for decades and have heard this claim so many times before: “I’ll save money if I just build it myself!” Really? Have you thought this through thoroughly…

Let’s have a deep dive into all things this idea of, “I’ll save [lots] of money,” entails.  Here’s just some of the things that you need to factor in before you can come anywhere near making this statement. By-the-way, our photo shows just how easy it is put our prefabricated Hideaways together.

So, can you do all these?

1. Planning and design – do you have the competency to conceptualise, design, and plan out the job down to the minute detail?  Without a properly drawn plan, how do you know the correct sizes, profiles, fixings, and performance outcomes of the project you are contemplating.  How good are your concept, design, and drawing skills? No plan equals a poorly built job.
   
   
2. Copyright of design – just a friendly reminder that whilst you might love our products, Hideaway Covers P/L owns the copyright in the design and has Australian Design Certification ownership for all models shown on our website.  This means that neither you, nor anyone you might ask (such as an aluminium supplier or retailer) is allowed to copy our design.  Because we’ve put so much intellectual property into designing our Hideaways, we do take legal action to protect our designs from anyone we find that has copied any of our designs. If you are DIYing, then you need to come up with your own concepts, designs, and plans.
   
   
3. Quantities and take-offs – once you have produced a series of integrated, component drawings of the structure you want to build, are you capable of doing quantity take-offs to establish the material order quantities that you will need? Are you able to identify the correct sizes and mixed components (what must go with what) that will be required to assemble the finished project so that it looks good? Can you do building-industry take-offs?
   
   
4. Ordering – this isn’t as simple as you may think.  There are very few suppliers of the DIY materials that you will need, so sourcing them can be problematic.  Further, did you know that aluminium slats only come in around six (6) metre lengths?  And, “No”, almost no firms cut them to size – or allow you to cut on-site. Do you know what aluminium components you will need, and which ones go with what profiles to make up the finished look of the product? In other words, how to make it all come together. Don’t forget all the tricky and specialist joining bits you will need.
   
   
5. Wastage – given that everything you need comes in 6m lengths – you will have to work out how many slats and other pieces of componentry you will need per length and then how many lengths you need.  Inevitably, the numbers usually mean that you will be left with a lot of off-cuts that you can’t do anything with.  Throw them in recycling bin! Money down the drain – savings gone.
   
   
6. Stock outages – don’t think that just because you rock up to a supplier (some only supply wholesale to the industry and not to the public) that they will have everything you want there and then in stock for you to take away.  Just-in-time stock control systems mean that most outlets keep the bare minimum of stock on-hand. You might be lucky – or unlucky and need a second / third trip to get everything you want for your DIY job.  One thing is for certain, you will forget or overlook some of the things you will need – then it’s back to the store, again! 
      
7. Delivery – having established that everything comes in around 6m lengths – guess what?  This is too long to safely fit onto a normal trailer, PLUS, it’s too long for standard roof racks.  The slats will bounce and run the risk of being damaged by bending.  Even professional fencers must have three raised bars to stack slats onto.  Paying for delivery is usually the only way to get the products safely to your home.  Hideaway Covers includes delivery in every one of its quotations. So, no savings to be made here by doing it yourself.
   
   
8. Storage – Once the quantity has been delivered, you need to move all the 6m lengths from the kerb drop-off to a secure location in your yard.  6m lengths are not easy to move or store (just measure this out to see how long 6m really is…), so you had best sort out where they can be moved to – and who is going to move them – well in advance. Also, store them straight, or bows may develop.
   
   Ok – so you have everything on-site now and you’re thinking the hard part is over ….. let’s continue…
   
   
9. Skill and competency – only you (and maybe your partner) know what level of skill you have in the DIY environment.  If you’re a dabbler in little fix up jobs, then do not even contemplate trying to build a DIY cover or enclosure from scratch. If you are an expert DIYer, then you will already know that the points being made in this article are all true.
   
   
10. Tools – have you got the right tools for the job, or will you need to buy these or hire them?  More cost outlay. You will be making anywhere from 200 – 400 cuts of aluminium product requiring the right tools.  There are heaps of other tools and PPE that you will need, but you will need to work that out.
    
    
11. Errors – have you ever done a job without some mistake happening?  Even the professionals make mistakes at times, so more cost in re-work, wastage, and more new materials. Factor this cost in as inevitably it will happen.
    
    
12. Plan reading – hopefully your original plans include all the details that allow you to identify what pieces you need to cut, assemble, and fix together.  Remember, a poor plan results in a poor job.  Oh, and the ‘build it as you go along’ idea will fail miserably on the more intricate of our models. That’s why the professionals don’t even attempt it – they recommend Hideaway Covers to their clients.
    
    
13. Labour – given that everything is 6m long, you will always need two (2) people to help with the cutting, holding, balancing, and supporting the various stages of the job. Got a free friend?
    
    
14. Time – this is the greatest cost of building the DIY job from scratch yourself. It will take considerable time to do all the above – then, there is the actual cutting and fabricating that you and another person will need to allocate to construct the project.
    
    Given that most people are time-poor these days, it seems such a waste to spend the amount of time required when someone else has already done all this work for you in a prefabricated, professionally designed unit (think IKEA – but with better instructions…).
    
    You have to ask yourself: “what value do I place on my time – and where is it best spent?”  Usually, quality family time, catching up with friends, getting domestic jobs done, shopping requirements, or simply relaxing ‘me time’ are much better uses of your time than cutting and screwing hundreds of pieces of aluminium together.
    
    
15. Weather – given that you’ll most likely be outdoors cutting and fabricating for a long period of time, don’t forget to take into account current and impending weather conditions, whether rain or sun exposure.
    
    
16. Finished appearance – the only way you can build a DIY enclosure yourself is by using a multitude of Tek screws to hold it all together.  This will require upwards of 500 screws to be used – all of which are exposed.  A screwed together job is never as strong or secure as a fully welded job, and certainly never looks as good as seamlessly welded slats. 
    
    
17. Clean-up – once the job is completed, you’ll have a large amount of waste product and tools as well as aluminium shavings to clean up.  Aluminium shavings are particularly hard to clean up as they embed themselves into whatever they fall onto and lock into brooms/clothes and other things.
    
    

Summary

Very few professional installers in the industry will quote to make any of Hideaway’s structures from scratch using the base DIY components. 

They know that their time is too valuable to waste doing such detailed jobs, and there is not much money in it for them.  They also know that customers will not pay the hourly rate for the hours needed to fabricate covers or enclosures from scratch. 

But more important than this, industry installers know that Hideaways products have been professionally designed by one of Australia’s leading aluminium designers.

Hideaway Covers operate on very slender margins so that we can keep our prices as low as possible for our customers. We’re not in the business of making large profits. A small profit on many units is a far better business model than selling only a few units at a large profit.

This is why almost every installer when asked, simply recommends their customer to place an order with Hideaway Covers and then, if you are not a great DIYer, let the installer do the professional installation for you.  It will be the most cost effective way.  If you’re a confident DIYer, simply follow our detailed assembly instructions.

Whether it’s a standard size job or a custom one, Hideaway Covers are the pre-eminent Australian manufacturer and supplier and are the industry experts in this niche field.

It’s quick, it’s efficient, and it’s cost effective for everyone.

If you are a reasonably good DIYer, then you can easily assemble Hideaway’s products yourself because all the hard work has been done for you.  From as little as 30mins for the Pool Robot Cady enclosure to around two (2) hours for the most detailed Pool Pump Cover with gas struts is all it takes to assemble a Hideaway product.  Easy to follow instructions are provided and all you need are a few basic tools.

Job finished quickly – and looking stunning!

Think about the above points, and this is not an exhaustive list by any means. Are there really the big savings you think there are in trying to build it yourself from scratch? Wouldn’t you rather have the personal satisfaction of assembling the prefabricated components in one morning or afternoon so that you, and your partner, can sit back and admire the excellent job you’ve done!

By purchasing a prefabricated cover or enclosure from Hideaway you get the benefit of our professional design, quality fabrication, outstanding appearance, prompt delivery, and excellent value for money. Remember the photo at the top – well, that’s how easy it is to assemble our Hideaways.

It’s a no-brainer for me ….