Who doesn't love some DIY home improvements? But just because you've got the bug to fix the deck this weekend, doesn't mean you're ready to splurge on the all the tools and equipment you need.
A new community project has sprung up in Auckland to fill this need, to allow people to borrow tools donated by others in the neighbourhood through a membership system.
Auckland Library of Tools opened last week and one of its organisers, Tom Greer, says the response has been positive.
Photo: Supplied / Kirsten Schlüter
It was at a Sustainable Collective talk, featuring Toronto tool library founder Ryan Diamond, that Greer and his partner Amanda were inspired to open one in Auckland.
Within a month they had 600 followers.
“The response that we’ve had has been pretty positive.”
The tool library is funnily enough, right down the road from Bunnings Warehouse.
“I feel like we can be friends,’ says Greer.
If you’re interested in borrowing tools, first you need to become a member. There’s a sliding scale and those who are students or beneficiaries will pay as little as $20 for three months and the full membership is $85 a year.
“Ninety percent of it (the collection) has been donated, I’m not actually much of a handyman so it’s been a big learning process for me. We have a whole section of power tools, skill saws, jigsaws, a hammer-drill, and then different things like 40 hammers and things like that.”
Amanda is the social media arm of the organisation and gets the message out there.
“I think it’s one of those ideas that intuitively people like, it makes sense to people not to own a lot of things that they don’t use all of the time.”
They’ve even got a wheelbarrow, says Greer.
On the hunt for a space, they visited a number of maker spaces and Hackland was enthusiastic about the idea. They’re now giving the library cheap rent to be housed in the wood making space.
Hackland is a maker-space where people chip in to rent the space and they all share tools.
“An idea like this really does need more involvement, more people. As many people that get invested in it, the better it’s going to be.
“Everyone’s welcome.”
You’ll find the tool shed on Bond Street in Auckland at Hackland.
