this implies to me that people in Palo Alto don't realize there are places to rent tools from already.
Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste
31–40 of 168 posts
Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste
#32What happens when an expensive piece of equipment is damaged and the guilty party refuses to acknowledge it?
Great question — this is one of the biggest challenges in peer-to-peer rentals, and something we take seriously.
Right now, we’re working on adding features like optional insurance, deposits, and ID verification to help protect both owners and renters. The goal is to make sure there’s a clear, fair process in place when things go wrong — especially with high-value tools.
Ultimately, we want to build a platform where trust is backed by real safeguards, not just good intentions. If you’ve got ideas or want to chat more about this, feel free to reach out at julien@patio.so — always open to feedback!
Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste
#33This is an awesome idea and I hope it gets bigger. I know some public libraries allow for tool rentals but they do lack in quality and types of tooling.
Thanks so much — really appreciate the support!
Totally agree with you. Public libraries and tool libraries are doing great work, but they often have limited inventory or older tools, and can’t always meet the variety of needs people have for DIY projects.
That’s exactly what we’re aiming to complement with Patio — by tapping into the tools already sitting in people’s garages, we can expand access, improve variety and quality, and make it easier for folks to find what they need without having to buy new.
Thanks again for the encouragement — it means a lot!
Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste
#34I thought about making something like this some years back, my ideas were as follows:
target neighborhoods, you should be able to walk to get tool. Have one house designated tool center, somebody signs up in neighborhood to be tool distributor gets some percentage money fees of everyone that joins - there are all sorts of issues in this of course, am just giving high level overview of thoughts I put in it.
This would mean that company would also distribute tools to target neighborhoods. Thus disrupting the traditional tool selling / hardware industry.
There are other business possibilities later on down the line opened up by this model that I won't go into here.
Part of this was based on things I noticed about home ownership in Europe, that is to say people who live in houses instead of apartments and their needs. Thus relatively affluent people and communities.
Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste
#35this implies to me that people in Palo Alto don't realize there are places to rent tools from already.
Totally fair take — and you're right, tool rental isn’t new. We’re fans of tool libraries and rental shops, and we’re not trying to replace them. But many of the tool libraries we’ve spoken to are using outdated software that doesn’t really meet their needs — limited inventory visibility, clunky systems, and not much support for growing their community. That’s part of what we’re building with Patio: something more modern and community-friendly. We’re bootstrapped and based in Montreal, so all of this is really grounded in real-world DIY needs we’ve seen firsthand.
Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste
#36I thought about making something like this some years back, my ideas were as follows: target neighborhoods, you should be able to walk to get tool. Have one house designated tool center, somebody signs up in neighborhood to be tool distributor gets some percentage money fees of everyone that joins - there are all sorts of issues in this of course, am just giving high level overview of thoughts I put in it. This would…
Thanks a lot for sharing all of this! That’s a really thoughtful approach — and very aligned with how we’ve been thinking about it too.
The neighborhood-level model is especially compelling — tools within walking distance, built-in trust, and someone local acting as a tool steward or mini-hub. We’ve been exploring similar ideas, including ways to support individuals or organizations that want to take on that role.
Disrupting the traditional tool ownership model while creating new local economies is exactly the kind of long-term potential we see here. Would love to hear more about your original thinking — feel free to reach out at julien@patio.so!
Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste
#37I like the idea. The rental section has a lot of potential imo. It makes me wonder if there’s room for the personal property rental business in tools like there is for housing and cars. I do a lot of DIY and tend to acquire a lot of the tools I use if I think they are generic enough or I’ll repeat a similar job in the future but there’s also jobs I do where I’ll happily borrow from a friend. For example, I just built…
Really appreciate you sharing that example—it perfectly captures the kind of use case we’re building Patio for. DIY is awesome, but yeah, not every tool needs to be owned, stored, or bought new. Renting something like a post hole digger from a neighbor for a few bucks just makes sense. That’s exactly the gap we’re trying to fill—making borrowing as easy as buying, and helping people save space, money, and waste. Than…
[deleted]
Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste
#38I feel like you need to make sure the rental side is the first thing people see. My initial reaction at being dumped on the "Explore" section was "this is just a spammy pinterest style link aggregator thing".
Totally fair point — and really appreciate the honest feedback. Our goal is to build a platform where people can learn, educate, rent, and share tools within a community that loves DIY. The “Explore” section is part of our effort to surface great tutorials and ideas, but we hear you — the rental experience should be front and center. We’re working on making that more clear from the start. Thanks again for the insight…
Just to piggyback off this I had a similar thought. I read your post about the tool rental, got to the page and immediately saw random articles which unfortunately this AI age has got me to distrust that things are human written/curated when just presented with no context.
Seeing the rental and more community features would be best, then when you like the concept/community it makes sense to get invested in the posted articles because you've seen the site is active with people.
Love the idea, I really hope it all takes off!
Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste
#39I had a similar idea when I was living in a tiny apartment and trying to do woodworking on my kitchen table. I would have loved to pay someone nearby to use a planar or jointer once in a while. My biggest mental block for a site like this was the litigious culture we have where someone injured themselves and sues the tool owner or vice versa etc.
Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste
#40I had a similar idea when I was living in a tiny apartment and trying to do woodworking on my kitchen table. I would have loved to pay someone nearby to use a planar or jointer once in a while. My biggest mental block for a site like this was the litigious culture we have where someone injured themselves and sues the tool owner or vice versa etc.
> the litigious culture we have
If somebody damages your expensive tool, or you are injured by their faulty tool, and they refuse to compensate you, what do you think should happen?