Thread: DIY or Store Bought?

Tweet

Quick poll here - What do you prefer - Props bought from a retailer or something lovingly crafted by a Home Haunter?

Myself, we own very little that was purchased. A 30" styrofoam Skull, a few giant rubber rats, some hanging bats. Everything else, we created. What say you?

For the yard, we buy all kinds of ingredients for props - skulls, masks, etc. but always try to put our own spin on things (I think our biggest purchase would be one of those Gemmy mini-butlers which we turned into a full size prop and redressed.)

Definitely prefer hand crafted stuff, but deadlines and skill often interfere.

Well, I'm both cheap and not a fan of having the same props as every other house so I try to DIY whenever possible but if I find a well made store product, I'm certainly not above using that as well. My main issue though is that the store-made stuff tends to limit creativity. Usually they can only be used in a certain way and I like the freedom that creating your own props gives you for designing a haunt.

I was a believer in store bought props up until 2006 when I did online searches for how-to which originally led me here to this site. Now I feel that if one has the time and patience to create a prop, it is much more worth the effort!

I have built a few things here and there for the past 20 yrs but nothing like what is seen here. We have natural professional hidden talents within our membership. I'm proud to say I am a part of this membership but a novice. Build on everyone!

I enjoy the build more than any other part of Halloween. And I love to take something someone else thought was trash and turn it into a great prop....plus I'm cheap

DIY is way more fun.

diy for sure! (as long as its not hot glued together)

hot glue rubs me the wrong way. nothing says cheap like a big glob of hot glue on your prop. any artisan,artist,skilled tradesman will tell ya, hot glue's for martha stewart and kids crafts.

it looks like crap, and only holds for a year or two in the best conditions.
hot glue is the reason i don't purchase props anymore.

if theres something i just can't live without, the first thing i do is replace anything thats been hot glued (ie sewing,re-glueing etc)

We have a mix of stuff. I think much of the stuff beiong produced today is trash compared to that of even a few years ago. There is nothing really creative coming out anymore. We have some nice latex props bought several years ago with really good sculpts and paint. I won't buy any store bought animatronics no matter how cool they "look", simply due to their cheap construction. I will buy a nice mask from time to time. 90% of my tombstones are homemade, and we try to create some different stuff each year. I guess we've become very selective over the years and won't bother buying anything unless it's something we really like and could not duplicate.

I try to build as much as I can, but some stuff you just can't justify spending the money to create an item that you can buy in the store for a fraction of the cost. For example, a latex mask that you need for a dummy would take hours to create and a big money in materials but for 30 bucks there is one on the shelf at the store.

I love the hunt for items and then DIY. It is alot of work and time but well worth it when it turns out the way you invisioned. Plus it is an original that no one else will have in your neighborhood. I haven't tried anything mechanical yet that is the only thing that would make me want to purchase a prop.