Quick answer: For a multi-level tower vs store-bought, the fairer comparison is cost per year of use, not the price tag. Add materials, any tools you must buy and the value of your time, then divide by the years the tower lasts. A well-built DIY tower with replaceable coverings often wins over five years; a cheap store tower that wobbles early often loses.
Cat towers range from bargain models to designer pieces, and a DIY build can cost anywhere from almost nothing to more than a mid-range shop tower. Comparing price tags alone tells you very little. A tower that costs half as much but has to be replaced after a year is not the cheaper option.
This guide compares building and buying a multi-level tower on cost per year of use. It does not give one right answer, because that depends on your skills, tools and cat. Instead it shows what to count, so you can make the comparison for your own home.
What Cost Per Year of Use Means
Cost per year of use is the total you spend on a tower over its life, divided by the number of years it is actually used. Total spend includes the purchase price or materials, any tools you buy specifically for the job, replacement sisal or carpet, repair parts and, if you choose, a value for your time. Our DIY cat tree vs store-bought cost per year guide applies the same method to simpler trees.
Comparing a Multi-Level Tower vs Store-Bought Up Front
| Cost item | DIY tower | Store-bought tower |
|---|---|---|
| Main materials | Plywood, timber posts, sisal, carpet | Included |
| Fixings and brackets | Screws, bolts, angle brackets | Included |
| Tools | Only those you do not already own | None |
| Time | A weekend or two | An hour to assemble |
| Delivery | Collecting materials | Often included or extra |
Write down actual prices from your local stores rather than estimates; timber and sisal prices vary a lot by region.
How Long Each Typically Lasts
Lifespan depends on build quality and how hard your cat plays. A solid DIY tower built from 18 mm plywood and timber posts, with bolted joints, can last many years if the coverings are replaced as they wear. Store-bought towers vary widely: sturdy models with thick posts last well, while lightweight towers with thin particleboard platforms and narrow cardboard tubes often start to wobble within a year or two. The Ohio State Indoor Pet Initiative notes that cats like to climb and use high perches heavily, so towers see a lot of wear.
Recovering Costs Over the Years
Sisal and carpet wear out on any tower. On a DIY tower, you can rewrap posts and replace platform carpet whenever needed, usually for a modest cost. On many store-bought towers, sisal is glued to cardboard tubes that are hard to rewrap, and the whole tower is replaced instead. Our replacing sisal without rebuilding and replacing carpet on a cat tree guides show how.
Hidden Costs: Wobble, Anchoring and Repairs
A tower that wobbles will be used less and may need fixing. For store-bought towers, that might mean buying anti-tip straps or adding a heavier base. For DIY towers, mistakes in the first build may mean buying extra brackets or a larger base board. Our non-wobbly DIY cat tree guide explains how to avoid these costs in the first place.
The Value of Your Time
Building takes time: planning, shopping, cutting, assembling and finishing. Some people enjoy it and would not count it as a cost. Others would rather spend a weekend elsewhere. If you want to include time, pick a modest hourly figure and add it to the DIY total. It often changes the answer.
Count the hidden time too: trips to the timber yard, waiting for finish to dry and fixing mistakes on a first build. A first tower usually takes longer than the plan suggests, and a second one is much quicker, which is worth remembering if you have more than one cat or expect to build again.
A Simple Worksheet
- Add up materials and fixings for the DIY tower
- Add tools you need to buy specifically
- Optionally add hours multiplied by a value per hour
- Estimate how many years it will last with recovering
- Add expected recovering costs over that time
- Divide the total by years of use
- Repeat for the store-bought tower you are considering
Compare the two cost-per-year figures, not the starting prices.
A Worked Example
| DIY tower | Budget store tower | Sturdy store tower | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up-front cost | Medium | Low | High |
| Expected life | Long, with recovering | Short | Medium to long |
| Recovering | Easy and cheap | Usually replace whole tower | Sometimes possible |
| Cost per year | Often lowest over 5 years | Often highest | Mid |
The pattern is common, but your numbers may differ. A sturdy store tower can beat a DIY build if you have to buy many tools, and a DIY build can be the clear winner if you already own them.
Resale and Reuse
Store-bought towers from known brands sometimes resell, though worn ones rarely fetch much. DIY towers are harder to sell but easy to rebuild into something else: platforms become wall shelves, posts become standalone scratchers. That reuse value is worth considering if you move often.
If you plan to sell a store tower later, keep the box and instructions, clean it thoroughly and photograph it in daylight. Buyers look for sturdy posts and clean platforms; a tower with fresh sisal sells faster.
Fit and Design
Store-bought towers come in fixed sizes. A DIY build can be sized to your ceiling, corner and window, and finished to match the room. Our IKEA hack multi-level tower and multi-level tower beginner build show DIY designs that look like furniture.
A DIY tower can also include features that are hard to find in shops, such as extra-wide platforms for a large breed, a low first step for a senior cat or a hidden bed tucked under the top level.
Safety and Stability
Whichever you choose, tall towers should be stable and ideally anchored. International Cat Care's advice on making your home cat friendly stresses secure resting places. Check any tower for wobble before the cat uses it, and see our safety checklist for anchoring a tall tower for fixing to a wall.
Budget for an anti-tip strap or L-bracket either way; it costs very little compared with the tower and removes most of the risk of a tall tower tipping when a cat leaps onto the top.
Signs the Shop Tower Is the Better Pick
- You have no tools and no space to work
- You need the tower this week
- You want a warranty
- Your cat is gentle and the tower will see light use
- You would rather spend the weekend elsewhere
Signs the Homemade Tower Wins
- You already own a drill, saw and staple gun
- You want an exact size or finish
- Your cat is large or plays hard
- You want to replace coverings rather than the whole tower
- You enjoy the project
Our pallet cat tower vs store-bought guide shows a lower-cost DIY option, and budget DIY cat tree under 40 covers small builds.
Keeping Costs Down Either Way
Choose a design with replaceable coverings, check stability early, rewrap posts before they fail completely and move the tower rather than replace it when you rearrange the room. Ohio State's guidance on scratching recommends sturdy posts; a stable tower that the cat trusts gets used every day, which is the best way to bring cost per year down.
Our DIY cat tree hub has more cost and build guides.
Tower Cost-Per-Year FAQs
Is it cheaper to build or buy a cat tree?
It depends on what you count. Building is often cheaper per year of use if you already own tools and can replace coverings as they wear. Buying can be cheaper if you need to buy many tools, value your time highly or choose a sturdy tower that lasts.
How long does a cat tree last?
It varies. Lightweight store towers may wobble within a year or two, while sturdy models and well-built DIY towers can last many years if sisal and carpet are replaced as they wear. Stability and replaceable coverings matter most, along with how hard your cat plays.
How do I work out cost per year of a cat tower?
Add the purchase price or materials, any tools bought for the job, expected recovering costs and optionally a value for your time. Divide the total by the number of years the tower will be used. Compare that figure for each option.
Can I replace the sisal on a store-bought cat tree?
Sometimes. If the posts are solid wood or sturdy tubes, you can unwind old sisal and rewrap them. Many budget towers glue sisal to thin cardboard tubes that are hard to rewrap, which is one reason they are often replaced instead.
