I'm thinking of starting to do some light camp cleanup work. Downed trees and brush type thing for the lake dwellers nearby. I'm hesitant as most times you turn a hobby into a paying job, it stops being enjoyable fast! I don't want to get into big technical stuff but just make a few extra bucks so my wife can work less. Any thoughts or words of wisdom are welcome.
I do little side jobs from time to time and have been offered some good work, but when it comes to residential tree removal it gets kind of hectic. It's definitely not a bad idea. Just post a ad on your local craigslist, or if you have a poster board in your town put a little flier on that. I mostly try to just help people out who can't afford to have a tree service come and charge them a fortune for a days work. What goes around comes around I like yo believe. Hope This helped at all. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
I've also done a few small jobs. Mainly for friends or jobs the tree services don't want. It's tough work so don't short yourself. Dropping the tree is the easy part. The cleanup sucks. I've done pretty good with small removals, trimming hedges, small stump removal etc. I'm reasonable with the elderly or disabled to some extent but not too drastic. I've found most people are thrilled when you show up and are happy to pay. Seems many bigger landscapers and such don't even return calls. I literally have people walking up to me on a job asking me to do some work for them too. Got work from 3 other neighbors when trimming one guy's hedges. It's a good side gig but don't be afraid to charge a fair rate. Equipment isn't cheap and your time is valuable. If I can't make at least $20 an hour, I'll just sit home. Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk
Would you need to carry extra insurance? Not sure how it works south of the border and not sure if this is an option but personally I would try to set it up as a business with you as an employee. Therefore if someone tried to claim personal or property damage etc. they could only go after the company and not you and your family. Might get a tax break on equipment this way too.
Depends if your charging more than 500$ you have to have a contractors license and be insured. If the total amount of the job doesnt exceed 500 your free to do the work. Which is why most of the time I try to keep my prices relatively low, but I'm only doing minor work here and there. Also homeowners insurance covers any work done on the property that isn't contracted. Hope This helps. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Same here. Only small stuff. I don't get involved with the big complicated jobs. I have no desire to go into business right now. Just make a few extra bucks and I do enjoy the work. Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk
