Well it's been nearly seven months since starting this endeavor, and with these seven months behind I can say that for me it is hard to imagine a better way of making a living. Though this line of work can be stressful (when a project is not going as expected, or when I have too many customers lined up at once), hard (digging post holes or mowing in 100 degree weather), and aggravating (most customers are great, but their are a few that can drive you nuts), it is also a lot of fun.
I love the fact that the work I do changes on nearly a day to day basis. I am quite sure that if I had to do any one thing day after day I would get tired of it quick. But as things are, as soon as I get sick of doing one thing, a new type of job will present itself. Over the past six months I have...
Removed Leaves - labor intensive and dirty work
Cleaned Gutters - Some times this is very easy work, but other times it is a very slow process. If the pitch of the roof is not too steep and the gutters are not packed with "muck" and do not have leaf guard, then you can just walk along the roof with a leaf blower and blow them clean. However, if they are full of decomposed "muck," then you have to scoop it out by hand foot by foot. If the pitch of the roof is too steep to safely walk on, you then have to do this by ladder which means constantly climbing up and down to move it a couple feet at a time (makes my knees hurt). And then to make matters worse, some times you have to remove leaf guard to get to the "muck."
Laid Sod
Poured Concrete - A very small section
Painted
Hauled Trash
Plugged Rodent Holes
Installed Gutters
Installed a Dead Bolt and a Peep Hole in a Door
Installed Light Fixtures
Installed Mini-Blinds
Replaces Electrical Outlets
Repaired Fascia -the trim along the roof line of a house
Installed Window Screen
Repaired a Riding Mower
Replaced a Rotted Bathroom Floor - As I was removing the old floor, I accidentally cut through a water pipe. Water went everywhere (this is one of those stressful moments I referred to earlier). Fortunately, it was a copper pipe, and I was able to repair it myself. I will certainly be more careful with my sawzall in the future.
Installed and Repaired Fences - three new installs and several repairs.
Weeded Flower beds
Mowed Lawns
Trimmed Trees
Trimmed Shrubs
Repaired a Rotted Soffit - the wood on the underside of a roof
Installed a TV Antenna
So as you can see, the work I do varies quite a bit. For me, this is a very good thing. The constant change keeps the job interesting. I have recently considered investing in better equipment and going heavily into lawn care this next spring. However, the more I think about it, the less I like the idea. Though I think it would be good to have work that is constant throughout the summer, I am not sure that I could handle doing the same thing day after day. I will wait a few more months before deciding on this.
It is really interesting the way business comes. It's either busy or it's not. Once the phone starts ringing for work it seems to then continue for several weeks straight. But all of a sudden, business will go completely dead and remain that way for a few weeks. After a couple of weeks, the phone will start ringing and I will be busy again. It's a really interesting thing. It's as if everyone gets in the mood to get something done at the same time.
I used to fret during the slow times, but now I am starting to just enjoy them as a perk of the job. Do to the fact that my families living expenses are low, I can usually make enough in a busy week to carry us for a full month. Because of this, I can handle a sudden slow down.
Business drastically dropped off during the holidays. Slowly it is picking back up. I must admit though, that I don't mind things being slow during the cold. As long as I have a little money in the bank, I am quite content to be home where it is nice and warm. Just the same, the cold weather also affects my customers actions. For if my recollection is correct, I have yet to have a call for work on a really cold day. Fine with me :)
While I doubt I will ever make a ton of money doing this, I do believe that I should be able to make a decent living while remaining free from the bondage of a time clock. If you are considering going into such a business as this, then my advice is simplify your life and make your living expenses as low as possible. By doing so, you can survive the lean times. If you have lots of monthly bills and have no discipline to save during the good times, then this type of up and down work could be very stressful.
