Home Based Landscape Maintenance and Renovation
The real estate field is red hot, with many areas of the U.S. seeing growth spurts and population increases; this makes home based landscape maintenance and renovations much needed services. Many of the people making these purchases are first-time buyers who consider their homes an investment. Others are baby boomers setting in and renovating their homes with an eye to lifestyle and a place to live out their lives in comfort. Both of these groups offer a grand opportunity for home based business professionals to carve a significant chunk of the market.A home based landscape maintenance and renovation is a seasonal business. Expect long hours and six to seven-day weeks during the busy season.
Outdoor Lighting Contractor
This business requires electrical knowledge of incandescent (110-volt), low voltage (12-volt) and solar lighting equipment systems and installation. Each system has different requirements. 1100-volt systems have to be hard-wired into a home's existing electrical system while the 12-volt low voltage systems must utilize a step-down transformer before that can be connected. Solar lighting can be installed just about anywhere and needs no electrical connections to the house. All systems with the exception of solar, require trenching and subsequent investment in trenching tools and machines for the contractor. Crews are needed to cost-effectively dig holes, trenches, install electrical wire runs in lawns, along and sometimes underneath driveways, and then to repair and reseed once the trenching is completed.
Credit accounts with wholesalers and lighting manufactures are a must, as is liability and workman's comp insurance. A home office must be set up for secure storage of files, a computer, useful for quick searches of supplier materials and for doing accounting.
Advertising can be done in weekly tabloid shoppers, local radio ads or narrowcasting cable TV commercials. Word-of-mouth remains the cheapest and most powerful form of advertising bringing in qualified leads and referrals. Referrals can also be given by wholesalers and sales reps. Additional information on your area's regulations is available at the American Lighting Association.
One advantage a lighting contractor has over other landscape-related occupations, is that during the off season plenty of work is still available with seasonal lighting decoration.
Irrigation Contractor
Irrigation contractors are home based professionals offering the services of installing lawn sprinkler systems to homeowners and commercial buildings. This is definitely not something an individual can tackle alone because the work involved can be very strenuous. Digging trenches and holes is tough work. You'll need a crew and all the accompanying accounting and insurance challenges such as withholding taxes, wages, paychecks accounts receivable/payable, workman's comp insurance quarterly IRS taxes and also need local permits, licensing, a state resale license to resell materials and systems that you install and must know OSHA safety requirements.
Investments in tools and equipment can be substantial. Digging tools must constantly be replaced or repaired and trenching machines aren't cheap. You'll need a truck or trucks to haul your crew, equipment and materials around, a cell phone and a well-equipped home office to store and secure paperwork. You'll also need to establish credit with whole irrigation suppliers and manufacturers of irrigation products. You'll need insurance for your crew, your vehicles and liability in case of damaged property. While this is mostly a home based business, you'll need to run yellow page advertising and local tabloid shopper ads.
Earning potential is very good in the $40,000-$100,000 range. But keep in mind that this is a seasonal occupation. In areas where there is snow, contractors switch to snow removal once the ground becomes too cold and hard to work.
Landscape Contractor
This business has the same requirements as irrigation contractors but with a few differences. Vendors and wholesalers deal in plants and living tings rather than supplies. The home based professional will need a degree in landscape design, licensing and memberships in professional organizations in order to provide qualified landscape designs to homeowners and commercial building owners.
Check your local chapter of the Landscape Contractors Association for additional information about your state likening requirements at Check the Landscape Contractors Association for info about your state. This search will provide links to state chapters.
Earning potential for home based landscape maintenance and renovation is very good in the $40,000-$100,000 range. But keep in mind that this is a seasonal occupation. In areas where there is snow, contractors switch to snow removal once the ground becomes too cold and hard to work.
