This category covers all sorts of ways you can make money working on or in other people’s homes. It covers more than even the long title would suggest.
The easiest thing you can do is cut people’s lawns for money. Buy a good, but simple, lawnmower, if you don’t already have one. Ask your neighbors if they can pay you to cut their lawns. They might do it themselves. Or they might have a guy. Ask how much that guy charges and offer to do it for less. Put up signs around the neighborhood offering your services with your cell phone number attached. This is a great cash-only business and a good way to get some exercise and fresh air. If you feel more comfortable, offer other landscaping services as well.
As you expand, see if you can subcontract work out. My neighbor seems to hire a steady stream of guys who can’t speak English and who always seem to end up getting deported to Mexico or wherever. Before I got my own lawnmower, he would charge me $40 to cut my grass. He would pay the Mexican guy, who actually cut my lawn, $10 and collect $30 cash for doing nothing. Not a bad deal. For the record, as always, you should follow all laws, including immigration and employment ones. During the winter you can also make money from the same people removing snow.
Building decks or putting up fences requires more skills. Also, depending on where you are you might have to worry about needing a permit. Make sure that you follow all local laws.
You might need a permit to do work inside houses. If you know plumbing, how to install kitchens and bathrooms, how to finish basements, or how to paint, then you need to get your name out there, even if you have a full time job during the day. There are a whole lot of people out there who have projects that they need done, but don’t want to pay a lot of money to a regular company to do. Many people will be flexible with your schedule if the price is right.
Finally, I want to stress again that even though this may be a cash-only operation with untraceable money and even though you could probably get away with not paying taxes that would only go to fund an already overgrown, overbearing, and oppressive government, it is still my advice to pay all your taxes and to also follow all local, state, and federal laws, no matter how foolish or unnecessary or evil they may be.
