Since the construction industry has a continuous growth trajectory, construction jobs are seeing a rise in demand. After all, there is always a need to develop and maintain our infrastructure, build new homes and more. However, unlike many jobs, construction is rarely a 9 to 5. There are often seasonal breaks in the building industry which could impact your overall annual income. Fortunately, you don’t need to end up struggling for cash, as you can use your specific skill set in a number of ways. So, here we’ll explore the best construction side hustles.
1. Handyman Services
One of the most obvious side hustles for construction workers is to offer handyman services. Homeowners are continually in need of renovation and repair work and this can allow you to capitalize on your expertise and experience.
One thing to consider is that with the rising cost of living, many homeowners are choosing to stay in their property rather than move. This creates abundant opportunities for skilled workers who can offer home improvement services.
Some of the services you could offer include carpentry, painting, electrical work and plumbing. Since you can capitalize on your professional experience, there is little or no further technical training needed.
This can be a varied role, as you can be doing different tasks every day, but you can choose to accept construction projects within your skill set and experience. For example, if your expertise is in carpentry, you may be building shelves one day and the next installing cabinetry.
According to Salary.com, the average hourly rate for a home improvement contractor is $19 to $25. You can find work with construction companies or if you prefer greater flexibility, consider job sites such as TaskRabbit to find side jobs and advertise your services locally.
2. Yard Maintenance and Landscaping
Since you are likely to have the capability to handle heavy-duty equipment and a prior understanding of outdoor spaces, you could try yard maintenance and landscaping as one of your construction side hustles. There are a number of landscaping and lawn care tasks that you can do around your main job as a construction worker.
You could provide tree trimming, lawn mowing, tree planting and other services including installing irrigation systems or creating outdoor structures. You could offer services in your neighborhood and with some effort, create a complement of clients who use your services regularly. Alternatively, you could market your services to local businesses, who may need help landscaping the green areas around their office buildings or commercial facilities.
You can set your own rates, but the typical hourly rate for landscaping and yard maintenance services is $14.
3. Deck Building
Many people like to have a deck to extend their living space outdoors, but building a deck is often beyond the skills of the typical DIYer. This creates an opportunity for construction workers to make extra money. By offering your services as a deck builder, you could not only have the satisfaction of seeing projects completed from start to finish, but you’re likely to get great word of mouth. Anyone visiting the yard of your satisfied customers will see your beautiful deck and may want one for their own property.
You’ll need to be comfortable with woodworking and carpentry tasks, and be prepared to plan out the best use of the space for your client. However, there is also a follow-up market, as you can offer deck repair services for those who already have a deck in place, which needs some TLC.
Since deck building is a complete project, you’ll be able to set your prices accordingly. Just remember to factor in the cost of all the materials and your time when you bid for jobs.
4. Door and Window Installation
Door and window installation is one of the most lucrative side hustles for construction workers. With many homeowners interested in improving their energy efficiency, it is not usual for people to install new doors and windows. Properly installed windows and doors can reduce air leaks which increase the cost of heating and cooling the home.
With your construction skills, you could help homeowners to install their new doors and windows. This will involve measuring, ordering and fitting the new items.
5. Roofing Repair
Roofing issues are typically an area where homeowners don’t want to attempt DIY. Since working at heights can be dangerous, there is often high demand for local contractors who offer roofing repair services. This can include replacing shingles, repairing flashing or fixing leaks.
As a construction worker, you are likely to have the proper construction equipment, be comfortable working at heights, and be familiar with the safety procedures necessary for this type of work. Additionally, since roof damage tends to occur more frequently in winter, roofing repair can slot into your construction work schedule, as the demand for your services is likely to be at its peak when your construction work lulls.
There is the potential to earn $20 to $30 per hour as a roof repair contractor. However, you could command higher rates if you offer out-of-hours services. So, if a customer notices a roof leak and you respond outside of typical business hours, you can charge a premium.
6. Treehouse Construction
A treehouse can be a fun clubhouse for kids of all ages, and with your construction skills, you could offer to build customized treehouses for families or individuals. One of the typical concerns about treehouses is safety.
Many parents lack the confidence in their own DIY skills to allow children to play up in their own treehouse construction. However, with your knowledge and expertise, you can ensure an attractive and safe play area for children.
Depending on the client’s budget, you could offer modest treehouses or build extravagant models. There is some great inspo on social media for treehouse designs that can be modified to the specifics of your client’s yard and trees.
7. Building Outdoor Kitchens
Another popular way to expand the functionality of outdoor spaces for property owners is with an outdoor kitchen. An outdoor kitchen can be very beneficial when homeowners are entertaining outdoors during barbecue and pool party season. With outdoor food prep and cooking areas, there is no need to keep going back inside, as drinks, snacks and meals can all be made outside.
To build an outdoor kitchen, you will need to have experience with electrical installation, cabinetry and custom furniture, and even building an outdoor oven. Of course, there are many manufacturers who produce appliances specifically for use outdoors, so the process could be very similar to building an indoor kitchen.
The scope of the project will depend on your client, but with an average cost of an outdoor kitchen running to $13,000, there is the potential to earn a decent rate for your work.
8. Basement Finishing
Another way that homeowners can expand their living space is by finishing a basement. However, one of the main challenges of basement finishing is that you need to work around a variety of obstructions.
Having plumbing drains, gas lines, heating ducts, electrical wires and water pipes hung below and off the floor joists and working around retaining walls can be extremely daunting for amateurs. For this reason, many homeowners employ a tradesperson to finish their basements.
This type of project involves finishing the walls, leveling ceilings, finishing the floors and installing electrics and heat. This will then allow the homeowners to use the room as they would any upstairs.
The average cost of finishing a basement varies from $5,000 to $40,000 and even considering the cost of construction materials, there is the potential for a decent profit margin.
9. Swimming Pool Maintenance
Having a swimming pool or spa can be a fantastic feature of any home, but ask any pool owner and they will tell you that maintenance is often a real pain. If you can offer cleaning, repair and maintenance services for pools and spas, this can be a great side hustle for you.
Depending on your experience, you may need to familiarize yourself with specialist areas of swimming pool maintenance. You will not only need to repair any structural issues, such as chipped tiles, but you may also need to clear the pool drain, adjust the pool chemistry and other tasks.
However, if you can come in and deal with all aspects of swimming pool maintenance and repair, you could build up a clientele that relies on you for many years.
10. Construction Clean Up
If you’ve worked in construction for any period of time, you are likely to be aware that even the smallest amount of demolition work can generate a great deal of mess. There are many residential projects where the contractors don’t clean up when they have finished construction or need help, so they can quickly move on to another job.
Construction clean up is a relatively easy task, but it can be physically demanding, as it requires some heavy lifting. If you are comfortable with this, you can find work with contractors or with homeowners directly.
If you’re working directly with the homeowner, you’ll need to arrange a skip or some other way to remove the construction debris. However, you may be able to recycle some of the unwanted materials for your own projects.
11. Exterior Painting
Most homes need repainting every 7 to 15 years, but exterior painting is often beyond the average homeowner, who doesn’t have the time, skills or proper equipment to do it for themselves. Exterior painting is typically a low-skill role, as you simply need to have good attention to detail and an ability to work safely at heights.
The great thing is that once you’ve done a good job painting one home in a neighborhood, you’re likely to get more work once other homeowners see your work. This means that you can cut down on your transport costs, as you can work in one area for a while before you move on to others.
You can find exterior painting jobs on job sites or through agencies, but it can be more lucrative to work for yourself. You will need to market your services via fliers, neighborhood groups, and in local businesses. Once you have completed a few jobs, you can even ask for referrals and testimonials to make it even easier to find work.
12. Event Set Up and Tear Down
Whether it is a wedding, party or concert, any event requires a great deal of set up to ensure it is ready for the guests. This typically involves not only setting up chairs and tables but safely setting up a generator, arranging lighting and hanging decorations. This means that you’ll need to be comfortable working on electrics and ladders, along with a willingness to do some heavy lifting.
Offering event set up will mean that you can bring your professional experience to ensure that safety protocols are followed and everyone at the event can have a good time.
Of course, after the event, everything needs to be taken down and removed, so the venue is ready for the next event. This type of clean up usually requires at least a couple of people or a whole crew depending on the size of the event and venue.
This means that you may be able to join a crew or you could get together a group of your construction worker colleagues to form your own freelance crew. Since event venues need to be ready to show the space to potential clients or prepare it for the next event, if you can demonstrate that you are reliable, professional and safe, you should have no issues finding plenty of work to create a lucrative side hustle.
Conclusion
In these tough economic times, having a seasonal job, such as a construction worker can be a real financial strain. Construction work is typically associated with peaks and troughs in demand, so while you may be busy one month, next month you may be struggling for work. Fortunately, there are plenty of construction side hustles that you can benefit from your valuable experience and familiarity with general labor to provide a decent second income.
So, think about your skills and what you are comfortable doing in your spare time, and you’re sure to find a side hustle to suit your requirements. While it may take a little time to develop your hustle, with some hard work, you may find that you have a lucrative side gig that you can share with your construction colleagues.
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