Backyard rink setup with liner kits
Set up and flood simple liner rinks for families in your area, working evenings and weekends through the winter.
- C$1k-4k
- Side hustle
- Out and about
Estimates for a small start in Canada, not guarantees.
What it is
You build a wooden frame, lay a rink liner and do the first floods, then offer top-up flooding visits. It is a simple, lower-cost version of a backyard rink that suits most flat yards.
Your first three steps
- Price a standard rink size (materials, liner, hoses, your time) and write a clear quote sheet
- Practise by building one rink at your own place or a friend's, and take photos of it
- Post in local parent and neighbourhood groups in the autumn and book installs before the first cold snap
Who pays
Families with kids, hockey parents, and neighbours who want a rink at home but not the work of building one.
How it makes money
A fixed price per rink install, plus optional paid flooding and maintenance visits. Some clients may also pay to have the rink taken down in spring.
Skills that help
- Basic carpentry and tool use
- Comfortable working outdoors in the cold
- Reliable and good with families
Watch out for
- Commercial general liability insurance, since people will be skating on your work
- Check municipal rules on using outdoor taps and water in winter, and any limits on backyard structures
- Weather risk: a mild winter can cut your flooding days and income
- Register for GST/HST once you pass the small supplier threshold, and check provincial rules (including Quebec)
Deep research report · Canada
Everything you need to start: backyard rink setup with liner kits
Researched with live web search for Canada: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
Delivered instantly. By buying you agree it is delivered right away, so the 14-day cancellation right ends once you get it. Not delivered or broken? Full refund, see Terms.
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