Log cabin kit installer

Homeowners, holiday let owners, smallholders and small businesses. Kit suppliers and retailers may also pass you installation work.

A fixed price per installation, or a day rate, quoted on top of the kit. Larger cabins and groundwork add to the price. Deposits and stage payments help with cash flow.

• Carpentry and general building skills
• Reading plans and assembly instructions
• Quoting and managing customers
• Working safely at height

• Public liability insurance, plus employer's liability once you take on employees (check if it applies to casual helpers)
• Planning permission and building regulations for cabins, especially larger ones, ones used for sleeping, or ones close to a boundary. Check with the local council and make clear who is responsible, you or the customer
• Ground preparation: a poor base is a common cause of problems, so agree who does it in writing
• Working at height and handling heavy timber, so plan for safe lifting and extra hands
• Written contracts, deposits and clear terms on delays, weather and delivery of the kit

Startup costs are typically around £3,000 to £15,000, depending on the tools, transport and insurance you need. These are estimates, so price up your kit list and cover before you commit.

Monthly revenue is typically around £2,500 to £10,000, depending on how many cabins you build and the size of each job. These are estimates, and your costs and any helpers' pay come out of that.

Check planning permission and building regulations with the local council, especially for larger cabins, ones used for sleeping, or ones close to a boundary. Make clear in writing who is responsible, and check public liability and employer's liability cover.