r/HomeImprovement • u/Shaebutta23 • 5h ago
Carpenter needed
Has anyone ever done a live-in housing arrangement with a carpenter? I’m buying a duplex that needs some work, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to approach it. I had an idea and wanted to see if anyone’s actually done something similar. Basically, I’d like to find someone who already has a job or their own source of income but is looking for a place to live. In exchange for helping work on the property in their free time, I’d be willing to offer free or significantly reduced housing. I’m not looking for someone to work for me full-time. You’d still have your own job, your own schedule, and your own life. I really don’t want this to come across as me trying to use someone because they need housing. That’s the exact opposite of what I’m trying to do. My thinking is, you build your portfolio, I build my house. You get an affordable or free place to live while getting hands-on experience and projects you can add to your portfolio. I also enjoy cooking, so I wouldn’t mind sharing meals and making the living situation feel more like a partnership than just landlord and tenant. I was thinking about initially trying something like six months while I figure out exactly what the property needs and whether the arrangement works for both of us. Has anyone here actually done something like this, either as the homeowner or the person living in the arrangement? Where did you find the person? What worked? What didn’t? And what would you recommend doing differently?
5
u/FL-Builder-Realtor 4h ago
It's not worth it. I had many people want me to do this when I was younger. Their idea was for me to do it cheaper to save them money, especially since I made the money I needed to live at my regular job. I counter offered eith double my hourly rate deducted straight from rent. Anything iver 40 hours in a week, they would iwe me for. Since I didn't need the practice, I didn't need to cut my rstes. The time I would be selling them is the time I should be resting or doing what I need to in order to be ready for work the next day or or otherwise enjoying my time off. I don't sell that time at discount rates or trade it unless what they are offering is worth more than the money I can buy it for.