Build a rabbit hutch
- start making money from home

If you can build a rabbit hutch or other animal housing, then you can start a nice little home based business to supplement your retirement income.

Check out local prices

All pets need a home, but do you have any idea how much they cost these days?

Before you do anything else, call in at your local Pet Shop and see their selection of hutches. Look at the quality of the workmanship - "crude" at best generally describes it - and then look at the prices.

Now, fair enough, build quality probably isn't high on a rabbit's list, and every pet needs a starter home, but if they were employed they would need a mortgage to buy one!

The pet shop probably needs to make one third of the sale price to profit on the sale of a hutch. The chap who built it also made a profit so you can realistically divide that selling price in half.

If you look at the materials used you will see that they are generally not the best quality, so relatively inexpensive to buy. You know you could build a rabbit hutch of comparable, or better, quality. And you could afford to sell it at a fair price which would still make it a profitable exercise.

A bit of planning first

So, here are a couple of ways to go about it...

• You can draw up your own plans, make up a list of the items needed, fully cost out your time and then go ahead and build one.

• Or, purchase a book such as How to Build Animal Housing or 24 Weekend Projects for Pets from somewhere like Amazon.

Work out the costs

With your cutting list of everything needed, visit a local DIY superstore and cost up materials. I guarantee they will be a lot cheaper than the hutches you looked at earlier. See if buying sufficient materials to build two or three hutches might make it cheaper per unit (sometimes buying greater lengths means less wastage when cutting).

Building a rabbit hutch

Building a rabbit hutch shouldn't prove too difficult as it really just a box, with a mesh front, a door to the bedding compartment and a partition wall. Add some legs, to keep it up off the ground.

To finish it, give the outside a good coat of Cuprinol or other wood treatment - cheaper and quicker than paint! Now comes the time to make your profit.............

Advertising and selling your home made rabbit hutch

Advertise in your local 'Freebie' newspaper. Never pay for advertising - unless it's low cost postcard ads in local shops - always a good deal. Make your advert clear, such as the following example...

Set the price, of course, at your total cost plus whatever you think your time was worth!.

Did you enjoy your build a rabbit hutch project?

If the answer is "Yes" then you can decide if you are going to concentrate on this line. Part time - a couple of hutches a week - it is a fairly relaxed activity that can help boost your income in later life.

Also, bear in mind that it gets easier, quicker and slightly cheaper to make a number rather than just a one off. You may even find that the pet shop you first visited is keen to buy from you, at your selling price - or perhaps they will display your rabbit hutches and sell them on a commission basis.

"There - you have now done something to ease the housing crisis!"

But why stop at rabbit hutches? Other pets and livestock need somewhere to call home! You could branch out and offer chicken coops, dog houses, runs and pens for all kinds of animals.

If you enjoy woodwork you could also consider making handmade wooden toys

If you have started a similar job as this, why not share your Business Success Story with all our readers? Tell us about both the negatives and positives that faced you. We will always publish the best stories!