It’s time for another installment in our awesome side hustle ideas series. Today, I’ve got some more great ideas for you, so check them out at Make Money Your Way!
We had a busy summer, especially with the land development project. We started by digging a well, which was quite an impressive task but only took a few days. The engineers were two gentlemen from the U.S. who usually dig wells for free for poor communities. They charged us for our well, using the money to fund free wells for others. Last year, they dug a well for the orphanage Ahicam, which I recently visited and donated school supplies to.
We dug our well about 200 meters away from the lake shore. This was a bit risky because being close to a body of water like a lake means the rock is harder and finding water can be challenging. Thankfully, we struck water at about 120 feet deep, providing around 15 gallons per minute, which is enough for approximately 50 houses.
The well cost us around $10,000, which is below market price. Despite owning lakefront property and being able to pump water from there, the well was a worthwhile investment. We might even dig a second well in January when the engineers return. Next, we’ll be digging a water tank, and the engineers will also bring back a solar pump.
If you visit my website, you can see a full map of the plots for sale and updates on the project. We also plan to sell part of our beachfront property in smaller plots. These will be ready-built homes perfect for people looking to escape Northern winters for a few months each year.
At home, we recently dismantled the deck due to concerns about rising water levels. The water was weakening the structure and causing the wood to rot. So, we decided to burn the thatched roof, which only took a few minutes. Although the thatch couldn’t be reused because it was too dry, the workers reused all the wood to rebuild the deck 1.3 meters higher. They also built an elevated path to access it, fixed the retaining wall, added more earth, and planted grass to make the area green again.
We recently finished the living area outside the new room. The whole building looks great from the beach, and we plan to grow some flowers to increase privacy. With the lake still rising and the rainy season just beginning, building higher was essential to avoid having our house in the water.
While all this was happening, I took some time off as my brother came to visit. We had a fantastic time traveling around, and he particularly enjoyed Northern Guatemala, even managing to hunt a duck. He tried out various jobs, including digging a well, teaching computer classes at a local school, building a wall, fixing up the old room at home, and even managing cattle at BF’s ranch. It was quite an adventure for a 17-year-old.
Napoleon, our Great Dane, was around too, and he got along great with my brother. Having him meant we didn’t host any guests at the guest house during the low season, but bookings are starting to come in for next month.