.$30/board should cover all labor and all materials...

Regarding downsides, or perhaps good barriers to entry, saturation is pretty strong, good help is quite hard to come by, inventory has been hovering around 25 or so homes for a while (most of which are not STR material), and much of the recent cabin listings have been grossly overpriced.

When I do, I use a written agreement that explains specifically what they will do, who pays for what, the materials to be used, a completion date, etc.

This includes construction, materials, labor, permits, and any other associated costs.Negotiate TI Allowance:Landlord and tenant negotiate the TI allowance amount based on the estimated total cost of improvements.

As you have experienced, trying to predict what will happen through the course of two years is very difficult - contractor integrity, materials costs, what the sale price will be, what the rental price will be. 

While I agree with @Nathan Gesner with the idea of reading other material, I will say the networking aspect of the 3-day event is unmatched.

Hi, I'm new to realestate so I'm devouring learning material.

It's possible but it's determined by your local market, the size of the roof, and materials used.

There is some confusion about material participation hours.First off, you need to keep track of your time.

However, I don't actually care as long as they are not bringing in clients, displaying signage, storing materials, etc.