However about 15 months of that was spent trying to get it done on my own and that was not fruitful.

Add a vase of flowers or bowl of fruit to the counter to tie the floor colors and walls together. 

Are you looking to build cash or create a long-term money printing machine?

I think that if one is disciplined enough to hold enough liquid funds in an investment account to cover these issues that would function the same as having a specific "insurance" account.I do think that most people will not be disciplined enough to hold that aside, at least not until the "excess" funds are more than enough to generally fuel the buying machine.

With this machine I can use it everyday as my shoulders and neck get really tight from being in the office all the time.http://www.massagechairs.com/Inada-HCP-10001A-Sogno-DreamWave-Massage-Chair-Creme.htmlI went to my mother-in-laws today to put in a new doorbells and a chimer, new carbon monoxide detector, and replaced an old flood light outside where the sensor was gone and the lights wouldn't go off.

." - Thomas Jefferson "To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father’s has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association—the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it." - Thomas Jefferson

So the plan is to hire out the work and concentrate on creating a machine like operation.

I think if your going to go big and make a business out of this it can be fruitful.. other wise if you have limited capital its like the OP said you make less than flipping burgers.Plus your capital is not liquid and if your cash is sitting there and that screaming deal comes up what then?

I can easily do a higher-end kitchen (okay, no $125K island or iPhone latte machine) with granite, stainless, high-end cabinets...the works for under $15K all day.

These are low hanging fruit, but if you were to hire a detective, they would try the easy methods first - so should you.