Hi Amy,The answer to your question will really depend upon your bottom line and how much time and energy you have on a daily basis.  

@Federico Gutierrez I've gotten a lot of volume from FB market place, but most people 1) don't respond after initial inquiry, 2) don't read the post, and/or 3) don't qualify.

I hire commercial contractors daily and you should be getting multiple bids.

Visit the forums daily.

As the power comes on, daily life returns, and reality sets in, there is much more work to come.  

I already have a pool pump/filter, and I can use my wood fired water heater to keep a much lower volume of water hot.Does anyone have any experience or tips on approaching a project like this?

With the smaller units your competition is going to undercut you daily and you will have to be agile to keep up and try to find ways to differentiate yourself.2: Economies of scale - One large unit will offer you economies of scales you can capitalize on.

Those brokers are in the trenches daily, making cold calls, etc. 

The originators are also paid based on number of loans written so they become very happy and eager to work with high volume clients.

Some investors get volume pricing for repeat business, or multiple projects.In places like California where's there is a large undocumented illegal immigrant population, the documented person (aka...business owner) undercuts a lot of other business to offer significantly lower pricing on work.