Buy or lease crew housing? A decision guide for contractors
2026-10-01 · costs · contractors
Lease from an operator if
- The job is short or uncertain
- You need meals, housekeeping, and security included
- You don’t want capital on the balance sheet
Buy if
- The job runs a year or more, or you have back-to-back jobs
- You can control a site with utilities
- You want an asset you can resell or redeploy
Pay per diem if
- The crew is small and local lodging exists
- The job is weeks, not months
The numbers decide it. A 100-worker crew in hotels at $120 a night is $4.38 million a year. Put your own rates into the calculator.
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