No secrets
Brian
I'm just an RV addict. I've been building since 1983. I was 25, married for a year, wife still in college when I saw the RV4 at Oshkosh 1983. I bought the tail kit there. I've been building ever since,..... building a plane(s),.... building flight time,.... building a career(Airline Pilot),.....building a family,...building a house(s). I probably enjoy building the plane a little more than flying only because I fly for a living, and still find that gratifying.(It's a steam gauge DC-8 with newer fan engines that they'll have to drag me out of.)
As for making a living building these things, no way. Cheapest way to build a NEW RV8, VFR, Aerosport O-360, Hartzell CS, interior by Cleaveland, Pro paint,.....about 75K-80K. Sell for 105K to 115K.
For me, the RV8 I just sold was my 4th completed RV. I don't waste much time having to figure things out, and I've upgraded my tool collection each time I've sold a plane. So I'm reasonably effecient. I built a house around building planes. So I can build the entire airplane in my basement. I have no travel time to the project. With all that , it took 8 months of hard core building to complete and fly the plane(fairings included). I estimate 1000 to 1200 hrs. You might say that's 30 to 40 bucks an hour, I'd tell you (or the IRS) about all the time spent in research on the internet (this site primarily). Anyway, it's a great activity that's allowed me to meet the best group of people around the world. Now if only Grumman would produce a lunar lander kit (even a slow build, OK, OK ,how about just plans to start with) I could move on to something else.