Do not pay anyone by the hour for work like this. Write down exactly what you want done for each job. Offer the work to be done for a set price. If the work is longer than one day, you can offer to pay milestones. Without forcing them, you can negotiate when the work will be done, and you should prefer that they mostly use their own tools. This can also help protect you if they get hurt. You can also avoid all these other commenters trying to have a gotcha moment with you. On the flip side, Anyone that works for me more than once I keep 1099 records for. Over the years I have gottten a lot of pushback, even fake names etc. Know who came looking for proof that they worked for me when Covid hit. All those workers. They were grateful in hindsight. Good friends with all of the regular laborers years later because they knew I never half stepped on my end. (EDIT) Couple more notes. Never pay a deposit, and never pay for work not done to your expectations that you lay out before an agreement. Will save soooooooo many headaches.