the call that changed everything...
I was sick and tired of the city Denver was full of traffic & woke minds one day, i got a call from a friend in the mountains "hey man, I just purchased a couple acres and there's one next door for sale" my wife & I drove by at 1st light next morning we had been searching for a mountain property to build our home for 3 years one drive by and we both immediately knew it was the one we called the agent and wired the earnest money i couldn't wait to get started... we had been pent up in the city for too long our 1st born was on the way & I wanted my kids to grow up in the mountains my plan was to take a year off to build our mountain home with the cost to build in the mountains, self performing work would allow us to save on costs but my plan to "take a year off work" was derailed fast we had recently sold another business & the plan was to start another after completing the build the build would provide a great opportunity to get a pulse on the construction market call subcontractors, get quotes, take note of who answered their phone... -how long were guys booked out? -what were they charging for each phase? -did they provide quick estimates? -did they do what they said they were going to do? my plan to was derailed FAST... I called the excavation guys to get quotes HOLY SMOKES and then I called the concrete guys $120K for the foundation & flatwork on a 3,000 sq. ft home?! No thanks... i'll rent the machines, clear the land, dig the foundation, & pour my concrete so I rented a skid steer and got to work this is when I knew I was toast... once I got back in that cab, I felt at home took me back to the days of working for my dad as a teenager focused, productive, determined... those who have operated a skid steer know the feeling there's something calming about being in the cab the mind can think, strategize, and wander if it needs to all while keeping a laser focus on what needs to be accomplished I was in heaven... 2 acres of wooded property, a skid steer, and chainsaw