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Three years in the past, Heath got here to me with the concept to begin a campground. Buying or constructing a campground, we didn’t know. We simply needed to personal one in every of our personal.
Supposedly whereas we have been in Australia, we sat down and wrote down all our concepts on a serviette at a restaurant (the best way tremendous official entrepreneurs do), however I’ve no reminiscence of this. Then once more, it’s been three years and two pregnancies in the past, so what do you anticipate?
Finally, after three years of on-line procuring, in-person touring, and limitless researching, we introduced final month that we’re underneath contract on a property!
It. is. occurring.
BTW you possibly can learn this weblog publish OR hearken to Heath & I chat in regards to the property on this week’s podcast episode:
How We Found (And Decided to Buy) This Property
Pre-pandemic, we kicked off 2020 with a plan to tour a number of the top-rated RV parks within the nation and be taught what made them stand out and why campers cherished them. Our plan was to go to the very best whereas we shopped for our personal property, however plans change and we spent many of the yr hopping round western Colorado on the lookout for a campground alternative.
We toured many parks, falling in love with some, solely to seek out not less than one huge cause why it wouldn’t work out.
Then in July, Heath was neck-deep in fundraising for Campground Booking and Ellie switched from two naps to at least one and we determined to take a step again from actively trying to find a campground so we may give the fitting issues extra consideration.
So OF COURSE on August 2nd, per week after Heath secured financing and we weren’t eager about a campground in any respect, we get a message from a man named Scott in Montrose, Colorado with a property he’s promoting that may be excellent for a distinct segment campground.
We have been off in Leadville tenting on forest land at 10,000 ft however set a time to fulfill and tour the property in September after we can be again in Montrose. Heath drove Ellie to the assembly with him so I may get some work achieved that morning (entrepreneur mothers will take each free second they will get!) however not even an hour later, Heath calls me and asks me to stroll from our RV to the property to test it out.
The 3.5-acre plot was previously a college that closed a couple of years again and sat deserted for some time. There was graffiti and all of the home windows have been busted out. It wasn’t precisely the type of place that you simply walked in and thought wow, that is superior!
But it had potential.
Three big school rooms, the outdated gymnasium/cafeteria that might simply host 100 individuals for occasions, a kitchen, bogs…type of the whole lot we might need in a constructing on our property.
The acreage boasted huge timber with a creek working the property line.
But the numbers didn’t work.
Because of the small dimension of the property, we have been taking a look at round 24 RV websites primarily based on a civil engineer’s drawings. To make the numbers worthwhile, we wanted to cost an excessive amount of per night time. Plus, one of many primary causes we cherished the constructing and needed to begin our personal campground was to facilitate occasions like our RV Entrepreneur Summit. At 24 websites, there was no manner we may host everybody.
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So we moved on. Looked at different property to construct within the Montrose space (as a result of it’s beautiful and rising and the views are ????). And kinda pushed this property to the again burner.
Then 80 acres of ag land went up on the market subsequent door to the property and Scott pounced. This gave us a HUGE alternative to attach these two parcels of land and broaden our campground. He talked about parceling off round 12 acres adjoining the three.5 acres and together with the creek as our property line (as a result of tenting when you possibly can hear water working by is ALWAYS higher). The alternative went from meh to tremendous attention-grabbing in a single day.
At precisely the identical time, Heath received a suggestion to promote Campground Booking.
And I informed Heath we have been anticipating child #2.
You can solely think about what it was like within the Padgett family as we:
- Tried to determine to promote CB and negotiate the deal and do due diligence and began closing
- Got the information that our campground dream may really occur and began getting particulars in writing and began closing
- Spent a whole lot of time puking (effectively simply me, Heath & Ellie have been a lot much less affected by my being pregnant)
February, March, and April have been a tense blur.
With Campground Booking bought, we had extra cash available permitting us to place the 30% down that’s anticipated for a deal like this. We signed a contract, shut subsequent week, and right here. we. go.
Building a Campground
How broad ought to an RV website be?
How a lot area between websites?
How far again ought to the sewer hook-up be?
Should we go for all 2-way roads or throw in 1-way?
How do you construct out a climbing path?
These are the questions we’ve been bouncing across the previous few months and much more so the previous few days as we get able to dive into working with a civil engineer to design our park. It will doubtless take 3-4 months to get plans and approvals to interrupt floor.
Which means we could have an empty property with sunny mountain views, 15-minutes away from a nationwide park all to ourselves all summer time….however extra on that in a sec!
Building is by far essentially the most daunting a part of the method for me. There are lots of of little choices to make.
From loopy issues like are we actually going to mine our personal gravel after which flip the enormous gap within the floor right into a pond? And if that’s the case, the place on the property would a pond look prettiest and the way can we construct our campsites across the water for max magnificence?
To fundamental choices like what coloration ought to these cupboards be? What {hardware} would greatest complement the aesthetic for the remainder of this room that we haven’t furnished but? WHAT DOORKNOB SHOULD GO ON THESE DOORS?!
It’s rather a lot. Our summer time will likely be full of constructing choice after choice. We’re concurrently excited and overwhelmed! But isn’t that true of all new companies?
Come Stay at our Park?
Because we could have the property beginning subsequent week, we hope to host individuals this summer time—regardless that it will likely be primitive boondocking! Well, the RVs have it primitive because it’s simply an open subject with a couple of timber. People could have entry to our co-working area, kitchen, laundry room, showers, and low bar. Oh and most significantly, 1 GB fiber web.
If you’re passing via western Colorado any time, we’d like to host you! More particulars as soon as we shut subsequent week ????
July 4th??
Every July 4th, we find yourself someplace random. Last yr:
Because we’ve spent so many vacation weekends in parking tons, we might like to host a small gathering of fellow RVers who need a spot to hang around for the busiest tenting weekend of the summer time!
It’ll be boondocking as I stated, but when there are individuals within the space who wish to camp, it could be a enjoyable impetus for us to begin furnishing our co-working area, getting the web arrange, and seeing how we are able to make the most of our new area.
RV Entrepreneur Summit 2021?!
Our favourite a part of any of our companies is palms down our RVE Summit. We get to spend a complete week chatting with vacationers about enterprise concepts and listening to from audio system on the way to begin and develop a brand new enterprise.
Last yr was alleged to be our final in-person gathering…COVID probs. As promised, we are going to host one other RVE Summit at our personal property! We are taking a look at probably doing a boondocking-only Summit in September (principally as a result of we don’t wish to wait alllll the best way till 2022 to see individuals!).
But these are simply concepts!
Like with the whole lot we’ve ever achieved, we don’t know if it can actually work out till we put it on the market and check out. So if you happen to’re on the lookout for a spot to journey this summer time or have already got plans out right here in Colorado and wish to boondock with us, do tell us! Comment on this publish or shoot us an e mail ????
Time to Start Building
When we’ve shared our plans for a contemporary campground expertise, we’ve been overwhelmed with assist and concepts from individuals such as you. Buying a campground and particularly now constructing a campground is the scariest threat we’ve taken in enterprise and it means a lot to us to see all of the messages of assist, encouragement, and presents to assist make this huge dream occur!
So thanks, thanks, thanks.
We shut on the property subsequent week and might’t wait to share what this course of is like as we transfer ahead! Thank you all for coming alongside on this journey with us ????
PS The mockup on the very high of this web page is without doubt one of the many concepts we’ve got for creating out of doors group area at our campground! Seeing designs of what may occur is so thrilling! ????