This put up might include affiliate hyperlinks. See our affiliate disclaimer right here.
Three years in the past, Heath got here to me with the thought to start out a campground. Shopping for or constructing a campground, we didn’t know. We simply wished to personal one in all our personal.
Supposedly whereas we had 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 count on?
Lastly, after three years of on-line purchasing, in-person touring, and limitless researching, we introduced final month that we’re beneath contract on a property!
It. is. taking place.
BTW you may learn this weblog put up OR take heed to Heath & I chat in regards to the property on this week’s podcast episode:
How We Discovered (And Determined to Purchase) 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 liked them. Our plan was to go to one of the best whereas we shopped for our personal property, however plans change and we spent a lot of the 12 months hopping round western Colorado in search of a campground alternative.
We toured many parks, falling in love with some, solely to seek out at the least one huge motive why it wouldn’t work out.
Then in July, Heath was neck-deep in fundraising for Campground Reserving and Ellie switched from two naps to at least one and we determined to take a step again from actively looking for a campground so we may give the suitable issues extra consideration.
So OF COURSE on August 2nd, per week after Heath secured financing and we weren’t fascinated with a campground in any respect, we get a message from a man named Scott in Montrose, Colorado with a property he’s promoting that might be excellent for a distinct segment campground.
We had been off in Leadville tenting on forest land at 10,000 ft however set a time to satisfy and tour the property in September once we can be again in Montrose. Heath drove Ellie to the assembly with him so I may get some work completed 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 three.5-acre plot was previously a faculty that closed a couple of years again and sat deserted for some time. There was graffiti and all of the home windows had been busted out. It wasn’t precisely the sort of place that you just walked in and thought wow, that is superior!
Nevertheless it had potential.
Three enormous school rooms, the previous fitness center/cafeteria that would simply host 100 folks for occasions, a kitchen, bogs…sort of every part we’d need in a constructing on our property.
The acreage boasted huge timber with a creek operating the property line.
However the numbers didn’t work.
Due to the small dimension of the property, we had 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 important causes we liked the constructing and wished to start out our personal campground was to facilitate occasions like our RV Entrepreneur Summit. At 24 websites, there was no approach we may host everybody.
👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻
So we moved on. Checked out different property to construct within the Montrose space (as a result of it’s attractive 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 increase 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 may hear water operating by is ALWAYS higher). The chance went from meh to tremendous attention-grabbing in a single day.
At precisely the identical time, Heath acquired a suggestion to promote Campground Reserving.
And I informed Heath we had been anticipating child #2.
You’ll be able to solely think about what it was like within the Padgett family as we:
- Tried to resolve to promote CB and negotiate the deal and do due diligence and began closing
- Received the information that our campground dream may really occur and began getting particulars in writing and began closing
- Spent numerous time puking (properly simply me, Heath & Ellie had been a lot much less affected by my being pregnant)
February, March, and April had been a nerve-racking blur.
With Campground Reserving bought, we had additional 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.
Constructing a Campground
How huge ought to an RV web site be?
How a lot house between websites?
How far again ought to the sewer hook-up be?
Ought to we go for all 2-way roads or throw in 1-way?
How do you construct out a mountain 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 should seemingly take 3-4 months to get plans and approvals to interrupt floor.
Which implies 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!
Constructing is by far probably the most daunting a part of the method for me. There are tons 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 colour 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 lots. Our summer time can be full of creating choice after choice. We’re concurrently excited and overwhelmed! However isn’t that true of all new companies?
Come Keep at our Park?
As a result of we could have the property beginning subsequent week, we hope to host folks this summer time—despite the fact that it is going to be primitive boondocking! Effectively, the RVs have it primitive because it’s simply an open area with a couple of timber. Individuals could have entry to our co-working house, kitchen, laundry room, showers, and low bar. Oh and most significantly, 1 GB fiber web.
When you’re passing by way of western Colorado any time, we’d like to host you! Extra particulars as soon as we shut subsequent week 🙂
July 4th??
Each July 4th, we find yourself someplace random. Final 12 months:
As a result of we’ve spent so many vacation weekends in parking tons, we’d 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 mentioned, but when there are folks within the space who wish to camp, it will be a enjoyable impetus for us to start out furnishing our co-working house, getting the web arrange, and seeing how we will make the most of our new house.
RV Entrepreneur Summit 2021?!
Our favourite a part of any of our companies is arms down our RVE Summit. We get to spend an entire week chatting with vacationers about enterprise concepts and listening to from audio system on tips on how to begin and develop a brand new enterprise.
Final 12 months was presupposed to be our final in-person gathering…COVID probs. As promised, we’ll host one other RVE Summit at our personal property! We’re 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 folks!).
However these are simply concepts!
Like with every part we’ve ever completed, we don’t know if it’s going to actually work out till we put it on the market and take a look at. So should you’re in search of 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! Touch upon this put up or shoot us an e mail 🙂
Time to Begin Constructing
After we’ve shared our plans for a contemporary campground expertise, we’ve been overwhelmed with help and concepts from folks such as you. Shopping for a campground and particularly now constructing a campground is the scariest danger we’ve taken in enterprise and it means a lot to us to see all of the messages of help, encouragement, and affords 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! Thanks all for coming alongside on this journey with us 🙂
PS The mockup on the very high of this web page is among the many concepts now we have for creating out of doors neighborhood house at our campground! Seeing designs of what may occur is so thrilling! 🙂