Tiny Homes

-->

For several years now Randy has wanted to build a “Tiny Home.” It’s like a travel trailer but it looks like a real house…it even has a porch. He has spent HOURS thinking, researching, planning, dreaming and talking about building these Tiny Homes to sell. He’s even drawn up his own blueprints (that I love.) 

Here's what the Tiny Homes look like on the outside and inside. 

The problem is that it cost a lot to build. He has had someone interested in investing in the idea, but the catch was that Randy had to find a bank that would loan a buyer the money to buy the finished product. Randy went to several banks and came up empty. The banks don’t want to make such a large unsecured loan on something without a Blue Book value. This past year it seemed a few times that Randy was going to be able to figure out a way to get it valued but so far nothing has come up solid.

Well, a few months ago Randy came up with a different idea. He used to “flip houses” for a living. For several years that’s what he did. He bought houses, fixed them up himself (or with helpers) and then sold them for a profit. That’s now what he wants to do with Travel Trailers (or RV’s.) His idea was to buy an old Travel Trailer that needs a lot of work for a cheap price, fix it up super nice then sell it for a profit. Then, with the profit roll it into buying the next trailer…doing the same thing, and eventually having enough money to build his 1^st TINY HOME. He knows if he can get that 1^st one built and sold then he would be on his way to making them for a living.

Well, I’m happy to say that this week we bought our first Travel Trailer to fix up and sell!!! We bought it from a man about an hour away. We piled up the kids after school, bribed them to be nice to one another the whole way there and back and drove down curvy back roads. We finally made it to a kind man that had tons of land, some cattle and llamas and for some reason sold us an awesome travel trailer for a much lower price than he advertised it for. We offered him one price and he countered with an even lower price.

We were in the minivan so we had to pay and leave it there, but yesterday Randy, Melody, his brother and sister in law went back and picked it up. This morning I woke up to an empty bed. Randy is outside taking measurements and making plans. He’s so excited. He’s been carrying around a RV parts catalog like it’s a Bible.

I’m excited for him. He’s been dreaming and planning for so many years. Now he is getting to physically work on something. He’s on his way. It will probably take awhile to complete because he will have to work on it after work, weekends and as we have the money to restore, but he’s still on his way. Exciting!!!
Here are some BEFORE pictures of the trailer.

Don't Worry...Randy has seen a lot worse! : )
 

A New Blog Beginning...

So yeah, I haven’t blogged recently in a really long time. I mean a loooonnnnngggg time. I’ve been healing I guess. Last weekend would have been Miles’ 10^th birthday. That makes it his 4^th birthday in heaven. I woke up that morning with a heavy heart. I was in bed remembering him. Remembering his hair. Remembering taking care of his body. Remembering running around town taking him to therapies. Remembering what it was like to love him and be loved by him. Then I remembered my blog. I wrote so many details on there over a period of 6 years. Suddenly I had a deep desire to preserve them. That’s the way I spent his birthday…preserving those details about him and the rest of our family. I transferred my blog to a PDF. Anyway, reading over so many of those posts made me realize how much I missed blogging. After Miles died I just didn’t seem to get writing ideas anymore. It’s not like I wanted to write and couldn’t think of anything. It’s just that it was gone.

              I was talking to Randy about what in the world I would write about now. I have no idea. My houseful of teenagers probably won’t appreciate me sharing all their business on here. When they were young it didn’t seem to matter as much.

 I can’t talk too much about work because there are rules about that. I will say that teaching Kindergarten has been a huge part of my healing. I love being around young children all day. I feel like myself there. This is my third year teaching and it fits me perfectly. For that, I am thankful.

So, I’m not sure what I will write about. I’m not sure how often it will be. I just want to be open to allow that gifting The Lord gave me to rise up in me again.