Reset Button...

Sometimes you have to step back and re-evaluate your situation - even though you don't want to!

The ORIGINAL plan for this massive project has always called for starting our own F-39 sometime in 2017. This time frame (plus the 15 years I expect will be required to complete to build) was chosen to nearly coincide with my planned retirement date.

The problem (with me anyway) is scouring through all the other building blogs out there and feeling content to sit around waiting for the days to tick by to start my own build... I tend to get anxious and look for ways to get started, but the harsh reality is that our current situation will most likely lead to frustration and eventual failure.

Not surprisingly, the two main problems are finances and an actual build location.

I'm fairly confident to say that finances is a universal problem for all builders, there never seems to be enough of it to go around! Then there is the actual build location - our house is built into the side of a hill, it will not be feasible to build a suitable workshop (even if zoning would allow it). I considered renting a location, but I'm convinced that you will have a much higher build success if there is NO travel time between home and build location. I also believe you need to spend time EVERY day on the project, even if it is just cleaning up and prepping the next phase in order to maintain attachment and focus. In other words, it should be built right where you live.

I had determined to get started with some of the smaller parts now while working out the details of securing the financing and build site later on. That plan called for selling our house in five years and relocating to a suitable building area to start on the floats.

However, after much budget forecasts, manipulations of income streams and discussions with my family we have decided to make some drastic changes to that plan in order to effectively stack the deck in our favor. So then, instead of selling our house in five years, it is being prepared to go on the market in just three weeks! Once it sells, we will move into one of our rental properties and divert all income towards paying off our other debts and rental properties. That process is expected to take slightly over two years, depending on actual circumstances.

The rental house will only be a third the size of the one we live in now, but the kids are excited about the prospect of moving despite the fact that we will be crammed in there for a while. As for me and my wife, we are not so thrilled to move into a smaller house, but the idea of a substantial and sustainable income boost will be worth the price.

To say I have an AWESOME family would be the understatement of the year! I could not even begin to hope this project would be a success if there was some conflict about the time and financial commitment. However, I'm so excited to say that everyone is"on-board" with the new plan and all are willing to make some sacrifices to see it become a reality.

I'll be updating the blog every now and then - mostly to keep myself accountable and keep a record of progress. In the meantime, I'll keep lurking around the other building sites, learning all I can and looking forward to the day I can start my own.

For real this time!