…of mice and men, and architects, and engineers

Another eventful, educational week under my belt. It is amazing how fast time flies by. I am so grateful to have the ability to work from home right now to devote the time needed for these tasks.

“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?” — Henry David Thoreau

Both meetings with the lenders went well. They like both the concept and me, which is important. Not for my ego, but because they have to believe in me to take the idea to their underwriters and partners, and get them to believe in the concept and me without a personal introduction.

At this point, I am ready to get more solid quotes on the construction costs so I set out in search of an architect. I had always thought it was the general contractor that ran a construction project but no, it is the architect.

Architects are basically the project managers involved from beginning to end, unless you use a combo design/build company. Also, their fees are not included in the construction budget so that is an addition I had not calculated prior. So much learning…

“There are no failures, just experiences and your reactions to them.” — Tom Krause

I spent 90 minutes on the phone with one the other day and will likely use his firm as soon as funding is set and I am ready to move forward. He has recently completed 2 assisted living projects and was really excited about our concept. He was knowledgeable and willing to help guide me, even if he is not officially involved in the project.

I did touch base with a Civil Engineer who was recommended by the architect. He was professional and seemed kind-hearted. Good to have quality contacts lined up; I am a blessed entrepreneur!

"Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." ~ Francis of Assisi

I chatted with my friends at Pinal County again and will be moving forward with the Minor Land Division (MLD) before the Zoning Pre-App, so that is the next step with their office. The MLD does not require professional interventions with the drawings/plans but the Zoning Pre-App does so this is the more cost-effective route right now.

This week is the National Small Business Administration's Virtual Summit so I am attending a lot of classes and making connections. This is the first-ever virtual conference I have attended and it is definitely an interesting format. It works though and the first day was a good one.

Mom comes into town this week so I am excited to take her out to the land and show her our paradise. We are going to try to tour one of the local memory care facilities and go and see her new home in Casa Grande. It's going to be a fun trip ~ I can't wait to share those pics with you in the next post!