12 Foot Walls

It's coming along! We got more than half the new walls up. They are 12 feet tall! The windows (that is us standing in them) are HUGE!!!

Floor's Done!

The floor got done today. I helped a little bit. Found out that you don't want to get that BCI floor joist glue on your hands. That is quite the glue!!!

On the commute to work today, I couldn't help but be in awe with the green grass and the snow in the hills. Welcome to Idaho!

What the Hail? (and rain and snow)

Kevin and Chris were a little frustrated today as they worked in the rain and hail. They didn't get the floor put down, like they had hoped.

At least the hills in HSB are green!

Foundation and Floor

This is so exciting!!!

The New Addition

The Monday following the issue of the building permit, ground was broken, a big hole was made, and footers and stem wall were poured. Here is the progression.

Demolition

The day after the building permit was issued, Kevin Chandler, my builder, sent Chris over (twice my size) to start tearing down walls on the inside. Here are some before and after photos.

Building Permit

By mid-March, the architects had finished with their drawings, and it was time to apply for a building permit from the town of HSB.

We won't go into the hassle that was (had to get a survey, and reconfigure the architect drawings, etc.).

The building permit was issued April 14th 2010, the day after my birthday. (29 years young - again)

And contrary to popular opinion - it is very difficult to get a building permit in the town of HSB!

Design Time

My architects, Jim and Jeff, from NeUdesign are the best. I had so much fun meeting with them and coming up with ideas and concepts for the new studio. Here are some pictures we took during our meetings, and here are some conceptual designs for the new place.

Closing the Dream

I won't bore you with all the details, but everything that could have gone wrong - did! The SBA decided to deny me their portion of the loan. (Good news - I was able to change their mind).

The SBA decided that I needed to have an asbestos inspection. (Bad news - it cost over $1000. Good news - there is no asbestos)

We were supposed to close on this property by November 5th, 2009. Actual closing date was February 16th 2010.

Here are a few pictures from our signing day.

(An incredibly expensive pen)

Have Faith

So now it is summer of 2009. My dreams have been dashed, and it's time to move on. I decided to place all my faith in God. I decided to trust in whatever plan He has for me and my family.

That's when I called my realtor and asked how things were turning out for the other buyer. He said that things (as of very recent) didn't work out and that the church building was back on the market.

In September of 2009, I made my offer. We haggled on price a bit and ended up with the agreed upon price of $128,000. Offer accepted!!!

The Dream Dies

By the end of 2008, I was pretty sure that I wanted to try to buy the old church in HSB. We had been watching the price of that building fall steadily during the recession that we are in, and we felt that we were in a good position to make an offer.

Before making an offer, I felt it would be smart to apply for a loan, and work through all the hurdles and challenges that would be thrown at me. I began the loan application process with Zions Bank in January or February of 2009. I had to turn in all kinds of projections, business plans, profit & loss statements, etc.

In April, my family was up in the hills north of HSB for a drive. Coincidently, we saw my realtor and his family enjoying some family time together with their horses. We chit chatted a little, and then he informed me that someone else had made an offer on the church, and that the church had accepted his offer. I felt sick to my stomach. It literally felt as if someone had sucker punched me in the gut. I couldn't think about anything else (and was depressed) for about 2 months. My dreams had been dashed!

The Dream

In 2007, I had a "dream". I envisioned a portrait studio located off highway 55 (the gateway to Idaho's playland) for the purpose of creating "Lifestyle Portraits" of Idaho's families. Most of us live in the Treasure Valley, but when it comes time for recreation and relaxation, most of us head north toward McCall, Stanley, Cascade, etc. My dream is to capture families doing what they love most - to tell that family's story - and to create heirloom portraits that will become that family's legacy.

The town of Horseshoe Bend became the potential answer to my dream. In December 2007 my family went up to Garden Valley to go sledding. We stopped in front of the old LDS church building. (I am pictured here in front of the old LDS church). At this time, the Church was asking $300,000 for this property. Across the street was a restaurant for sale - they were asking $500,000. Each building was approximately 3400 square feet in size. The church that I am looking at has a full basement. I wasn't sure either was in my budget, so I renewed my lease in Meridian for another 2 years, and decided to wait!