Learning about project management

We've built many different projects through the years including houses and commercial buildings. As we began in the theme park business I learned that managing a project of this sort is a whole new ball game. We jumped in the deep end of the pool. Our first complete theme project was in a little town called Coombs on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. It was built for five partners (each with their own ideas) in a poor location, behind a small local drinking establishment. As it happened, that little bar was where most of the contractors and labourers were hired. That too was a lesson all in itself. Keeping track of and being responsible for many different contractors was a bit like juggling cats at times. Despite the incredible challenges the project turned out great and was finished on time. We learned plenty and survived... although the business venture did not.

That project led to another right next door. An already successful tourist attraction needed a landmark on the road. Working around tough signage regulations (but no building code) we designed and built an 'entrance portal'. This was the first time we used a weld on scaffold which was cut off as we worked our way down the feature.

Dreaming hard

While we laboured hard on client's projects we were rapidly building our skills. We were also dreaming of themed projects of our own. One such project was an adventure golf. We seriously considered many properties in diverse locations, and drew up many plans. The first version was called Forest Island. That dream would have to wait for a decade to come to fruition. While we waited I kept drawing concepts and building models.

Dreaming big - waiting for the right time

As our projects grew ever larger and more complex we quickly realized we needed a bigger workspace. We wanted it to be home based and anything but ordinary. We lived a unique lifestyle and we wanted our home and shop to reflect this. They would be a showcase of what we did. Through the next ten years we actually bought five different properties and drew up many, many versions of our dream home and workshop complex. Each time the realities of client's projects, budgets and life in general changed these plans. It would be more than a decade before the work space became real and more than two decades before the dream home was built. Dreaming of the possibilities through the years was a fun exercise.