All Forum Posts by: Marcus B.

Hey Nicholas, huge thanks for the time you've taken in your response. I'd love to chat more with you, but I'll keep some sort of conversation going here since I think this will be valuable for others to find in the future.

1) RE: Land

From what you've said, it seems like a good first step would be to involve a real estate agent to help us find a properly zoned piece of land and get a solid grip on what the cost of it will be. This will help us budget for the rest of our project. 

I'm not sure what you mean by "How will you secure it?" Since this is the first stage and we don't yet have a loan, I'm guessing a good solution here is an earnest money agreement.

2) RE: Feasibility

We definitely want to do our due diligence here. I think construction costs are the big question mark at the moment; this is not a very traditional construction project. 

At this step, we don't have solid architectural plans or drawings. Should I pay a general contractor/builder in the area for some kind of consultation to estimate the cost of the project? Will pictures of similar projects be enough to go on at this stage?

3) RE: Municipal Approvals

How do I go about this? What's the title of the person I should be talking to at this stage? Can a realtor help us start this process?

4) RE: Design

Fortunately, my father-in-law is an architect, as well as several good friends. I think we have some good options here, this stage I have a clearer picture of.


I've presented our general idea to several clear-thinking, money-smart people, and thus far everyone has seemed optimistic. To give you a rough idea, this AirBnB near Asheville, NC will be our closest direct competitor. Their occupancy rates are near 100% for the next 6 months at a nightly rate of about $250. I think this competition is good, and we will aim to differentiate ourselves in several different ways.

The area we're seeking to build in is closer to Atlanta, GA there's an abundance of more traditional cabins with great occupancy rates. I think we stand a good chance by standing out and doing something a bit more unique and niche.

Once again, I really appreciate your thoughtful reply, and I look forward to chatting with you.

Hello BiggerPockets,

My wife and I have dreamt of running AirBnBs and resorts since we were married. This year we want to take the plunge, take a risk, do something. Our goal is to build 2-3 geodesic domes as short-term rentals in the Blue Ridge mountains, taking heavy inspiration from Domes Charlevoix in Canada. Ideally, we would like to complete this project for $250-300k (maybe this is naive, but I have no basis). The problem? We don't know where to start. Things I know need to happen before construction:

• Find a lender. - I don't know what kind of lender to talk to, because I'm unsure what type of loan we will need. Business loan, construction mortgage, traditional mortgage?

• Find a property. - I don't know how much we can allocate to land because I'm unsure of the final cost of the domes.

• Get an estimate on the cost to construct our project. - Will a general contractor be willing to talk to me before the above two tasks?

My wife and I would like to live on-property as soon as one of the domes are livable (possibly in an airstream before), until a time where all domes are rentable, automated, and positive cash-flowing. It's worth noting that we do not own a house, we currently rent and have good flexibility of location with our jobs.

Where do I start? Who should I talk to first? Any and all advice is welcome and hugely appreciated.