I’ve tried to do a retreat of A-frames in the mountains but ran into land/engineering issues, multiple times. 

The general rule of thumb on refinances is to do it if you can make back the transaction costs within 2 years.

If you're going to owner occupy and and want to benefit from some rental income then I'd go for it, but if you're looking for some combination of appreciation and cash flow there are better places to put your cash.

Would you recommend the PadSplit business model to others?

I would first look at a proven company like RentWerx, then compare them to a few others and see which one works best for you.Start by going to www.narpm.org to search their directory of managers.

The only way to ensure a goal is commitment to the input.

Happy to help!

I lived in Sound End for a bit; beautiful, walkable area with plently to do 

The answer is yes, 2nd lien DSCR loans exist and more than one lender can do them, but you would probably have to up your credit score to be able to get up to a total of 75% ltv between 1st and second lienOtherwise, you would have to get lucky on a favorable appraisal.

If you are going to add value to the house you might be able to get an equity line against the property to use to fix up the property or negotiate some repair money from the seller that you get at closing.