Well, big breath in…big breath out…After giving this little venture some serious thought I decided that I needed to toss my ego in the trash and try to take a more constructive view of this blogging thing. Maybe, just maybe this could be a part of helping someone or maybe help someone to help someone. Make any sense?

Ok, this little saga of mine started just about ten years ago. Life at that time, for me, was going pretty well and the future seemed really bright. I had been self-employed as a residential designer for almost two years. I had my own office, which I shared with another designer, and work sufficient to keep two contract drafters and myself busy enough for as much overtime as one wanted to work. The future forecast was also bright in the fact that the residential construction in the area, which I lived, was quite promising.

I really thought I had made the big time when I had decided to take my business from just a design firm to one that also incorporate residential construction. Well, at this time I had almost 30 years worth of design and drafting background and there wasn’t much in the way of residential design that I hadn’t been involved with. The construction side of things was a whole different ball game.

At the time, two of my design clients had become close acquaintances and I had developed a relationship with these folks. Well, it seemed all too natural to approach these newfound friends about giving me an opportunity to venture out into the construction side of the profession. On a handshake and a little seed money I was off to the races.

Filled with big dreams and big ideas I started learning the construction side of the business via the ol’ “school of hard knocks” method. Did I mention that these were going be my very first, tried and true, efforts at being a general contractor?

Well, the first project turned out to be a $500K renovation, addition and remodel. Not exactly your basic starter kit. Believe it or not this one went pretty smoothly. Then project #2 needed to get started prior to project #1’s completion. Project #2 was a very contemporary, industrial design. More of a commercial project and not one’s basic run of the mill house.

In the midst of all this I believed everything was going well. In reality it was more like organized chaos. So what do I decide to do? How about get married? Not only did I get married, but also I become the stepfather to a beautiful 10-year-old girl.

See it coming yet?

Well, as the saying was told to me “…sooner or later the caboose is going to catch up to the engine…” and it did. Through poorly managing the business, my marriage at about three years in to this “venture” I ended up losing my marriage, my new family, my business, my life’s savings, my security, my peace of mind and fell into some pretty hard alcohol abuse.

The alcohol was a way for me to medicate and avoid my problems. The alcohol and some pretty sick thinking had convinced me that the problems really weren’t too awfully bad. The reality was that the issues weren’t being resolved and going away, and if any thing the issues had multiplied and grown worse.

In early 2007 multiple legal issues had arisen and what I thought before had been difficult times became really difficult times. Through it all though there was a way to make it all go away…drink it away. By September of 2007 I had so much avoided addressing my issues my house was going into foreclosure and thoughts of suicide were prevalent.

My little house eventually sold, at a fire sale price, literally hours before foreclosure. That will, I hope, be a silver lining thing somewhere in the future.

This is all well and good, except for one thing…no home, no money and nowhere to live.

“…to be continued…”