Hi friends,

As some of you know, around a year ago, Mary and I took a leap of faith. We decided to hire a contractor here in Northwest Arkansas to build a tiny house on our land so we could finally have a space of our own to call home. It’s a milestone we’ve been looking forward to for a while.

We devoted a substantial amount of time, energy, and money to this vision, and entrusted a builder to bring it to life. But when the cabin was finally delivered (months late), it arrived with major problems: leaking pipes, unsafe wiring, structural issues, and eventually, toxic mold. The damage was so severe that the home became unlivable before we could even move into it.

Up until this point, we’ve mostly kept this chapter to ourselves and close friends. It’s been challenging to talk about because we would have preferred to share good news. In a different timeline, our cabin would have arrived as ordered, and we would be sitting in it right now, excited about our day-to-day lives.  

For transparency: we spent our $75k house savings on the tiny house and all of the utility work to prep our land for the house, with the intention of not having a rent or mortgage payment and shifting to more minimalist living. Instead of achieving that goal of financial freedom, we've been left with a hazardous construction mess, a $25k bill for mold remediation and repairs, and legal expenses of $10k and counting.

We’ve spent the past several months trying everything we could — negotiating with a builder who will not respond to us, hiring professionals, and initiating the legal process to hold them accountable. The stress, delays, and financial pressure have been enormous, and this has taken a real toll on our well-being.

Recently, it’s become obvious that we need to shift focus. While we are committed to seeing the legal process through, it could take another 12-18 months, and for our health and sanity we know we need to have a place to call home well before then.

Rather than staying stuck in the struggle, we’re choosing to ask for help so we can move forward, repair the cabin, clean out the mold, and finally make this place safe and livable.

Our goal is to raise $20,000 to help cover:

• Mold remediation and essential repairs to make the home habitable
• Materials and labor for safe plumbing, flooring, and electrical
• Legal fees to pursue holding these builders accountable, because they are causing harm to other customers as long as they continue to operate with such low integrity
• Other basic needs we’ve had to put off while navigating this

This will allow us to finally move forward with peace and clarity — and then return to the legal process from a more grounded place.

We’ve been living in limbo for a long time, but we haven’t lost sight of what we’re working toward:

• A home where we can create and feel grounded
• A life filled with excitement, healing food, and connection
• Land we can care for and share with others
• Launching new business ventures centered around healthy living and creative work

Despite everything we’ve been through the past twelve months, we’re grateful. This chapter brought us Clark, our sweet and occasionally chaotic puppy. He’s been a bright light in the midst of it all. We also cannot emphasize enough how special our Fayetteville community has been during this tough time - they really know how to show up for their own and we feel so lucky to be surrounded by such kind, genuine people.

We’re also grateful for our friends, family, and extended community that spans many states. Many of you have helped already, whether with support, encouragement, or advice. Thank you for being there for us.

If you feel moved to give, thank you. If you can’t but still want to support us, sharing this story or sending a kind word means the world. We are open to receiving help in all forms, including legal advice, construction advice, and work opportunities. We have taken on jobs of all types to bring in more financial energy for this cause and plan to continue doing so in any way we can. Mary has eight years of experience in the finance world but also excels at teaching yoga, personal training, baking, creating fermented foods, and so much more. Rico has been immersed in the photography world for well over a decade and is available for real estate, adventure, landscape, and fine art work. He also has experience with animal caretaking and construction/farm work. We know we’ll land on our feet — and when we do, we’re committed to paying it forward and helping others do the same.

With love and gratitude,

Rico and Mary