It started out as an idea to build a tiny affordable annex which could be rented out to a local family. The main drive for this was so my parents would have a supplementary income while I was unemployed during postgraduate study. Or so I initially thought.
When the idea went through all members of my family, it didn't take long for the idea to grow and evolve into something quite different from the original plan. Our family is divided between high-risk and low-risk takers in the ratio of 2 : 2. My sister being the ambitious one gently nudged us to take a bigger risk by tapping into the tourism industry. My mother was excited about the prospect from the start. The two low-risk takers were hesitant at first, but considering the facts at hand, they slowly warmed up to the idea and tweaked it to a more sensible one.
Many telephone, Whatsapp and Skype conversations later, it was decided that we were going to have a small bed & breakfast inn for budget-conscious travelers. Since we happen to be located in a popular city of historic/ cultural importance in Sri Lanka, it seemed worth a shot. Worst case scenarios included a failed business or being summoned to court for missing on housing loan repayments. Best case scenarios included a successful business or even simply ending up with an additional comfortable house.
This was the first time our family worked together on a project of this scale. It was no easy task to coordinate things when we were all in three different countries. Jobs were divided according each one's abilities and personalities.
My mother was the "Construction Manager/ Buyer" supervising and coordinating things on site with the contractors, vendors and other authorities. Despite our regular input from overseas, she is the real hero for completing the construction phase. My sister was the "Advisor/ Master Decorator" who gave an artistic touch worthy of a small business. I was more of a laid back "Project Manager/ Financial Controller" giving the yes/no to anything that involved costs, taking care of a multitude of details that the others missed and constantly pointing out things that needed improvement. My foster brother worked alongside the contractors so the building probably has more of his sweat and blood than any one else in the family. My father didn't play a very active role in the construction phase except perhaps keeping us grounded when our imaginations stretched far beyond our budget. Also I presume, he'll be the one to bail us out of jail some day when we fall back on housing loan repayments and the authorities come to seize the property!
Clearing the land in preparation for construction. Unfortunately, many trees and plants which were dearly looked after by my father were uprooted to make space for this house
From the ground
Slowly taking shape
Ta daa! The nearly-finished product
The major part of the construction project was completed in about 12 months' time. Looking back now, it feels like a dream. In December 2015, after much effort, stress and sacrifices from all family members, we were ready to welcome our first guests. The house was complete with 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining hall and a laundry room. There is more to be done, but we had to stop when we ran out of financial resources about the same time that I quit my job.
Every adversity in life comes with valuable lessons and experiences. For us, the project brought our family members closer than we had ever been before. This was the perfect team building activity to work together, enjoy the successes and failures, mend strained ties as a result of prolonged periods of separation and appreciate each other more - while this "baby" of ours grew from a small idea to a tangible structure.
Not only that, it was a huge learning experience. We all learnt about things we never knew about before the project commenced. My brother for example, being extraordinarily skilled, picked up the basic skills of masonry, carpentry, welding, wiring and tiling while working as an apprentice. Someday, he should be able to easily build his own little house. As for myself, I didn't know that careful planning of building layouts and obsessing over minor details would greatly appeal to my over-thinking nature (IKEA was my new best friend for inspiration).
The end of the construction phase signaled the beginning of the operations phase, which was another new subject in itself. My sister's knowledge and experience in the hospitality sector proved helpful in setting up things and shaping our mindset to a service-oriented one. Again, we had to learn a lot - about catering to various types of guests, housekeeping, managing reservations, finances, getting various licences, networking with tour operators, upgrading facilities, marketing, etc - from scratch. My mother who's very extroverted and my father who's genuinely helpful and informed have been assigned front office roles while I support them when I'm around. My mother is also the Head Chef since she is a great cook. My brother continues to support us in minor construction work.
I happily settled to doing the back-end job of managing the online presence of the business. Also, since I don't have a lot of other practical skills and we can't afford to employ anyone yet, I have been left with the not-so-fun role of Head Housekeeper. And for someone who spent many years being a "happy bachelor" away from family, devoid of any household responsibilities, and sometimes even sneering at householders for having to clean houses regularly, it looks like I've been served by the Cosmic Joker.
Whether the recent decisions I took were good ones remains to be seen. Till then, I am going to make the most of my stay here. As I typed some parts of this post sitting on the floor outside my front door, my dog stood guard by my feet, I heard birds chirp and noticed that the soothing winds which brushed over my skin also caused the leaves in the garden to rustle.
Hello, my new life in Sri Lanka.
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