Looking Back: Building the First and Second Cottage at Wrenwood Ranch

It’s interesting to look back on building our first and second cottages here at Wrenwood Ranch. Things were... different. Not necessarily harder, just different. The kind of different that makes you appreciate how far you’ve come.

Even something as simple as asking around for contractor contacts or tracking down a supplier felt like a scavenger hunt. And material shortages? That kept us on our toes every single day. We were constantly trying to stay one step ahead—ordering materials early, checking for backorders, and always bracing ourselves for the next delay.

Things like meter sockets for homes, electrical supplies, appliances—even the cost of wood—fluctuated constantly. And one thing we really took for granted before moving out here? Internet.

When we first bought the land in Johnson City, we didn’t have internet for nearly the entire first year. Eventually, we added hotspots and cable TV just to stay connected. At one point, we had four different hotspots and four separate satellite dishes just to keep things running. It was a patchwork solution, but it worked.

From Dream Home to Dirt: Our Leap of Faith

We left behind our 2,600-square-foot dream home and moved onto raw Texas Hill Country land with nothing but a vision and a whole lot of faith. Basically, we went camping—for two years—in a 215-square-foot travel trailer.

Would I do it again? Looking back... I can’t say it was easy, but we did what we had to do to make it work. It wasn’t always convenient. We had three small air conditioners in the trailer trying to keep us cool in the summer, and several space heaters fighting to warm it in the winter.

We gave up every comfort you could think of—but those sacrifices are what made this place what it is.

Celebrating the Small Wins at Wrenwood Ranch

We celebrated every milestone like it was Christmas morning. The day we got electricity? We celebrated. The day septic was installed? Another celebration. Running water? You better believe we celebrated again.

It’s funny how the smallest things—things you don’t even think about in a finished home—become major victories when you’re building from scratch.

At one point, I had to go to the local library just to complete an online class. Something as simple as having internet would’ve made a huge difference, but that was part of the learning curve. It taught us to problem-solve, to appreciate the process, and to never take Wi-Fi for granted again.

The Snow Storm, the Next Build, and Still No Home for Ourselves

Not long after the infamous snowstorm cleared, we started work on the third cottage. Even then, we hadn’t made plans to build a cottage for ourselves.

We were just focused on moving forward—one build, one challenge, one dream at a time.