Devon Zuegel

And I think especially for something like this, we're essentially creating a real life social network. When people move places, they're not just moving for the house and the physical place, but also who do I know who lives there? Who's someone that I would like to know who lives there?

And I think especially for something like this, we're essentially creating a real life social network. When people move places, they're not just moving for the house and the physical place, but also who do I know who lives there? Who's someone that I would like to know who lives there?

By being able to show them the types of people who come to Edge Esmeralda and are drawn to that, it helps them start to imagine, oh, my 12-year-old kid could be friends with this other 12-year-old kid whose family is also thinking of moving there. And people can start to picture themselves in it. So I think that's the number one takeaway for me is do less talking and do more showing.

By being able to show them the types of people who come to Edge Esmeralda and are drawn to that, it helps them start to imagine, oh, my 12-year-old kid could be friends with this other 12-year-old kid whose family is also thinking of moving there. And people can start to picture themselves in it. So I think that's the number one takeaway for me is do less talking and do more showing.

It depends on who I'm talking to. But I think the infrastructure costs to build something like this are astronomical. People don't really understand how expensive infrastructure is. Even quote unquote basics like roads and electrical. I'm not even talking about a fancy infrastructure. suspension bridge or something, just a road. It costs a lot of money to build this stuff.

It depends on who I'm talking to. But I think the infrastructure costs to build something like this are astronomical. People don't really understand how expensive infrastructure is. Even quote unquote basics like roads and electrical. I'm not even talking about a fancy infrastructure. suspension bridge or something, just a road. It costs a lot of money to build this stuff.

And I think that many people I talk to are just not aware of it because also a lot of the infrastructure costs are not even visible. They're underground. And so I spend most of my day in spreadsheets.

And I think that many people I talk to are just not aware of it because also a lot of the infrastructure costs are not even visible. They're underground. And so I spend most of my day in spreadsheets.

And talking to our general contractor and civil engineer, thinking about how do we make sure that we both design this in a way that's beautiful and supportive of the type of living that we want to have, but also pays for itself and is not crazy expensive. And people almost never ask me about the infrastructure. I think they just assume that it'll be handled.

And talking to our general contractor and civil engineer, thinking about how do we make sure that we both design this in a way that's beautiful and supportive of the type of living that we want to have, but also pays for itself and is not crazy expensive. And people almost never ask me about the infrastructure. I think they just assume that it'll be handled.

And I can tell you that it will not just be handled. It's a whole process. I'm not worried about it. We're going to do it. But it's something that you have to think a lot about. And frankly, it's the thing that can make a project sink or swim. If your infrastructure costs end up being 10% more than you expect, that could be the difference between having a successful project versus not.

And I can tell you that it will not just be handled. It's a whole process. I'm not worried about it. We're going to do it. But it's something that you have to think a lot about. And frankly, it's the thing that can make a project sink or swim. If your infrastructure costs end up being 10% more than you expect, that could be the difference between having a successful project versus not.

Yeah, the most successful version of the story. I'll give the big abstract answer and then also the personal answer. At the high level, the most successful version of the story is that we prove out this model and I and my team get to go build many, many more of these in the world. Not just that, but also it then inspires other people to build in this way.

Yeah, the most successful version of the story. I'll give the big abstract answer and then also the personal answer. At the high level, the most successful version of the story is that we prove out this model and I and my team get to go build many, many more of these in the world. Not just that, but also it then inspires other people to build in this way.

We're not even trying to do particularly crazy things. Some of them, to me, just feel very low-key. But for many developers, they're like, oh, that's so hard to even imagine doing. And so just giving them an existence proof that this is possible, I think, would then inspire people to do more. And I've already seen... this play out in the Southeast. And now I think it could go even farther.

We're not even trying to do particularly crazy things. Some of them, to me, just feel very low-key. But for many developers, they're like, oh, that's so hard to even imagine doing. And so just giving them an existence proof that this is possible, I think, would then inspire people to do more. And I've already seen... this play out in the Southeast. And now I think it could go even farther.

It's not the dominant form of development happening in the Southeast, but it is a growing form. So that's the biggest one is we would have a chain of these villages all across the country Maybe also bigger ones, like I'd love to build something even a larger scale one day. And then also for people to copy.

It's not the dominant form of development happening in the Southeast, but it is a growing form. So that's the biggest one is we would have a chain of these villages all across the country Maybe also bigger ones, like I'd love to build something even a larger scale one day. And then also for people to copy.

And then I think at the personal level, I mean, I'm building this because I want to live here. I'm building the place that I would like to raise my future family in and spend my life in. And so success to me is building a place that I like.

And then I think at the personal level, I mean, I'm building this because I want to live here. I'm building the place that I would like to raise my future family in and spend my life in. And so success to me is building a place that I like.