In 1961-62, I was doing the heating, plumbing and electrical work on the new parsonage at the Southland Church of Christ. I just had a few days left on this job when I was at Leonord Pavey's lumber yard buying materials when Leonard asked if I would like to work for him when I had the parsonage job done. I told him I would. I worked for him for a year or two, until he decided to retire from the lumber and building business. He talked me into going into the building business on my own. He knew a party in Mitchell, IN who would let me build on their lots and pay them for the lot after I sold the house. And Ermal Fultz agreed to furnish building materials the same way.

I had the first house about three fourths done when a couple looked at it and decided to take it. They were getting some kind of VA and FHA loan. The house had to pass both VA and FHA inspections. Their inspectors nearly ran me crazy. One would come in and say this had to be done, then a different one would come in and say something different had to be done. The last one that came in I told him for him and all the others to get their heads together and let me know what they wanted that I was tired of fooling with them and was ready to sell to someone else. I never heard anymore of them. I think they were just keeping each other in a job. After this, if anyone mentioned getting a government loan, I would tell them I was not interested. Selling this house before it was finished gave me high spirits and I poured the foundations for two more. I finished one and had the second almost done and had not had a good solid bite on either one. Although I had paid off all my bills when I sold the first house and the landowners were satisfied, Ermal began wanting to be paid. He never said anything to me but would make remarks to my son Richard, who was working for him at the time. I went to the bank and got a 6 month loan and paid off all my bills. With two unsold houses and a bank loan, I was afraid to start another one. I did not know at the time I could have renewed the loan by adding the interest to the loan and then add the interest to the price of the houses. If I had known that at the time, I could have filled the whole addition with homes.