The Purchase of the Granary, How It All Shook Out & What We’d Like To Do With It

By Mandi 02/20/2018

Hey hey!

THANK YOU so much for the massive excitement over our big announcement!! I cant tell you how great it feels to share, I’m an open book through and through and even though the closing was really quick it was hard to keep my lips zipped! I got a lot of the same questions on our announcement so lets dive a little deeper into it, shall we?

How did we actually end up with it?

From the birth of the Merc, I knew that I wanted to buy the Granary property, or at least a small portion of the property (especially the parking lot behind the Merc) and we’d always been very open with the neighbors about that. They’d listed the entire property (house included) on the MLS twice since we bought the Merc, but it was extremely far out of our budget and we didn’t really need a whole new house to renovate (though a mid-century rambler would have been fun!) We’d even worked with our FAVORITE real estate agent to try to find a buyer for the house so we could take the property, but it just wasn’t working out.

Our neighbors were very concerned with the windows in Phase 2 being opened and though it’s perfectly fine (cause it’s our building to do that to) he didn’t want them to ruin the look of the restaurant or his mural. We also weren’t super stoked about it. So over Christmas break, he came by to address his concerns again and Court decided to make him an offer on the property. They accepted and we went under contract right after.

These are the windows from the inside of the Merc:

By no means did we get a steal of a deal on the property, BUT we have piece of mind about the easement and now we have another potential income source so I think it was worth the leap of faith. I guess we’ll find out!

Can you keep the restaurant?

We cant, the kitchen to the restaurant (as well as the bathroom) was in the carport of their house and not included in the sale of the property. Unless we want to build a detached commercial kitchen on the property we’re officially out of the restaurant business…for the time being.

What are you going to use it for?!

My dream is to use it as a fluid space. Rent it out to photographers, have events there, use the Granary for an Airbnb, host girlfriend retreats, really just do whatever I want with it. I’m not sure how the planning commission is going to feel about this hippy business style but we’ll see!

Speaking of Airbnb, southern Utah has some pretty strict no residential Airbnb rules, but I think our zoning (commercial mixed use) will make to so we can eeek around that rule, hopefully. I’ll keep you guys posted.

When is the renovation going to start?

Great question!! I’m thinking we need to start charging for Merc tours to fund it? We used all of the money that we had set aside for Phase 2 to buy this property and it happened at just the perfect time, had we started on the reno already it would have complicated things more. So TBD I guess? We don’t want to get a loan for it, so it might be more of a here a little there a little depending on what needs to be done.

What’s your plan for the yard space?

Let me preface this by saying that I know NOTHING about gardening. Luckily our neighbor is still next door and hopefully will help me figure it out! The plan right now it to wait but I would love to find a way to keep the secret garden vibe and make it more modern. There’s a lot of trellis happening but I love all of the climbing plants and need to find an awesome alternative before I go all crazy. Also, some of the climbing plants have totally taken over the trellis situation and I don’t want to kill them, sooooo if youre a master gardener and want to weigh in I’d love some ideas!!

18 thoughts on “The Purchase of the Granary, How It All Shook Out & What We’d Like To Do With It”

  1. I am so happy you guys were able to figure it out and I will happily sign up for Merc tours to help pay for it ? congrats you guys!

  2. So exciting!! I’ve been heavily following things on instragram and am so happy for you guys to have the easement situation taken care of! My husband and I garden and I really think you could give the plants a fairly hefty trim if needed to get them off trellises. I liked some of the ideas people were giving in the live tour you did as far as alternatives to the trellis. It would be a bit much for me too. But really most healthy plants can take a large trim and be just fine. I don’t think it would be a problem.

  3. So much fun seeing this all in real life!! Love love it all!! I think you should have a little donation can/ tip jar what have you, for the lucky people who take up your precious time and get a tour!! I would love to say I helped with the Granary revival, ?Haha, but seriously!! Thanks again for the tour and your kindness!! Oh and we went to all the parade of Homes and our two favorite were both in Santa Clara, yours and the lovely white home down the street!

  4. I have to know your plans for the pews? Outdoor church? JK! Your yard is now so amazing!!! I can’t wait to watch it evolve from the trellis jungle to modern-functional secret garden!!!

  5. Wow! I’m doing something not dissimilar from this in Vermont! We just spent our “phase 2” budget on 30 acres and a derelict cabin behind our house and are crossing our fingers that Airbnbing our first, modern house can coast us into a new “phase 2”. If I was in s. Utah, what you are doing would be my dream!!! Thanks for giving me a peek into your world so I can be a passive participant and get the best of all the worlds!! Good luck, girl!!

  6. I’m so excited to see what you do with this space! The secret garden vibe is so cool; I also loved that book (and the movie, like from the early 80s, which I think was the original?!).

    I’m no master gardener, but through trial and error I’ve discovered that most climbing plants respond very well to pruning. I have a climbing rose in the front of my house that had a lot of brown, dry, dead-looking vines when I moved in, so I cut all the stalks down and it came back a million times fuller with TONS of blooms.

    Is your climate able to handle vines like hops? I happen to think hops are the coolest climbing plant because the actual hops are such a cool shape, and they do really well in trellises and archways.

  7. I love everything about this and watched your whole hour long live over the weekend. My boyfriend is going to Utah in June for a motorcycle ride and the only reason I am jealous is because they are going to be so close to the Merc! ? Anywho, you mentioned the neighbor was concerned what the windows were going to do to the vibe of the restaurant and mural… isn’t the mural on your building? I know it’s a non issue now but curious if he even had the right to paint it in the first place

  8. Please tell me you’ve read the book “Mandy” by Julie Andrews! This situation is much more like that, you have a house AND garden to play with! And the name of the main character couldn’t be more perfect ?? It’s my favorite book from my childhood.

  9. I’m a master gardener and landscape designer, but I know nothing about the plants, soil, or weather/temp conditions where you are! (I specialize in Central Texas and NE and southern WI.) I can help you troubleshoot hardscape DIY issues, though, so just shoot me an email if you have any questions. I’m happy to help however I can.

  10. P.S. Really happy you were able to buy this property! Your easement situation would have given me hives!

  11. Lady thay is so exciting! I feel like I’m participating on this journey as you share and it’s awesome! I look forward to see what you do to all this! (and I am in love with the hippy fluid space idea). When are we seeing the tutorial for the floor of the room you posted recently? I am dying to see that one! Xxx

  12. Hey Mandy – congrats on the granary! Excited to see where it takes you!

    Completely unrelated question – on the left side of the screen, there’s a box called Shop My Faves with a few pictures, including one of a metal chair. But when I click the link, it goes nowhere. I tried the Shop link, but that’s a different thing. Is the Shop My Faves still a thing? Trying to track down that chair!! (Actually everything there is totally adorable and wouldn’t mind giving all of it a looksy)

  13. Hey Mandy!! My husband is a landscape designer in Mesquite, just south of you. I’m sure he would love to come help you with your new garden space!

  14. Just saw your are looking for garden ideas. I was a practicing landscape architect for 8 years before staring my blog… and I live in NM, so we have fairly similar plants/temps to you guys. Let me know if you ever want any plant advice!

  15. So Awesome! New to your blog. Saw your interview in Desert News “Faith” section. I actually know Sharon Wills and her family. Long story about how. Good peeps!

    Have you thought about using that space as a place for people to rent out for receptions? It’s an awesome space. Can’t wait to see what you do with it.

    Have a Blessed Day!
    From a Fearless Believer

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