Meet Laura Pilcher | Owner, 100k Cabin

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Pilcher and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Our cabin-building business started as a way for our family to ski in the mountains without breaking the bank. We could not believe what a shortage of affordable lodging in the mountains there was. After spending one weekend of skiing in Breck and thousands of dollars in, we decided to find a better way. We wanted to build a little modern cabin in the mountains of our own. We had a very small budget, so we knew resort towns were out. We backed our search out a bit further until we found Fairplay. It is about 30-45 minutes from Breckenridge, and an easy drive from Denver, so we knew it was an ideal location. When we built our first cabin, our budget was $100,000, hence the name 100k Cabin. We bought an acre of land for $10,000 then became the general contractors for our new build. Our builder put together the cabin shell, and we did the rest! Some of it was DIY/sweat equity (we watched a lot of YouTube videos) and other tasks were given to sub-contractors, but all in all we built a 1800 square foot Scandinavian-style cabin for $160,000, which includes everything from land to furniture. Since then, we’ve built another cabin in Fairplay, and we’re getting ready to build a larger home (still on a budget!) in Granby. People are always surprised when I tell them, we’re not handy, we don’t have professional experience with home building, we just are determined and thrifty. We are now shooting to build a home every 1-2 years. I became a licensed Realtor and also offer consulting services for those who want to do what we do.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been in the marketing world for almost 20 years! While it has been wonderful, I have really enjoyed doing something that is hands on. We stumbled into real estate development with 100k Cabin, and it has been the most serendipitous adventure because it opened us up to a whole new career for me in real estate, helping others create their affordable mountain retreat, and providing new income streams that will allow my husband and I to retire early. It’s a great feeling.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If we’re talking Fairplay/Park County, where we built the 100k Cabin, then it’s exploring a new trail, hitting the hot tub after, then having dinner at Salado, my absolute favorite restaurant in the whole state of Colorado. Afterwards, taking a stroll on Front Street, then heading down to Fairplay beach to watch the sunset. Perfect day.

If we’re talking Denver metro area, then my favorite thing to do would be to watch an Avalanche game (if possible), then have a staycation at the Crawford hotel. Taking the light rail there, then having drinks at the Cooper Lounge, then eating dinner at Mercantile, and doing some people watching.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband, Ben, deserves a huge shout-out for putting up with me during our projects! We are very different. I’m a creative, he’s an engineer. It has tested us in lots of ways to work together, but our combined skills are usually complimentary. I’d also have to say the New Era Group at Your Castle Real Estate has been a huge support in growing our business, and helping me to become a Realtor for both the Denver Metro and Summit Association of Realtors. It has been amazing seeing my family’s dream become a reality for others through our work.

Website: 100kcabin.com

Instagram: instagram.com/100kcabin

Facebook: Facebook.com/100kcabin

Image Credits
Photos all taken by Laura or Ben Pilcher. Family photo taken by Anna Boardman.