Twin Mountain/Mt. Washington KOA Holiday in Carroll, New Hampshire, undertook a $750,000 expansion project two years ago to add 10 stamped-concrete pull-through Patio Sites and four Cavco Deluxe Cabins.
When Brad and Becky Hare bought the campground in the fall of 2016, they received a shovel-ready expansion plan from 12 years earlier, created by KOA Facilities Development. Three months later construction was underway.
“KOA Facilities Development and a local architect had already done the heavy lifting. We just got the plans reapproved and we were ready to roll,” said Brad.
Construction started in December 2016 and the new sites welcomed visitors Independence Day weekend in 2017.
Planning is one thing, but construction is a different animal and results in all types of delays. The Hares contended with three months of rain and a 30% cost overrun on infrastructure.
When they dug into the ground during the testing process, contractors didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Yet, during construction, a whole bunch of large rocks had to be excavated.
“They call New Hampshire the Granite State for a reason,” Brad explained, noting the campground now has a collection of interestingly-shaped boulders adorning the facility.
It took six months to clear and build out the site. Then, the day it opened, a driver cut a corner too short and buried his 45-foot RV into the muck. Other than that, Brad said he was pleased with how smoothly the process went.
“We have 24 Cabins now, which is plenty,” said Brad. “The new area is pretty much sold out all summer and most of the fall. Plus, people are making reservations for next year when they check out of their sites this summer.”
Brad is grateful to have had a 10-year plan and the resources to accomplish it quickly.
“If I had to do it over again, I’d do it the exact same way. That’s how impressive Doug’s plan was and how easy it was to implement,” said Brad. “This project was right out of the Field of Dreams movie, `We built it, and they came.’
“There are already two weeks in 2020 when the campground is completely full,” he added. “From a long-term perspective, we need to look at more expansion. I’ll be calling KOA Facilities Development soon.”
