I went to a house a couple of years ago and they had a pond in their back yard....now instead of a trash can trauma, they had a Loch Ness trauma. It was awesome.....something for you to think about.
Using Google Maps and PowerPoint to Plan Haunt
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I thought I would pass along this technique we're using for planning our 2015 haunt. We usually set up in the front and side yards, but next year the kids want to do a walkthrough that goes all around the house and incorporate the backyard, swimming pool, etc. To get an idea of what they could do, I went on Google Maps, selected Satellite view, and did a screen capture of our house and yard as seen below.
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Then, I sent my son out to measure the width of the driveway. Using that measurement I could determine how long eight feet was in the picture. I brought the picture into PowerPoint and created some 8ft x 8ft and 8ft x 4ft boxes that I used to create a trail around the house. The pic below is a shot of just the initial placement of the boxes, and we can slide, move, and rotate them as we develop the game plan for the haunt. We figure when we have the design finished we'll know right where to set things up at. We'll also have a great estimate of what we need to budget for in terms of props, tarps, support poles, etc.
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I think this technique is really going to help with our planning and enable us to be able to budget for the build throughout the year.
Then, I sent my son out to measure the width of the driveway. Using that measurement I could determine how long eight feet was in the picture. I brought the picture into PowerPoint and created some 8ft x 8ft and 8ft x 4ft boxes that I used to create a trail around the house. The pic below is a shot of just the initial placement of the boxes, and we can slide, move, and rotate them as we develop the game plan for the haunt. We figure when we have the design finished we'll know right where to set things up at. We'll also have a great estimate of what we need to budget for in terms of props, tarps, support poles, etc.
I think this technique is really going to help with our planning and enable us to be able to budget for the build throughout the year.
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Manpower we have. Once our kids got too old for ToT, they wanted something else to do on Halloween, so we got them interested in the distribution side of the effort. 
My sons did most all the heavy lifting to get the yard done, and they brought their friends and girlfriends in, and they brought their brothers and sisters in, and the labor pool has grown from there over the years. There are a couple of kids who I don't see hide nor hair of all year until October 1 comes around and POOF, there they are wanting to know if they can help out again. They get such a thrill out of setting up, coming up with new ideas, and scaring people on Halloween, and I'm hoping that stays with them when they get their own houses.
My sons did most all the heavy lifting to get the yard done, and they brought their friends and girlfriends in, and they brought their brothers and sisters in, and the labor pool has grown from there over the years. There are a couple of kids who I don't see hide nor hair of all year until October 1 comes around and POOF, there they are wanting to know if they can help out again. They get such a thrill out of setting up, coming up with new ideas, and scaring people on Halloween, and I'm hoping that stays with them when they get their own houses.
google maps has a scale
![Property Wall Land lot House Real estate]()
its in 20 ft intervals you can map your hole yard or just part
![House Land lot Plant Building Home]()
its in 20 ft intervals you can map your hole yard or just part
Yeah, I'm not worried about anyone drowning. Nice thing is down here we swim in our pools until December so we can have people in the pool to protect the idiots of the world.
There is only one thing to say to that - Creature of the Black Lagoon haunt!Yeah, I'm not worried about anyone drowning. Nice thing is down here we swim in our pools until December so we can have people in the pool to protect the idiots of the world.
We used to keep our Creature From The Black Lagoon figure out by the pool, and it looked awesome out there but the humidity was causing the edges of the skin to unbond so we gave him a corner of the man cave to stay in off season. But I think our pool is too big to be supported by a figure that size. That's why we were looking at a huge gator or shark.There is only one thing to say to that - Creature of the Black Lagoon haunt!
The other thing we need to look at is Saturday Halloweens are a unique experience down here because they happen while one of the biggest college football games of the year, Florida-Georgia, is being played so most folks put their TVs out in the front yard so parents can follow that game as they take the kids around. So we're looking at having two 60" and one 72" big screen worked in there somewhere to show the game.
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