Home Building in the Virgin Islands Blog

I just found this blog, Home Building in the Virgin Islands, about a couple building a house on St. Croix. Their blog documents the entire building process, beginning with the permitting process. Don't look for any updates though, because their house was completed in 2007.

Christmas Came Early

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" and I have proof. I called the Department of Planning and Natural Resources this afternoon and guess what..... You got it. My Earth Change permit is waiting for me all I have to do is pay $77.49 and I can start moving some earth. So, I guess I girl can dream and this girl is going to keep dreaming.

Status Report- What Earth Change Permit?

So, I haven't written anything in a while. The truth is I get tired about telling you about how things aren't going how they are supposed to. Being off schedule is really frustrating for me, Paul and our relationship. Every hiccup we encounter is so upsetting and makes me wonder if I should just give up on building. I wonder if all of the hiccups are some sort of sign. Right now we are still planning on building, but I am doing so with great uncertainty.

So where are we?

We decided to stick with the downstairs apart. Although we got a great quote for the upstairs from Caribbean Affordable Housing Company (CAHC), I don't want to be stressed about making my mortgage payments, so I think we will stick with the downstairs for now and plan to build the upstairs in a few years.

We don't have an Earth Change permit yet. Paul called the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) earlier this week and they said they had no record of our application. I was in shock. I called the draftsman, who was supposed to have filed the application and he said he would look for the receipt. He emailed me the receipt yesterday. It is dated 9/21/09. So, Paul is going to take the receipt copy down to DPNR and see what is going on. I am going to keep my fingers crossed that they say "oh yeah, we have been holding your permit for you here. You can take it with you now. Sorry we never contacted you. We'll make it up to you by rushing your building permit." A girl can dream can't she?!

Mr. Wheatley from CAHC, said he needs to make some changes to the plans, to prevent having to get change orders approved by DPNR after we start building. I told the draftsman and he said we can meet in January to make the changes. I hope that we get all the changes done by the end of January and we are able to file our building permit application then.

I'll be back soon.

Two Estimates and Counting

I'm so sorry I haven't been on regularly, but my personal life has been kind of crazy lately. So, we got two estimates within the last week and one was significantly higher than the other. I am still waiting for two more estimates, but I think we have our contractor already.

On another note, the whole financial part of building a home and paying a mortgage is making me very nervous. Even though the bank thinks that we can afford to build, I am feeling very uncertain. I think its probably a natural feeling considering the magnitude of debt we will be getting into and that I can't stand owing my credit card company even $200 for 10 days.

Status Report

Contractor Estimate
Is it us? So, we were expecting to get a final estimate from Caribbean Affordable Housing Company several weeks ago, but Mr. Wheatley seems to be MIA. I got in touch with him a week after he said the estimate would be ready and he said he was working on it and would get back to me. I think he said he needed another week. Several weeks later and no word. I tried emailing him, but haven't heard back. It is really weird because he was so reliable in the past. I hope nothing has happened to him. I contacted another contractor who I had spoken to before and he is working on a bid. He said we should have his bid by early next week. We are also planning on contacting a few more contractors next week for more estimates.

Land Clearing Permit
We are still waiting for our land clearing permit. The permit was submitted in mid-September, and we were expecting to get our permit within 4 weeks. We heard that the permit process was slow, but we didn't know it would take this long.

This is really an exhausting process and we haven't even really begun. Aaaargh!

I Miss You!

I just moved to Fortuna and haven't had any internet service, so that's why I haven't posted anything lately. Right now, I'm in Miami hanging with my family and checking out some home supplies. I'll be back soon to give you an update on our progress or lack there of.

Can't wait to talk to you again. How is your journey going?

Use What Comes Naturally Part 1.5

When I saw this on Desire to Inspire I couldn't help but post it on this blog. It's no palace, but it definitely fits in perfectly with the Use What Comes Natural theme. The builder of his house worked with and around nature to build this home.

I especially love it because our land has some huge rocks on it. We are hoping they were all identified on our topography, and that we selected a rock-free spot to put the house on. However, after seeing this picture, I know that if need be, we can work around it, because I'm not paying $20,000+ to move any one rock.

Use What Comes Naturally- Part I

In case you don't know, St. Thomas and St. John are very mountainous and rocky. That's the reason we have such beautiful views. If you go up high you can see far and wide. The mountains also add to the natural landscaping, in particular there are some beautiful large rocks. At this moment, I have mixed feelings about the rocks. The rocks can be beautiful, but they can also be very expensive to move when clearing your land. Anyway, some people here use them in wonderful ,beautiful ways. This will be a 2-part post. In this post, I am going to show you some pictures I found on the Internet that show great ways to use rocks for your home's exterior and as part of your landscaping. In Part II, I will show you some images of how people on St. Thomas are using our rocks to add natural beauty to their property. Unfortunately, I had to send my camera away for repairs, so if my camera phone's pictures aren't clear, Part II may take a while. We shall see.

The Rock House Hotel in Negril, Jamaica. From WhereToStay.com

From the Cote de Texas blog

From Twin Oaks Landscaping

From Beco Landscapes

From MLe Wallpapers

From Greenville Daily Photo

From the Cote de Texas blog

Wanna see a rock retaining wall get built? Check out Luc's Lively Landscapes blog.

Tropical Homes: Autumn 2009

The Virgin Islands Daily News published it's Autumn 2009 edition of Tropical Homes yesterday. The publication is basically just a way for the newspaper to sell more ads- the ads are targeted at home owners. It took me a minute to get past the feeling that the magazine was just trying to sell me stuff (but then again that is what all magazines do, right?!), but when I did, I saw that there was some good information about local vendors:

• Furniture Stores
• Real Estate Agents
• Countertops, Cabinets, Sink, Faucet and Tile Supplies
• Door, Window, Glass and Shutter Supplies and Services
• Lighting, Paint, Electrical and Hardware Supplies
• Air-Conditioning Services
• Water Conservation Systems
• Nursery and Landscaping Services
• Generators
• Insurance Agents

The publication also had several articles that I think will be useful. I liked Choosing Appliances for Your Lifestyle. The article reminds you to do your research before you buy. You need to read reviews, consider the appliance's energy use and think about whether you really need a warranty. According to the article, extended warranties are really a waste a of money.

Beer Bottle Countertops? Latest Trends in "Green" Home Decor, is going to make me find out more about Elements by Durcon countertops. I love the idea of using recycled materials especially if they are durable and safe. I just hope that Elements has a recycled price.

Paul hasn't had a chance to check out the magazine, but I'm sure he will really like Fight Moisture Problems Around the House being that it suggests using louvered doors to improve air circulation and reduce mold. I am not a fan of louvered doors and he is. I guess I'm going to have to consider them for the closets.

I guess I shouldn't complain about the Tropical Homes magazines.... it was free with my purchase of the newspaper and it did give me some useful information. What do you think?

Status Report

Things are moving forward. I'm not sure how fast they are moving, but they are moving. We got our downstairs plans. Our contractor is looking at them for our revised estimate for our construction loan. Our Earth Change permit application has been filed. Paul and I have tickets to go to Florida in November to look for supplies.

Got Our Plans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was starting to believe this day wouldn't come, but it has. We got our plans. Our draftsman is submitting our Earth Change permit application tomorrow. We will also be meeting with our contractor tomorrow. Finally, some progress.

Angry, Frustrated and Embarrassed- Still Waiting for Plans

I should have written this post sooner, but I have been avoiding it.  I got a copy of my final plans for the entire house, but I haven't gotten the plans for just the downstairs.  I was supposed to get them on Friday, then on Monday, then today.  I left the draftsman a voicemail and text message today, and nothing.  No response at all.   At this point I want to yell and scream at someone.   We have an appointment with our contractor on Friday and I need my plans.

So, you are probably wondering why we are using this draftsman.   Well, I went against my better judgment of not working with people you know and hired a friend's husband.  He had good recommendations and is doing the work for a great price.   I wish I would have paid more for someone who understands deadlines.   This might not be important to him, but its important to us and if he doesn't understand that, he shouldn't have taken the job.  He initially said we would have our plans two weeks after Carnival.   Carnival is in late April/early May.   I've asked him twice if he would be able to meet a certain deadline and told him that if he couldn't we would pay him for his time and move on, but he kept saying he would meet the deadline.   I have tried to be very calm about the whole thing because of my friendship with his wife, but I can't take it anymore.

I don't plan on using anymore friends or husbands of friends anymore.   If I'm not gonna feel comfortable getting real and just saying the hell with you, forget it; we can go to dinner, but I am not hiring you for anything slightly important.

Guess What!

We got our house plans. Well, sort of. Our draftsman gave us a copy of the plans for the entire house. He also showed us the permit applications he completed for us and that he is planning on filing on Friday. The only problem is that we want to start by building the downstairs only, so the submitted plans and permits should reflect that. He said he would make the changes and submit the application by Friday. I can't wait.

He is completing the Earth Change and Building permit applications, but only submitting the Earth Change permit. Apparently you can't submit them both at the same time. Also, he said we don't need a Driveway permit because our land is off of an estate road (private) and not a public road.

Happy Birthday!

How could I forget?...Happy 10th Birthday Blogger!

Are You Suprised?

Our Monday meeting to pick up our final plans got moved to Tuesday and on Tuesday, it got pushed to today.

D(raft)-day

Yesterday was suppose to be D(raft) day, but yesterday the draftsman changed it to today so that he could get the plans printed. Paul and I have an appointment with him today at 7pm. I really hope that this is the longest process in our whole home building process.

The draftsman said that he is going to give us complete permit applications, not actual permits. So, if we get the plans today, tomorrow we will be filing the permit applications. I've been told it takes at least 20 working days to process the applications. So, we are talking about getting started in a month at best. Aaaaahhhhhh!!

One More Week?

We are suppose to get our final plans by the end of the week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Will you cross your fingers for us too? Thanks!

Trying to Figure Out What Permits We Need

Alright, so I'm not sure I've got this straight yet, but my preliminary research has me thinking the permits we are going to need after we get our Road & Driveway and Earth Change permits from my draftsman are:

• Earth Change- Single Residential Lot
• Electrical
• Plumbing
• Mechanical (This permit is listed online, but not listed on the Permit Application Control Form, no I'm not sure if it is necessary.)

According to the Permit Application Control Form, we may also need also going to need:

• List of neighboring properties
• Deed
• Zoning Map
• Public Works Department Map
• Proof of Legal Interest

However, I haven't figured out when this form is suppose to be submitted. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) website provides copies of permit forms and publications, however it doesn't provide much instruction on which forms are needed for different projects and when they should be submitted. I hope that my call to DPNR this week is more helpful than their website.

Next Steps...

So, the draftsman assured me that we will have our final plans (with driveway and earth change permit) by the end of next week. I hope he makes good on his assurances.

In the meantime, this is our to do list:

• Call the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and make sure we know all the requirements for getting a building permit
• Call the bank and make sure we know exactly what we will need for our construction loan
• Start filling out our building permit applications

Once we get the floor plans and Earth Change & Driveway permits, we need to:

• Start clearing our land and put in our driveway
• Submit our building permit applications
• Get a final estimate from the contractor
• Apply for a construction loan
• Buy tickets to Miami (to get supplies)

Funky Design Ideas: Casa Caracol

Wow! Look at this unique Caribbean home. If you like it, you can make arragngements to rent it. I don't think I'd want my house to be so "unique," but I'd love to see it in person and stay for a week.

Casa Caracol is on Isla Mujeres, a Mexican island. According to Home Away, its a 5,500 sq ft house with 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a pool and a view of the ocean. I think the square footage is pretty high to only have 2 bedrooms. I guess they must be huge.

Tree Houses

Check out these amazing tree houses. The Virgin Islands Daily News had an article about Bamboo Island Homes. Bamboo Island Homes make pre-fabricated homes out of bamboo. The houses are made in Vietnam and sent to the Caribbean to be assembled.

The company has an office in St. Croix, USVI. I would love to have a bamboo guest house or vacation rental. Maybe someday.

Found a Match

Paul's cousin, Khephra Nielsen, who we discussed before, found a bone marrow donor. We are hoping for her full recovery.

4 Weeks and Counting

Our draftsman is on vacation for 2 whole weeks. He is off island with his family. I asked him if we could have everything, the drawings and driveway & earth change permits, in 4 weeks or if we should find someone else. He said he was going to take his computer on vacation with him and that he would have everything for us within 4 weeks. I know I shouldn't put much stock in what he says given his track record, but I really want to believe him. I am really anxious to start building and get into my own home.

Caribbean Home Inspiration

I found these great Caribbean home inspiration pictures on the net:

from www.livingetc.com

from www.luxuryportfolio.com

from www.sosuarentals.com

from www.flickr.com

from www.flickr.com

from agop's on www.flickr.com

from phastinpics on www.flickr.com

You like?

"Final" Floor Plans

I got a sweet surprise when I checked my email this morning. I got the "final" floor plans. However, its seems our draftsman forgot a few changes we discussed (mostly for the upstairs). Fortunately the contractors only need to see the downstairs for now. Take a look:The only change we need to make to this plan is to remove the windows on the right side of the living area. The kitchen and sofa were added for perspective; they wont actually be where they are pictured now.

The contractors have one week (hopefully they will be on time) with the plans, then we'll meet with the draftsman (hopefully for the last time) to get our final FINAL plans.

I don't want to get my hopes up, but I really want to get the planning stage done with and get to the building.

Still Waiting

I haven't had much to write about being that I'm still waiting for my final floor plans. Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing. I really want to get started on my house. This is very frustrating. I hope I get some good news soon.

This Weekend: Permits & Drives

Paul and I are hoping to submit our first Earth Change Permit application on Monday. The Earth Change Permit will allow us to do some serious land clearing. We wont be able to excavate yet, but by clearing some of the trees we will have a better idea of exactly where the house and driveway should go.

Joe is suppose to help us clear the land. I hope that he can give us the necessary information to complete the application by this weekend.

This weekend we will also be working to register people for a Bone Marrow Drive we are helping to organize on St. Thomas at Tutu Park Mall from 10am-5pm on Saturday. As I mentioned before, Paul's cousin Khephra Nielsen was diagnosed with Leukemia earlier this year and is in need of a bone marrow donor. If you live on-island, we would love to see you at the Bone Marrow Registry Drive. Registering is easy. All you need to do is fill out a questionnaire and have your mouth swabbed.

Where We Are Building

I love Google Earth!

Joe Emerges

Last night I checked my and who do I get an email from, no other than Joe. Its been a month. I couldn't believe it. He made some really good points in the email; he wanted to make sure we considered the direction of the wind and the sunrise and set when deciding on the direction of the house. He said we might want to consider putting the road and driveway in before deciding on the exact location of the house, that way we could avoid having to remove some of the big rocks on the property. He also said that we could save money by having him excavate the land. He said that normally you would need a contractor on the property while its being excavated to make sure that you are moving the right piece of land. By having him do the excavation, we wouldn't have to pay an excavator and contractor fee. Hmmm. He made some good points, but didn't include a single number. Paul is going to give him a call tomorrow. Before we got the email, we didn't think we still wanted to work with him, but the email is making us feel a little more willing to talk with him again. We shall see.

Dear Eddy, These are Things I Like

Dear Eddy-

I said I would show you what kind of bathroom tiles Paul and I like, here you go:
Also, please keep a look out for these kinds of things... Tiles for kitchen backsplashes: I found this blue one at Wholesaler USA. It's Giorbello Urban Collection (Light Blue) for sale for $4.23/sq ft. (There is a link to Wholesaler USA's website on the bottom of this page.)

I also like this tile I found at NaturalPebbletile.com: This is Quail Grey Pebble Tile for sale for $9.99/sq ft.

Other Estimates

So, just in case you were wondering, we did get rough estimates from other contractors. One of these contractors was Jay at JPK Development. They said they can do work for as low as $150/sq ft. Remember, the cistern is not included in that price and this price is for something really basic (which is what we are doing).

We Got a Rough Estimate from CAHC

So, we got a rough estimate from Caribbean Affordable Housing Co. (CAHC). The estimate did not include things Paul and I said we would try to supply: electrical and plumbing supplies, electrical labor, window & door supplies & labor, clearing the land, kitchen supplies & labor and flooring.

Paul and I have decided to go with CAHC. However, we are still going to need a final estimate (after we get the final floor plans) before we sign a contract. We asked Mr. Wheatley of CAHC, to give us a complete estimate, as if he were going to do all the work and provide the materials. That way we can determine if it will be worth our while to get our own supplies and supply our own labor.

Side Note: We haven't heard from Joe. We ran into his wife at a dinner over the weekend and she seemed surprised he hasn't called. Oh well, we can't keep waiting around for him. He either wants the job or not. That is something I have to give Mr. Wheatley much props for, he has been on it.

Another Meeting with the Draftsman

Paul and I met with our draftsman on Monday. We told him what changes we wanted to make and he is going to work to on them. He said he should have plans for us in two weeks.

My step-father, Eddy, who you will hear more about, sent me a home design software. The software had a floor plan similar to our downstairs plan, but with more closets. We made a small change to the total square footage, bringing it to 930 sq. ft. The plan we are going to start out with is going to look something like this:

This Weekend: Do Something Good

This weekend I will be walking in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in St. Thomas. Although I am walking to support all of those who have and are fighting cancer, I will also be trying to encourage people to register for the Bone Marrow registry. I have a personal interest in this cause because in April of this year, Paul's cousin Khephra Nielsen was diagnosed with Leukemia. Khephra is currently looking for a bone marrow transplant donor to save her life. Khephra's family and friends are organizing bone marrow drives in St. Croix and St. Thomas. The St. Croix drive started today and will continue tomorrow. The St. Thomas drive will be held at Tutu Park Mall from 10am-5pm on Saturday, July 18th.

Michael's Neverland

I'm still can't believe Michael Jackson is gone forever. It feels like its just another one of his headline grabbing stunts.

Take a look at these Neverland Ranch pictures I found on the BBC's website:

Neverland Valley Ranch is in Santa Barbara County California and is over 2,800 acres. In 1988, Michael Jackson opened a private amusement park on the property. The park had a theme park with a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, zipper, spider, sea dragon, wave swinger, super slide, kiddie roller coaster and bumper cars. The park also had a zoo. The property was named Neverland after the fantasy island in the story of Peter Pan.

Making Room

After we got back from St. John, Paul and I decided to go to the land and cut down some trees. We are hoping that it will save time and money when the land gets excavated. Paul learned to use a chain saw 10 minutes before we went up to the land. Check him out:

I don't know what he did, but the chain came off the saw within about 10 minutes of cutting down trees. No, he isn't very handy, but I love him

The Other Contractor, "Joe"

So the other contractor (lets call him "Joe") we were hoping to work with is not impressing us right now. We have been waiting for over two weeks to hear back from him. Paul left him messages two Sundays and Mondays ago, after having spoken to him on the prior Friday. He did not respond. Then Paul and I went to beach with a friend of ours who is also a friend Joe's and I mentioned to her that we hadn't heard from Joe. She said she was really surprised, especially since he just finished a job and doesn't have anything else lined up. Then, Monday night I received an email from Joe, letting me know that he is working on the estimate and would be back in touch. I called Joe on Tuesday afternoon and asked him to call me back, but I haven't heard back. I think our friend from the beach got in touch with Joe. Paul and I don't want to have to chase a contractor.

We Saw One Contractor's Work

Today Paul and I went to St. John to meet with Mr. Wheatley of Caribbean Affordable Housing Company. He took us to see a house that he is completing there. On our way to the house, we saw these guys:
Yes, we do have deer in the Virgin Islands. At least on St. Thomas and St. John. I don't know if there are any on St. Croix. Mr. Wheatley's friend told us that they were brought to the islands some time ago for people to hunt.

Back to the house... the house appeared to be well constructed. The insulated concrete roofing that Mr. Wheatley used for the house's storage area did keep the area cool. The owner of the house is an artist and did some really neat paintings on the concrete floors. I wish I had pictures. Mr. Wheatley has some pictures of the house linked to his site: http://www.caribaffordablehousing.com/cahc_pictures.php

On the way back from to the ferry, Mr. Wheatley said that he was working on our estimate and that he expected it to be lower than what he originally told us. Yippee!!

Not the First

The TayMic Harris Blog chronicled the construction of their "dream home."

http://taymic.blogspot.com/

This house was finished in September 2008. The house was built in Massachusetts, which is very far away from where I am. The house was built in a very different way than mine will be built: it is made of wood, has a chimney and does not appear to have a cistern. Although the construction is very different from what mine will be, it provides great inspiration.

Rooms I Love

Remember DAC-ART? I found these great deck pictures on http://www.desiretoinspire.net/. It looks like DAC-ART, or something like it. The walls are so beautiful. Looking at these pictures make me really want a DAC-ART house.

Funky Design Ideas

So, would you live here? I found these funky houses at:
http://dornob.com/radical-redesigns-bridge-to-home-building-conversions/

How creative should home design be? I'm not this bold, but I like looking at the pics.

More Pictures of Our Land

Another Waiting Game

So, we spoke to Mr. Wheatley from Caribbean Affordable Housing Company about his prices and general contractor services. Now, we are waiting to hear from the original general contractor we were hoping to work with. Paul went to school with and grew up with the general contractor's son and the general contractor said he would try to give us a good deal on building the house, which sounded great.

A few months ago the general contractor came to the land and spoke to us about some design ideas. But we have sent him several emails since and haven't heard back about any of them. Paul spoke to him on Friday to let him know that we were sending him a copy of the rough floor plans and would be waiting to hear back from him with a rough estimate the next day. It is now Wednesday, Paul left two message for him and we haven't heard anything yet. I am not thrilled about this. If we don't hear anything by today we might have to move on. This isn't a good way to start a business relationship.

If he needs more time, that's fine, but he could at least call to say that.

Affordable Housing?!

So, Paul and I met with Mr. Wheatley the owner of the Caribbean Affordable Housing Company. Our loan representative recommended the company. Our loan representative said they start at about $125/sq ft (this is really low in the St. Thomas). Mr. Wheatley gave us a rough estimate of what it would cost to build the downstairs and the cistern. I think its going to be more than $125/sq ft. But, we can reduce the cost by buying some of our own supplies and supplying some of our own labor.

The Caribbean Affordable Housing Company uses poured concrete instead of concrete blocks. So, if we do use them we will have to get our floor plans adjusted. However, pouring concrete makes building less labor intensive and faster.

We are waiting to hear back from the other contractor we spoke to before. His son grew up with Paul. We are hoping to get a good price from him. Hopefully, we will get a call from him today. If we don't hear back from him soon, we may have to move on.

First Draft Floor Plans

We are going to get floor plans for both the upstairs and downstairs. However, as previously mentioned, we are probably going to start by just building the two bedroom downstairs apartment. We are thinking that it makes the most financial sense to build the downstairs and live there for a few years. Then when we have some more money, we will add on the three bedroom upstairs.

This is the downstairs floor plan. We are probably going to make a little larger, add closets and remove some of the windows.
We are also going to make some changes to the upstairs floor plan: adding closets, doors and deck space.

All Ours

We closed on our land today. Hooray! We spent about an hour and a half at Scotiabank signing papers and waiting for photocopies, and now we are land owners.

With My Own Hands

I wish I could build a home with my own hands. Don't you? Well, Tony is. Check out his blog, Building My House: http://n74tg.blogspot.com/

Conceptual Drawing

This is the conceptual drawing we received from our draftsman. Paul and I are going to sit down together tonight and figure out what changes need to be made.

The drawing is of the main home upstairs and a rental apartment downstairs. The main home will have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and the apartment will have 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.

Most homes in St. Thomas are designed with at least one rental until. Unfortunately though, when we do begin construction we probably wont have enough money to build the apartment. It will just have to wait until we save up some more money.