...and the bank too

I really didn't think the bank would cause me so much stress. I knew money would, but not the bank. A disclosure that was supposed to take three days to get back took close to four weeks and it was wrong. Getting it "fixed" took a few more days and the "fixed" disclosure was also wrong. To get started, Paul and I just signed it so that we could get our land and drawings appraised. Why are we getting our land appraised? Well we may need to use the equity in our land towards our 20% down payment. The house is going to cost so much money. I'm worried we aren't going to be able to afford the payments. -- So, I'll confess, we went to look at a house for sale. It didn't have a view, but was really cute. My mom is here for the holidays, so I want her to see it and see what she thinks. So far though, she has really been pushing for us to build. And I do want to build, but I don't want to be broke for the next 30 years. -- If all goes well with the bank I think we should close in February. We shall see.

Is this delay with the bank a St. Thomas thing or just a bank thing?

Work has begun, but...

So, I went away to Miami and while I was gone Paul picked up our building permit and started clearing the land. We haven't finished clearing the land and I am keeping my fingers crossed that we don't hit any serious rocks that will cost us a lot of money to remove or force us to move our original home site.

I finally got to see the view from the land.

I am so excited, but there is one problem. Surprise, things are moving very slowly with Scotiabank. We met with a Scotiabank representative on a Friday afternoon (4 weeks ago). The representative helping us said I'll get in touch with you Thursday. We didn't hear anything, I called him that Friday and he said he was in a meeting and would call me back. I didn't hear back. I finally got in touch with him the following Friday and he let me know he was leaving town for two weeks. So I should be hearing from him Monday or Tuesday. We will just be starting the application process then. I knew that things were going to take longer than expected with the building process, but I didn't expect the delays to come from the bank. Silly me.

Right now we are paying for the land clearing out of pocket, but we hope to get some money from the bank soon so we can do more.

Out of Town

I'm in Miami until the end of the month. So, I don't expect there to be much progress in the while I'm away, but I'll let you know if there is.

Building Villas on St. John

So, Steve left me a comment to let me know about three blogs that document the process of building villas on St. John. All three villas are beautiful. Wanna check them out?

Bo Atabey:

Reef Madness:

The Bongo Bongo Blog- be sure to check out their post on their estimate and actual costs. It is pretty scary thinking about how much over an estimate you can go.

Let me know what you think or if you know of any other blogs that might be of interest.

Wow! That Was Fast.

Today, less than two weeks after submitting our finalized plans to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), we got a call from our architect/contractor that our building permit is ready to be picked up. That was quick. I'm not sure why it happened so quickly, but I'm not complaining. We didn't need to make a single change either. I really wish I had met this architect/contractor sooner.

Now we just need to wait for our updated estimate and apply for our construction loan. I was just complaining about feeling stressed out and now I feel so excited. I hope this feeling lasts because I know the bank and building process will be very stressful.

I Don't Handle Stress Well

I've heard that building is stressful, but this is ridiculous. We haven't even started to build and I am stressing. I can't stop worrying about whether it is the right decision and if we can afford it. We got an updated estimate for the downstairs and the entire house. We met with our contractor and asked for an estimate for just the upstairs. He said that we should get it on Wednesday. The downstairs estimate is MUCH higher than before (Wouldn't that make you stress too?) The estimate is higher because we increased the size of the interior and the cistern, the price of certain materials went up, the contractor included the cost of a kitchen (which we initially asked him not to do),... So, yeah it should be higher, but I wasn't expecting it to be so much higher. I'm really worried about the cost of the house and the approximately 9 months that it will take to build. Plus, my mom really wants me to build too, which is great, but stressing me out a little also. I need to figure out a way to relax, especially since we haven't even started to build yet. Got any ideas?

Sometime this week, the contractor is also supposed to take us to see a few of the houses he has worked on. Maybe getting a closer look at his work will help me relax and get excited again.

Money Worries

Paul and I went to the bank today to get pre-approved for a construction loan. It was a pretty stressful experience for me. They approved us for slightly more than I expected and explained how much money we would need to come up with (for the contingency fee, closing costs, appraisal fees,...) before we could get the loan. I am afraid of using all of our savings. I 'm also freaked out about the possibility of having to spend alot more than our estimate (which we are still waiting for).

We met with a senior manager at Scotiabank and he told us that alot of houses never get finished because many contractors low ball their estimates and the homebuilder/owners don't end up having enough money to complete the house. Then he asked us if we've seen all of the unfinished houses around the island. Paul and I looked at each other because just the other day we were talking about all the unfinished houses on the island. I don't want to be the owner of an unfinished house, especially one that drains my bank account. The bank officer said that he would try to get some info on our contractor for us.

When I got home went on the MLS and started looking for houses. Finished houses. I figured that if I'm going to drain my bank account it should be for a finished house. Don't get me wrong, I haven't given up on building a house, but I am exploring my options, at least while I wait or our estimate and for a review of our potential contractor.

Yay! We Got Our New Plans

So our new/revised plans are done and are at the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) awaiting approval. On July 15th, we were told it would take six weeks to get our finalized plans. Today is September 22nd, which means it took ten weeks to finalize the plans. So the plans weren't ready when initially promised, but based on our previous experience I can't complain about the plans being four weeks late. The original plans submitted to DPNR had ten pages of drawings, the new/revised ones have 23 pages. Unlike when we submitted our original plans, now there is nothing I am planning on changing after we get our plans approved. I am really pleased with our new/revised plans.

We've made some progress, but there is more to do. Here our some of our next steps while we await approval from DPNR.

1) Since it has been more than a year since we got pre-approved for a mortgage, we need to go back to the bank and get pre-approved again.

2) Think about our finishes (flooring, windows, doors, counters, cabinets, fixtures,...)

3) Hope DPNR makes us make no or minimal changes.

We are also waiting for revised construction estimates.

If I Don't Win It You Should! HGTV Urban Oasis

Enter to Win an "urban oasis" in New York City. HGTV is giving away another home. I hope I win it. If I do, I'll still work on building my home here on St. Thomas. Check it out: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-urban-oasis-2010-giveaway/package/index.html

After you enter to win, you should check out the construction of HGTV's Dream Home 2011.

Look for an update on my progress soon.

Any Day Now?

I should have my completed plans soon. Paul and I have met with the engineer drawing the plans several times to discuss the details. The last time we spoke to him, he said he was almost done. Besides, the architect he works for, told us we should have our plans in 6 weeks. I'll let you know as soon as our plans are ready.

On another note, we survived Hurricane Earl and five and a half days without power (no lights, no internet, no running water, no fans and no nighttime breeze). I really hope we are able to get solar power for our home and I don't have to rely on the Water and Power Authority (WAPA) any more.

A Home I Wish I was Building

Sorry to disappoint you, but a Russian multi-billionaire already bought this St. Barths home for somewhere around $92 million. Luckily, you can still look and maybe get some ideas.

from: worldsconstruction.com

I love the entrance, the tiles around the pool and the hard wood floor and walls in the bedroom. What do you think?

My Architect

So, a few people have asked about my new architect. So far, I am very happy with his work, however, I am not ready to share his name on my blog yet. I would prefer to wait until I get my plans approved. I want to wait to make sure he delivers on time and his work gets approved by DPNR before I recommend him. However, if you really want to know and are willing to take a chance, before I let you know how the rest of the process goes, you can email me and I'll pass on the info.

It's that Time Again: Update

I had my baby and haven't had much time to write. We are still working on getting into our own house. We met with the engineer working on our plans and are very excited about his progress. We've kept the basic floor plan we had before, but have made some small changes. We should have the finished floor plans in two weeks. I can't wait. I'll be sure to share the plans with you when they are finalized.

Our roof will be made using INSUL-DECK roofing materials (insulated concrete). The materials will be more expensive than a wood roof, but the labor costs should be alot lower. Additionally, the insulation will keep the house cooler and the concrete should hold up well during a hurricane. Today we had to decide between a flat roof or hip roof (typical Caribbean style). Which would you chose?

A flat roof? This SAMPLE flat roof is from: http://www.bestinteriorhome.com/ (Ours won't be on such a modern house.)



A hip roof? This SAMPLE hip roof is from: http://www.turbosquid.com/

A Clean Slate

So, we are basically starting over...

First our contractor let us know that he was not in a position to build our entire house because one of his subcontractors (for the foundation) was not in a position to take on any work. This meant looking for a new contractor. We found one right away. It is someone who had been recommended to Paul a while ago and who so far has been extremely professional. So, we gave him a copy of our plans so that he could give us an estimate. Shortly after reviewing them , he gave us a call to schedule a meeting. We met with him twice and he let us know that our plans were not going to get approved as is. Why? Well the measurements on some pages didn't match the measurements on others, in addition to other inconsistencies. Guess what! He was right, the next time we called DPNR to check on the status of our permit, they let is know that there were measurement issues with the plans. The new contractor also told us that our upstairs plans wouldn't get approved because we had two bathrooms over the cistern. Apparently you can't put a bathroom over a cistern. I guess it can get pretty yucky if you end up with a leaky toilet.

We decided to hire the new contractor, who is also an architect to re-do our plans. Although we already invested some money with the draftsman, I'd rather get the work done right and in a timely manner. Our draftsman just made too many mistakes, and was not very responsive or timely. The new contractor/architect said that he will have the upstairs and downstairs plans done within 5-6 weeks and provided us with a written agreement stating so. He sat with us and listened to what we liked about our current plans and what changes we wanted made. Then we found out that Paul and/or I know about everyone on his staff, which made us feel a little more comfortable.

We also found out that we can use our Earth Change permit without a building permit, but we just can't start pouring concrete.

-

Although starting over is causing some short term delays, I think it will save us time and money in the long run. I feel much better about the future our home.

Oh, the new contractor's estimate was pretty reasonable. I'll give you some more info on him soon, but first let me see how he does with the plans.

This Just Isn't Fun

Sorry I haven't been around lately. It's just that this whole blogging thing isn't fun. At least not right now. It's depressing. I mean, we don't seem to be making much progress, so I am getting sad and frustrated and writing about the same frustrations over and over again just makes it worse. We don't have a Building permit yet and we submitted our application in April. In June they let us know we needed to make some changes and now it's July and we are still waiting for the permit. Also, the contractor hasn't given us a final estimate. He keeps telling us he is waiting for an estimate from a subcontractor. When I asked if there was a different subcontractor he could use he said no. So we are basically waiting. The worst part is that I am due (having a baby) soon and will be going on maternity leave, most of which will be unpaid. Paul and I still need to get a loan from the bank and we can't do that without a Building permit, price estimate and proof of my income. Our Earth Change permit expires in September, while I will be on unpaid leave. So, if we don't get the permit and estimate before I go on unpaid leave, we will have to start all over: we will need to apply for a new Earth Change permit and then a new Building permit.

So, can you understand why writing is not that much fun for me right now? I can't wait until I have some good news to share with you. Do you have any news, preferably good to share with me?

Be One With Nature

Did you check out the Treehouse feature on msn.com today? If not, check it out.

By the way, my new camera is on the way. I can't wait to take and share new pictures.

Happy Earth Day!

Wanna Green Home?

(yeah, that is a roof of a house)

pics from weburbanist.com

Those are great, but you could win this one: HGTV is giving away their GREEN HOME 2010 "eco-friendly cottage." The winner also gets a GMC Terrain and $100,000. I entered, maybe you should too. http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-green-home-2010-giveaway/package/index.html

Oh, before I go here are a few tips I've been given here and there:

1) Use low energy fluorescent light bulbs

2) Turn down or up (depending on the weather) the thermostat

3) Buy Energy Star appliances

4) Conserve water (especially if you live somewhere like here where we use cisterns and don't like buying water)- Don't let the faucet run while you are brushing and lathering up and flush for number two, but not for number one. Buy low flow shower heads and water conserving toilets.

5) Use used/recycled materials when building whenever practical

6) Use a power strip and turn it off when you leave the house or aren't using the electrical appliances

7) Put your outdoor lights and water heater on a timer

Do you have any tips you can share?

Driveways, Yards and Walkways

When we break ground, the first thing that we are gonna do is clear the land to make room for the house, a driveway and clear out a yard. So, I've been thinking about driveways and yards. I found some "I want one of those, but know I can't aforrd one" driveways, yards and walkways on the St. Thomas Multiple Listing Service (MLS). And just in case you don't know much about St. Thomas, a flat or grassy yard is a big deal, you don't find them very often. Take a look at some of my finds:

MLS # 09-484

MLS # 10-493

MLS # 08-1477

MLS # 09-2246

MLS # 10-486

MLS # 09-691

MLS # 09-2135

MLS # 10-97

What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back soon.

What's new? Status Report

Where are we now? Waiting of course.

1-Our plans are being reviewed by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. They say we should have a building permit in 30 days, but its carnival time, so I suspect it may take a little longer.

2-Waiting for an updated estimate from our contractor so we can go to the bank and apply for a construction loan.

Goals for the next two weeks:

1-We can access our land from two directions on a private road, but there is a boulder in the middle of one of the access roads, so we need to get rid of it.

2-Mark the trees on our land that we really want to keep, if we can.

I mailed my camera to the repair shop this week. I can't wait to get it back so I can start taking pictures and sharing them with you.

A Second Attempt at Getting Our Plans Reviewed

Our draftsman said that the person he gave our plans to at the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) kept them on her desk and never turned them in. Hmmm. Whatever! It sucks that it set us back at least 3 weeks. So Paul is going to pick up the most revised plans tomorrow and drop them off at DPNR and make sure they get to the permit division for review. I will be so relieved when I know the plans are actually being reviewed.

Today Paul met with the contractor and his architectual engineer and they checked out our land. They seem to agree with the draftsman on the placement of the house on the land.

Status Update- Can he hurry up already?

So about three weeks ago our draftsman said that he dropped the plans off at the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) to get approved. This sounded great at first, but things are not as great as they first appeared. First, the draftsman forgot a few changes that I had requested. So, he is supposed to be working making those changes and submitting them to DPNR (it was supposed to be done last Friday, but surprise, it wasn't). Second, when Paul and I checked with DPNR on the status of the plans, they said they didn't have them. The draftsman told me today that the person he gave the plans to at DPNR is not in the permit division and they are on leave until next week. So, its gonna be a while longer. The good thing is that Paul's friend at DPNR said it shouldn't take long to get the plans approved when they are submitted because there aren't many plans being reviewed now.

In the meantime, we are also waiting on a new estimate from the contractor.

On another note, my camera is down again so I don't have any new pictures to post.

Nice House

I saw this house featured on http://www.desiretoinspire.net/ . Isn't it beautiful!

This house is for sale in Australia. Get more information here.

Why I Haven't Been Around Much

I can't believe its been almost a month since my last post. Sorry about that. The truth is I haven't been blogging much in the past four or five months because, well, I'm pregnant. Between work, my husband, my son and this pregnancy, I am always tired. I rarely have energy to write new posts and I am feeling really guilty. I am gonna try harder.

HGTV Give Away. It's Your Last Chance.

Today is your last chance to enter to win HGTV's Dream Home 2010. It's a beautiful house in New Mexico. The house comes with a car and $500,000. Not too shabby. Paul and I entered. You should too: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-dream-home-2010-giveaway/package/index.html

If you win, don't forget you heard about it from me ;)

Virgin Islands Real Estate Drama: Rosemary Sauter

I guess I should mention this since I want this blog to include some discussion of real estate issues in the Virgin Islands. The island is a buzz with news of Rosemary Sauter, owner of ReMax Dream Properties on St. Thomas. Well, as of right now, ReMax Dream Properties is closed and Rosemary Sauter is missing in action. A warrant has been issued for her arrest. She is suspected with stealing more than $1 million from escrow accounts and having bounced checks. This means that a lot of people, renting out properties managed by ReMax Dream Properties or planning on purchasing homes, may have lost money. It’s a very sad story.

Paul and I were going to put an offer in on a house just before this happened (Yes, this home building process is very stressful and taking way too long). At the time, I thought we weren’t very lucky since the house went under contract the same day we were going to put in an offer on the house. Looking back on it now, we were very fortunate. We were working with a ReMax real estate agent and had we made an offer we may have lost our earnest money deposit.

To find out more information about this story check out the Virgin Islands Daily News.

Status Report

What’s going on? Well, we are waiting again. This time we are waiting for the contractor. The contractor said that he needs our draftsman to make changes to our plans in order to avoid having to file change orders with the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. This is supposed to save us time and money once we start building. So, we had a meeting with the contractors and our draftsman before we went to New Mexico. The contractors told our draftsman about the changes they want to make. Then one of the contractors said that he would get his draftsman to give our draftsman more information about the changes, within a few days. So, when I got back from New Mexico (about 10 days later), I asked our draftsman if he had started working on the changes and he said no. Wait, just wait. The reason he had not started was because he had not received the information from the contractors' draftsman. Hmmmm. Today, about three weeks later, he still hasn’t gotten the information from the contractors. The contractors say the information will be ready by this Friday (and said the same thing about last Friday and the one before that). So that’s what I’m waiting for.

The most frustrating part about this is that while our draftsman was working on our plans, I asked the contractor if there were any adjustments that needed to be made to the contractors specifications.. The only thing the contractor brought up was the size of the windows and doors.

Paul and I went up to our property yesterday. The road needs to be cleared again. Not sure if we should start working on it soon or wait. Who knows when we will actually break ground!

Status Report

I know I was so excited to get my land clearing permit so we could start clearing some land, but after reading the permit more carefully, I found that I can't use it until I get my building permit. So, the land clearing will have to wait.

Paul and I are meeting with our contractor and draftsman on Wednesday. That way the contractor can let the draftsman know what changes he needs to make to avoid change orders later. I am really hoping everything goes smoothly and that there aren't too many changes. I would love to be able to file the building permit by the end of the month. Is that unrealistic?

On Friday, we are going to New Mexico to visit my father. I'm really excited to see my dad, the snow and the southwestern architectural and interior design style that Paul and I love. Maybe we'll come back with some more inspiration.