Merry Christmas!

I wanted to show you some houses on St. Thomas that are decorated with Christmas lights.  Unfortunately, the power went out for several hours during my photo shoot and only one of the houses I wanted to show you had a generator on. 

It's just more motivation to get solar power.

Enjoy!

We've Closed!

Thats right.  We closed on ourbank  loan last week.  Its about time.  So now we shouldn't have to worry about any delays due to money.  Closing is a great Christmas gift.  Now I need to make sure that we stay within our budget so the bank doesn't cut us off before our house is done.  My wish for the new year is that are columns are up by January 1, 2012.  Am I hoping for too much?

Just think, I should be in my own home next Christmas.

The latest pictures...

What do you want for Christmas and the New Year?

Moving Along

We were supposed to pour the concrete for the retaining wall today, but that didn't happen.  I hope its happening tomorrow.  I didn't speak to the contractor today so I'm not sure what the hold up is.

In the meantime, I am researching fixtures and putting together a wish list.  Got any suggestions?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Speaking of homes, wanna know where your turkey might have been living?  In a turkey coop.

And this one is for sale on Craigslist. (I'm not selling it)

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

5 Walls

We have a cistern floor and walls.  Yay!  Does that mean if we don't go any further we have a pool?  I am very excited, but nervous too.  I am getting worried about all the things that could go wrong, from not having enough money to my contractor turning out to be terrible (he has been great so far, I just worry). 

The back wall is supposed to go up next.  It wasn't originally scheduled to go up next, but since it has been raining so much lately, the contractor wants to put it up to prevent run-off (the mountain from falling).   Then the pillars that will hold up the floor will go up.  We just need it to stop raining so much.

We are going to meet with the contractor this weekend to discuss some small changes to the plans and to look over the budget and make sure we aren't over budget already.

With WAPA rationing water now, I really appreciate having a cistern.  

Its Starting to Form

I didn't get up to the site until late today, so my pictures came out pretty dark.  The crew has started putting up the forms for the cistern walls.  I'm so excited.

On another note, we have finally been approved by the bank and are getting some last things together for our loan.  We have to close in less than 60 days.  If everything works out the cash will flow smoothly and we will be in our new home within 6 months.

Enjoy the view.

Stalled, but made some Progress

It's raining. It's pouring. Pouring rain, not concrete (at least not anymore).

We got started. Yay!  Some land was cleared (again) and the footings for the cistern have been poured.  I hope I'm saying that right.  I haven't got the construction lingo down yet.  The next step is to put up the cistern walls.  As soon as the weather dries up for a few days, the construction workers can get back to work getting the forms ready for the cistern walls.  That should take about five days.  I can't wait.

My HGTV Dream

We've made some progress.  I'm having camera problems so I don't have any pictures for you now.  I am hoping to have my camera fixed by Tuesday.  As soon as its up and running I will add the pics and give you the update.  In the meantime, let me tell you about my HGTV Dream.  Of course I dream about the Dream Houses.  Who wouldn't want to win one?   But as far as the home building is concerned, this is my HGTV Dream...

1) Home Inspections by Holmes.  I would love for Mike Holmes, from Holmes Inspection, to inspect the progress of our home and make sure everything is perfect.

(The Ultimate Home Inspector, Mike Holmes)

2) Divine Interior Design.   Candice Olson from Divine Design has great style and takes the time to understand her clients lifestyles.   I would love her to decorate our home and chose our finishes.

(Divine designer, Candice Olsen)

3) Enchanting Outdoor Spaces.  The Outdoor Room and Curb Appeal.  I know what you are thinking, they are both outdoor design shows... but the aren't the same.  Paul and I are going to have an outdoor space adjacent to our bedroom and I would love Jamie to make it into an outdoor room.   Curb Appeal would be great for the front on the house, and entry area.  Even better would be Curb Appeal: The Block, so the neighbors could get some design help too.   I know wanting both shows seems greedy, but I said it was a dream and you are suppose to dream big.

(The stars of Curb Appeal: The Block)

and finally,...

4) A House Warming Party.   That's right.  What could be better than former Real Housewife of New Jersey, Dina Manzo,the host of Dina's Party, planning a house warming party for us?  Uh, I can't think of anything right now.  Can you?

(Dina from Dina's Party)

I would love any help from any of the designers at HGTV.   If the stars from HGTV don't come to me to make my dream come true, I'll just have to stay tuned so that I take in every piece of information and advice they offer over the tube.

Whose help would you want?

Window Shutters

I have had my heart set on West Indian style shutters for some time, but Paul and our contractor want me to consider roll down shutters.  Not just any roll down shutters, but windows with built in roll down shutters.  They don't have those white boxes sticking out above the window.  They look pretty cool to me.  I'm going to ask for an estimate and think hard about it, because those West Indian shutters can really add beauty and tradition to a Caribbean home.

          

SMPM-Woodwork

MS beyond WINDOWS

So, if I do go for the roll down shutters, what do I do about the sliding glass doors?

Which do you prefer?

The Contract

We have a fixed cost labor contract.  These are the highlights...

We are paying a fixed price for all of the labor.  If the actual cost of labor exceeds the contract amount, then the contractor is responsible for the excess cost.  If the actual cost of labor is less than the contract amount, the contractor keeps the difference.  The contractor is responsible for the labor related to the excavation, cistern, foundation, masonry, plumbing, electrical work, and roof.  Changes made can reduce or increase the price of the contract.   If we provide the materials on time and there is no natural disaster, the house should be done in 210 days (that's March 31, 2012).  We get a one year warranty.  The contract also includes a payment schedule, which included a payment due upon signing the contract.

We have to provide the supplies.  The contractor will give us a list of supplies and the vendor he recommends, but we can use any vendor we want.  If we want he will  place the order and we just make the payment.  By ordering our own supplies we are avoiding paying a 4% charge the contractor imposes for gross receipts.

That's it in a nutshell.  What do you think?

199 Days, Maybe More

The countdown app on my phone says I have 199 days until my house is ready, but I'm not sure that its right.  Have you heard about a little storm named Maria?  Maria was supposed to hit the Virgin Islands last Saturday, but didn't.   She brought some rain here, but that's about it.   It has been raining since Saturday, although today wasn't bad.  Even though Maria didn't hit us, our supply shipment that was supposed to get here on Friday was rescheduled for Monday.  I'll be honest, I haven't called the contractor to see if it came in.  Its on my list of things to do tomorrow.  Also, if the ground is wet, clearing land is more difficult.  So, since the storm and rain are acts of God, I guess that means the contractor gets more time.  

Maria headlines from the Virgin Islands Daily News

September 9th: V.I. under tropical storm watch

September 10th: State of emergency in effect ahead of Maria

September 12th: Tropical Storm Maria passes 50 miles north of V.I.

September 13th: Heavy rains fall in Maria's wake

Do You Have Plywood For Sale?

Because we are building our home using poured concrete, we need plywood for the forms.  Did you build recently and have plywood you want to get rid of?  If so, let me know ASAP.  You could make some money and we could save money. 

210 Days Left

We signed a contract with our general contractor today.  Yay!  So, we are really gonna be able to get started.  I know we cleared the land before and got some minimal work done before, but that was pointless. The bush grew back, you wouldn't believe the size of some of the trees (and not even a year later) and the little construction started will have to be redone. 

The contract gives the contractor 210 days to complete the house, of course that is if there are no "acts of God," that delay construction.  I feel great, but it was scary signing that contact.  It was the biggest check I've ever written and the most I've ever promised to pay someone.   It will be worth it when the house is done.  

I'll give you some more info about the contract soon.

I'm back!!

Almost eight months have passed since my last post. Sorry! You are probably wondering what happened. Well, its complicated. This is at least part of the story... We got frustrated with the bank. The wait was emotionally draining. We were being told that next Friday, next Friday,... the appraisal was coming in. After three months we were told that the appraisal was never ordered. It was ridiculous. We also started thinking about moving off the island for all kinds of personal/family reasons. We told the bank we wanted to withdraw our application. After a few months, we decided to stay. We considered buying a house, but we really wanted to build. So, about two months ago, we went back to the bank and said lets start over. We are hoping to start building at the beginning of October, whether the bank is ready or not.

I met with our contractor yesterday and told him we wanted to get started ASAP. I him told that I wasn't B-S-ing him about the bank. He said he knew. He said that our bank, Scotia, is infamous for taking a very long time to approve and close on construction loans. He said that he has known people who have had to wait a year to close on a loan. I guess I shouldn't take it personally, but I'm still upset. And I'm not going to stop calling every other day and putting the pressure on my agent to get this loan closed.

I'll keep you updated.

Virgin Islands Property Taxes

The decision came down last week. District Court Judge Curtis Gomez removed the injunction freezing property values in the Virgin Islands at their 1998 level. Property values and tax rates will stay the same for the 2007 - 2009 tax years, but may change for 2010 and later tax years. Based on a law passed in 2007, property taxes for 2010 and later tax years will be determined using the property's fair market value or a new tax rate structure.

Since the Government didn't issue tax bills for four years, while the property tax structure debate was ongoing, property owners will receive two property tax bills a year until the property tax bills are current. So, your 2010 tax bill with the new taxing structure will be issued in 2012.

If you have a problem with how your property value is calculated you can appeal to the Tax Review Board, which Judge Gomez ruled is functioning properly.

To find out more about the decision, check out the article in the Virgin Islands Daily News.

Property owners have had many complaints about the new taxing structure. One complaint that I heard over and over was about how the fair market value of properties here were calculated. First there were complaints about a stateside company coming down determining the property values. Many people said, how could someone from somewhere come here an determine how much our property is worth. -- I can't disagree.-- There were also complaints that the "formula" used to calculate property values took into consideration the value of your neighbors property. So, if you live in a shack on St. John that you inherited from your great grandmother and that hasn't had any major improvements and your neighbor has a $5 million home, the calculated value of your property increase. --I don't think that's fair"--

Now, I don't know much about the validity of the second complaint. I don't know how property values were computed, but it seems kind of unfair to tax someone out of their home because their neighbor has a big house. Personally, I like what I've heard they do in Florida. My mom lives there and she says that your property tax is based on the value of your home when you purchased or built it. A system like this might also be a great way to help pacify the native rights groups that believe that "native" Virgin Islanders shouldn't have to pay property taxes. I'm not saying that they shouldn't have to pay property tax, but if you inherit land the value of your property could be based on the value at the time it was initially purchased by your parent, grandparent or great grandparent. If you bought your house in 1973, the value of your home would be based on its 1973 value and if you built a $5 million mansion in 2010, your property value would be based on the $5 million value in 2010. That seems like a fair way to do it to me. What do you think?

My Only Option in the US Virgin Islands

When do you or should you make a complaint? Let's use a restaurant as an example. Let's say you go to a restaurant and order a burger. You tell the server that you want it cooked medium-well and to hold the mayo. The server brings you back a burnt burger with lots of mayo. In this situation there are some people who would complain to the server or manager and ask for a new burger. These people would wait for the new burger made to their liking and enjoy their meal. Then there are others who would salvage as much as they could and wait until they were leaving to say something to the waiter or manager. These people might worry that their server spit on their burger if they ask for a new one. I am usually one these people, I try to go along for as long as I can without making waves because I worry that if I make a big deal about something the person or organization that is suppose to help me might start dragging their feet or creating additional obstacles for me to get what I need.

Word on the street is that Scotiabank is the only bank on the island giving constructions loans, at least of the big banks on island, Banco Popular, First Bank and Scotiabank. And there is only one person at Scotiabank handling construction loans. So be prepared, it may be a delayed process. Do you know of any smaller banks or loan providers giving construction loans?

Get it?

Will We Be Left in the Dark?

I want a solar system!

(www.nasa.gov)

No, not that type of solar system, but this kind:

(http://www.squidoo.com/goingoffthegrid)

We are going to need power for our house. Paul had a friend who works for the Water and Power Authority (WAPA) give us an estimate of how much getting electric poles to our house is going to cost. He said about $20,000. That is alot of money. At least to me it is. I would prefer to get a solar power system. In fact our house was designed for it, but you know what is more expensive than getting power from WAPA? You guessed it, getting solar power. However, solar power does come with a federal tax credit and local rebates, but it would still require us to come up with the initial cash outlay. I don't know if we have it. I guess we might just have to live in the dark for a while. Another possibility is to find out if the people who own land next to us want power anytime soon and want to share in the cost of getting power from WAPA.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions or us?

Happy New Year!

Last year we got new plans drawn, got our building permit and started the application process for our construction loan. This year I want us to start and finish constructing our home. I think that is what I wanted for last year too. Hopefully it will actually happen this year. Wish us luck.