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.

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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.