Out initial plans for the reconstruction called for saving some of the existing structure. We thought there would be a cost savings by doing so. After we had completed our plans and were out to bid, one of the contractors said in passing, “You should tear it all down” . I stopped and said, “What would the cost difference be?”. Her answer was “Nothing”. I asked the other contractors bidding the work and they gave the same answer: “Nothing, and it will be a cleaner, better and more efficient build”. Gosh, we wish we knew that 11 months earlier. In any event, we decided to demolish the entire structure. This allowed us to make some key design changes that will make the end project so much better.
The demolition took all of four hours. The large barge arrived with two track hoe excavators and several dump trucks. One excavator built a barge landing area and a construction access road. The other went to work tearing down the guest cottage. Both excavators then met up to tear down the main house and load the debris onto the dump trucks. The trucks then took the debris down to a staging area for future haul off. I almost missed the demolition of the main house. I took the equipment owner over to Trellis Bay in the boat. By the time I returned 40 minutes later, there were only a few walls of the main house left standing. In the hands of skilled operators, it is amazing and somewhat scary what these machines can do. With the demolition completed, the next phase was laying out the new foundations.
It is scary how fast the walls came down!!! Can’t wait to see the finished product!!!
Yes, indeed. Thanks Ginger. I appreciate all the support you and Rodney provide to me.
Wow! Total commitment! This seems like a beautiful lot and I look forward to following your build. Thanks for including me!
Thanks Terre. Can’t wait to have you and Kevin come visit.
Sooooooo much work! We’re anxious to get you back here and talk with you about the new construction. Keep the pictures coming.
Thanks Tom and Renee! Can’t wait to see you.
Very cool Dan!! It will be fun and interesting to keep watch on your blog here! I lived in Sopers’ Hole on Tortola for about nine months. If you’re interested we can correspond some about some consulting I did on typhoon damage risk reduction for schools in the western Pacific.
Thank you. We like eating at Omar’s Fusion in Soper’s Hole, but it is a long drive across island. Our island, Great Camanoe is past East End, across Trellis Bay near Scrubb Island, as you surely know from your years here.
That would be interesting to review. We are building to Dade County Florida building standards. We have flat 6″-8″ concrete roofs and hurricane rated windows and doors.
Sounds good! One of the things we were looking at also was this Kevlar hurricane fabric to catch window glass fragments if/when the shutters were breached by coconut “bombs”. My favorite anchorage was next door to Great Camanoe, a place called Muskmelon Bay, but I heard a superyacht drug anchor in there and destroyed most of the coral beds. A super interesting dive site is there on Guana too, called “Grand Central”, a lava tube going up inside the island.
Rick, can’t wait to have you and Cathi down to show me all the special spots. Sound like I need to get back in to scuba to hang with you. I have just been snorkeling. We are installing hurricane rated windows and doors. The sales rep says we will not need secondary protection like the Kevlar screens. Fingers crossed.
How fun for you, Brigid and Summer to vision and create something. You’ll cherish the process and the result for sure!
Thanks Gale.
This looks like a fun project! Can wait to see it finished.
Jeff
Wow quick work of the start of a big project. I enjoy see the progress.
Phil and I are both excited to be included in watching this process unfold! I had dinner with Susie a few nights ago and she told me about your latest venture. What a dream come true! So happy for you all…
Thanks for the support Lisa. Hope to see you and Phil soon.
Wow, what a beautiful view you will have! I hope the build goes smoothly. Is there a town nearby where you can use as your base when you are overseeing the build?
Hi Dan and Brigid, holy cow, here today and gone tomorrow. That was a fast demolition. I have no doubt your design and vision will produce an amazing oasis!! YES, keep the pictures and comments about this journey coming.
Thanks Barb.
That’s neat to hear about the tear down process. Amazing how the things you take for granted in the states are a much bigger production in a different country and on an island. Too bad the rebuild doesn’t go as fast at the tear down right? I hope you had a good 4th of July and look forward to the next update
Right you are Dan. Thank you.
Dan, this blog is a great idea! We’ve been thinking about you guys and how the project is going! Thanks for including us. Will be fun to track your progress in Paradise! We’ll be in touch!
Holly, Thank you for the support. Hope to see you and Jim soon.
Oh my! How exciting! I am certain that you and Brigid will create a wonderful home to begin so many new an memorable times to share. Can’t wait to see how the progress comes along… best wishes for a smooth building process.
Thanks Susan. We are excited.
Your plans changed quite fast but you are good at adapting to situations like this. We look forward to following your progress
Thanks Roger and Barb.
Hey Dan,
just writing a quick note so we can get our name on the list for updates whenever you post.