Put A Lid On It, Shape It All Up, & Time for Rememberances

After the walls and floors are all in place, the next thing to deal with is the roof.  The roof of Calabash Mountain Villa is magnificent, especially in the center portion of the structure.  We have that very high cathedral ceiling, and as you can see from the pictures, it took lots of reinforcements to ensure it was constructed safely and securely.  The beams, the plywood, and the shingles were all done with great care. 

               




Our next focus is on finishing the walls inside the Villa.  We plastered all of the walls to provide a nice smooth surface; then we painted the walls with colors that reflect the vibrancy of the Caribbean.  

   


And, remember those piles of rocks from when we were first clearing the land?  Well, they are back – as part of the front of the Villa.  The cut-stone facing is from the very rocks that were busted as we began our work.  The cut-stone facing was not in our initial plan, but along the way it seemed the perfect thing to do.  There are other places in the area that have done this and it really appealed to me.  We were really fortunate to have this resource that only cost us 

the time spent busting up the boulders for use.  

What great opportunities have you had to use what you already had, to enhance a project?  Isn’t it sweet when this happens?

Each day as I drive back and forth between my brother’s house in Soufriere to the site of Calabash Mountain Villa, I take in the local community.  I reminisce about my growing up in this community.  A lot of the things that were part of my childhood are still here today.  Many of the buildings are wooden and over 100 years old.  I remember incidents and people as I look at these old buildings.  I remember a childhood filled with love and community spirit.  I remember a time when I could go anywhere without any worry about my safety.  During my time down here, building, I have become reacquainted with some family members and met ones that are new to me.  It is great to have such a feeling of connectedness to the community.  A lot of the tourist sites that I remember from my childhood have been renovated and enlarged to accommodate the volume of today’s tourists.  What have you experienced after going back “home” after being away for a while?  Were things the same or very different?  Were you happy with the changes?  Leave a comment and let us know.

Taking Shape & Staying Motivated

By June 2010 things were really taking shape.  The two wings of the Villa went up first, then we tackled the center portion which holds the kitchen, common area, and on the level below the game room and laundry.

I am sure that people watching the build-out from afar were wondering just what we were up to, what this place was going to look like. But for me, who knew what it was going to be, it was exciting to see my dream take form day-by-day. And at the same time, was the realization that there was a lot more work to be done. As the building was going up, I also took some time to tend to the landscaping. We planted various flowers and foods along the winding path up to the Villa from the road below.

And one of the things that would keep us motivated was seeing those spectacular rainbows as they framed the work we were doing. What kinds of things keep you motivated when you are involved in a huge, laborious task? What would you like to have around to keep you motivated (keep it clean)?

Built Tough Against Nature's Beauty

Once the beams were up; then came the floors and walls. We used cement blocks for the walls. This is really hard labor. Again, hats off to the crew for making sure it was done right, so we would have an excellent structure that is safe and secure for our guests.

You can see from the pictures, steel continued to be an integral part of the construction process. As I took pictures of the construction, it was natural for me to make sure I got the scenery in the pictures. I want you to see what it will be like as a visitor enjoying the surroundings. When I share pictures with my friends, they all say how much they would like to visit and experience this serenity first hand.

What do you think of this setting as a place for vacation? Do you think it will help you relax and really "get away?"

Made By Hand

Once the land was cleared and leveled, we began staking out the building, marking where the columns would be placed, and making sure we were on target with the plans so as we build up, it will be in line with what we planned. Making the columns was the next big task. Those cement columns did not come ready-made. And because of the area, we are building to be able to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes.  That meant we needed to make steel-reinforced cement columns. Again, location and resources meant we had to bend steel by hand. I marveled at how my crew went about this task. I watched and learned what it takes. Here are a couple of pictures of them doing that work.

                                    

                  

To make steel reinforced components, we have to make the mold for the cement using wooden planks, put the steel in place, and then pour the cement. Throughout the structure there are steel-reinforced concrete beams and platforms.

Hats off to my crew who worked hard and made sure it was done correctly!

Could you ever see yourself doing this work?

Cool Breezes

Cool Breezes

By Julian Emmanuel

As I mentioned previously, at my brother’s house we can sit on his porch and look across the street at the Bay. Many of the marvelous sunset pictures are right from there.

We watch the birds fly over the water and all the boats and ships that go by. It is also great to catch the night breeze out there too. Of course, often I go just a little way down the street to sit on the jetty.

That is where the breeze is the best (no buildings to block the breeze at all.) So where do you go to cool off when the weather gets hot? Or where is your favorite place to sit and just enjoy God’s creation – nature? I know that if you get the chance to visit St. Lucia and come to Calabash Mountain Villa, you will enjoy sitting and enjoying the natural surroundings here. And we will make sure you get a chance to visit the jetty and enjoy more of the beauty that you can see from that vantage point too.

Fearless Backhoeing

It's time to get back to the work at hand. Our crew has extra challenges that crews working in cities don't have. Up here on the mountain side, there is some equipment that just cannot navigate the slope of the land. We had to search around for someone who was willing to work up here; and who had a backhoe that could maneuver around this space.

We found a real dare-devil of sorts. He was a real blessing because without him our work would have been much harder and taken a lot longer.

Have you ever taken on a project that was more challenging than you had imagined? How did you cope with the challenge? What kinds of compromises did you have to make in your plans?  

The Prince of Wales

Preparing for a Very Important Guest - The Prince of Wales

      

 


There is a lot of activity around Soufriere this week (spring 2008.) Prince Charles, from England, is coming to visit St. Lucia and will spend some time in Soufriere. Though independent, St. Lucia still maintains close ties to England. So everything is getting spruced up for his visit. You see streets being fixed up, everything being washed down, fresh paint on places, decorations going up, and whatever else can be done to present our best "face" for such a special visitor. There is a lot of excitement in the air.

Well, Prince Charles came and visited!! It was a rainy day, but that did not dampen the spirit of the folk one bit. You can see how a community comes alive and an event is a total community experience. That was quite a day. What kinds of events create this kind of community out-pouring and involvement where you live? Do you get that rush of community pride at these events? 

                                

In the Beginning…..

Just the beginning - Julian Emmanuel - 2010

Hello, my name is Julian and I am from the “Simply Beautiful” island of St. Lucia, West Indies. I moved to the USA as a teenager, when my mother moved to Lansing, Michigan.

But now, I’m on a venture to give others a view of my home land that is like no other. This blog will chronicle the development of the Calabash Mountain Villa, just on the edge of the rainforest. A place surrounded by the natural beauty of this island where you will feel part of this community. Not a typical tourist area, but a place where you get a feel for the real life in the area.

As I get started here I want you to take a gander at what this place looks like before we start constructing.

You are looking at beautiful mountain views and trees and vegetation of all kinds (bananas, mango, coconut trees, etc.)  Lush and "Simply Beautiful."

How Did We Get Started on this Project?

There is a funny story about how my wife and I got started on this project. For a long time, we have said we wanted to build a house, in St. Lucia, for our retirement. So, one day I decided to start drawing what I wanted our "snowbird" house to look like. Along the way, the house grew a little bit so we could have sort of a bed and breakfast/guest house, while we were at it.

I'm an amateur artist and needed someone who could help me get a good drawing of what I wanted this house to look like. To get our drawing, we ended up contacting the architecture department of a local university. I called the first name listed in the department directory and explained what I wanted to do (he just happened to be the department head.) I guess I captured his fancy, because he ended up making it a class project. I was invited to tell the class what I had in mind and to tell them about the area where it would be located. They did some additional research on their own. This is where the "house" grew some more.

A couple of months later, we had a large stack of drawings (about 75 of them) to look at and choose which we liked best. We narrowed it down to three and looked at more detailed drawings and finally selected the one by Laura.

From Concept to Concrete Plan   

Now that I have Laura's final drawings, I have to take them to St. Lucia and find a contractor that will convert these drawings into the format that the St. Lucia Planning Board will want to see them in to give approval for the project to proceed. This is the step that takes us from concept to concrete plans - so some changes to the drawings are necessary.

The contractor and his architect were working on getting the drawings done, checking with me on changes, to make sure they were done in a way that satisfied me as well as meeting codes. Then there were changes to be made to accommodate the slope of the land (we are on the mountain-side.) While they did their work, I was free to dream about what this was going to be like when it was completed.

As I roamed the site, I looked at the view we would have from our new Villa. I could just imagine my wife and me sitting on the balcony and looking out at these spectacular mountain views. Then I thought about all of you who will come to Calabash Mountain Villa and how you will be in love with these beautiful mountains as well.

Finally, I came back to reality and started thinking about all the work ahead --- starting with clearing the land to build my dream house.

Approved and ready to go!

There has been a huge gap in my postings. However, I did keep writing thoughts and decided to post them even though they are past thoughts. I would hate to not share these thoughts; so things will come quicker than they actually happened.

Several months later, we were able to get government’s approval to proceed. Do you have any stories about getting government approval to proceed on a building project? Sometimes it is a breeze, and sometimes it is…………

Clearing The Way

Well, I got my building materials and shipped them to St. Lucia. I’m ready to get started! Wow! Clearing the space to begin building proved to be quite the chore. My new contractor and I had a really good crew and we really got busy. This site is so naturally lush and beautiful; I want to make sure I preserve it as much as possible. I hope we will be able to reach out from the Villa and be able to pluck some really sweet, juicy fruit from the trees. As we clear the place to build, we also have to cut a path from the road below up to the site. Our work was cut out for us. Whew!

                                    

Well, I got my building materials and shipped them to St. Lucia. I’m ready to get started! Wow! Clearing the space to begin building proved to be quite the chore. My new contractor and I had a really good crew and we really got busy. This site is so naturally lush and beautiful; I want to make sure I preserve it as much as possible. I hope we will be able to reach out from the Villa and be able to pluck some really sweet, juicy fruit from the trees. As we clear the place to build, we also have to cut a path from the road below up to the site. Our work was cut out for us. Whew!

As we were busy clearing the land and cutting a pathway, we looked down, across the road below our property and could see where a cousin of mine is starting to build a house for himself.

Rainbows, Sunsets, and Bay Views

While I am here, in St. Lucia, to do this project, I am staying with my brother in his home that sits on the street by the Bay in Soufriere. Each evening I go and sit on the Jetty to catch a cool evening breeze. 

It's really great to sit out there and chat with friends, listen to the music from the restaurant across from us, and watch people go by. The guys usually talk about local politics, but sometimes get into world affairs. Some folk are just there fishing from the jetty in the cool evening. It is relaxing to watch the boats come and go with tourists. Some of the locals who are going out in their boats are going out whale watching. And of course, as we cool off and relax we usually end up taking a nap right there on the jetty. Some folk come out and sleep there all night because they are too hot in their houses to sleep. How do you like to chill out at the end of a day of hard work? Where do you go to catch a cool breeze when the days are hot?

My wife and I love to see the rainbows and sunsets here in St. Lucia. So, while I"m here and she is at home, in Indianapolis, I take pictures of rainbows and sunsets for her. She says getting these pictures helps her deal with me being gone three months at a time. I get energized just knowing, when this is finished and she gets here - she will just love the mountains, rainbows and sunsets (among other things.)