In the first installment in our From The Ground Up series, we started our search for a Barbados property. Our next move was to narrow the selection.
Although we knew we wanted to self build, we also looked at existing property as renovating an existing dwelling remained an option. This was an interesting experience. Like the US, property can be listed with several agents, though one usually takes the lead. A trip to St Philip to see a former West Indies cricketer’s house (or so we suspected from the number of trophies displayed in the room) found us outnumbered by the agents, as there were two people from our agent’s office and two from the office of the lead agent. It was quite difficult to get away and have a private chat about the property.
Golf View
Could this be the site of our dream home?
While on our travels, we spotted a large plot (or lot, as it’s called in Barbados) near an old mattress factory. Calling the number on the board led us to another agent to check it out. Sadly, we lost out to a church (there are more than 100 religious groups on the island). However the new agent showed us a few other properties, including a windswept plot at Inch Marlow in the south which really tempted us. Just as we were dithering about whether we could afford it, he emailed to say he had another piece of land available opposite a golf course. I groaned, but my husband was delighted and we duly drove to a lot with a clear view of Durants Golf Course.
Finding The Perfect Place
The plot was nearly 8,000 sq ft. To give some comparison, most four bedroom homes in the UK stand on about 2,000-3,000 sq ft of land. We drove around the estate and realised that this was a rapidly developing area, with lots of lovely – and huge – houses under construction. Next door to our plot – we were beginning to think of it as ours already – was a two storey apartment building in a Caribbean style, with lots of verandahs overlooking the golf course and the sea.
Assessing The Lot
Over the next day or so, we visited the plot several times, assessing all the possibilities and pitfalls. On the plus side, it was a three-minute drive to our favourite beach; a five-minute drive to the nearest shops; a seven-minute drive to the airport (we timed it) and close to the ABC Highway for easy access to other parts of the island. On the minus side, it was a bit smaller than we had wanted (10,000 sq ft is what most locals would consider adequate for a home) and it was near several main roads.
Could We Do It?
Back at home, my husband got out his spreadsheets and worked out that if we downsized we could afford to buy the land. Then all we would have to do is figure out what to build and how to manage it.
So that’s just what we did. The UK property market was booming in and our four bedroom house in Nottingham sold before the ink was dry on the particulars.
In no time at all we had put in an offer for the land and had it accepted and by October the land was ours. However, the next step, finding an architect and getting planning permission, would prove to be far more fraught.
