March 1st- We are finally back home in Cold New England, our son calls on his cell phone to let us know that the airport looks different.... He is at Brainard Airport instead of Bradley.... between that and leaving my cell phone on the seat of the airplane....Where IS My rum drink?.... I am happy to finally see my cats, they want to know what did we buy for them & where the heck we've been? The bulldog is VERY happy to see us as well and did we buy anything for him? There also is a nor'easter that is going to welcome us back!......................




March 8th- Today Bob picks up the Bosch job-site radio that We will mail to Roy for his crew, but first we need Roy to e-mail the correct spelling of everyones names.
Today I noticed on a Real Estate (Islandia) web-site that Rick Meyer's house, on St John, is up for sale..... I wonder if he put the same quality concrete work and pride in building his own house, as with Bo Atabey??? Hummmmm....
We are trying to make another RATIONAL decision, this time the focus is on what to use for the exterior of the roof. The lead time to order is 4 to 6 weeks and there are many decisions to be made! Our first decision is what type of roof, clay, tile, metal or thatch? We already know the answer to this question, on to decision #2 This one is VERY important, what color? Another factor to take into consideration is that some colors reflect the heat.
What about the finish on the metal, Colorfast 45 or Kynar 5oo? The last decision (don't count on it) what company to order from and will it be delivered on time?
Our first decision is VERY easy, if we were building in the Mediterranean and if tile was the "traditional" building material in the Caribbean, then We would want tile. Thatch is VERY traditional & VERY Bohio, but not practical. O.K. metal it is!
Our next "traditional" decision is made. We want RED for our metal roof! Chistmas RED, Fire engine RED, Mitsubishi EVO Rally RED, blue/red, NOT yellow/red, NOT orange/red, NOT brown/red. One company, Metal Sales, which is distributed through Triangle Exports, has the "Mitsubishi EVO Rally Red" We are looking for, called "Patriot Red" this color is "Energy Star" certified, meets "Cool roof" and "Solar reflectance" criteria. The next decision is the metals gauge: 24 gauge is stronger and better than 26 gauge, it is also $1,ooo.oo more. The next decision is the finish: Kynar 5oo (fluorocarbon) is resistance to chalking and fading and better than Colorfast 45, again another $1,ooo.oo more. One more decision is, the style metal. There are metals that imulate the look of clay or concrete. I want my metal roof to look like a metal roof, because, that's what it is!
March 13th- We go with the Kynar 5oo and the 24 gauge. The order is placed for the metal roof.
Roy e-mails the correct spelling of the guy's names, now We can mail the radio!




ANOTHER..... TRADITIONAL.... DILEMMA
METAL...or....THATCH.....thatch..or...METAL




March 19th- The lower level columns, bond beam and upper level porch slab is finally poured.
Tuesday Bob mails the radio to Roy! Wednesday Roy e-mails pictures of Bo Atabey. Friday The radio is at the Cruz Bay post office waiting for Roy to claim it!! The Guys need their music!!
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Picture below: (Left) The front upper level covered veranda, the section in the middle is cantilevered.(Middle) The east side of the house has gone through three different changes, first it was to be a shed-roof (for the lower lever) Bob didn't like that idea, he thought it would be more appropriate serving as a trellis, a trellis it will be..... until Roy's crew started making the forms for the columns. Roy suggests (he has MANY great ideas) extending the veranda around to the east side of the house, it will give Bo Atabey an 165+/- extra square feet of outdoor living, a great place for drinking your morning coffee! (Right) You can see the rafters are encased in the "bond beam" cement wall.




April 4th-Roy sends more pictures of Bo Atabey with the forms off.
Picture below: (left) You can see the cantilever or Bo Atabey's "Juliet Balcony" this will be a great place for my telescope or listening to Inner Visions playing below at Spudniks, music from Island Blues or even music from Skinny legs!! (middle) This WAS to be the carport, first of all my car would NEVER fit between the columns, Second, We decided back in January that the whole lower level dictates to be screened in. I have always wanted a sleeping porch in Connecticut, now I will have it, only not in Connecticut. This also gives us EXTRA living space on this level. (right) Bo Atabey is Sooooooooo looking pretty!



Last summer We took a piece of cedar (which is very similar to cypress) and rafter sample and stained both with Sikkens mahogany stain. We loved that the cedar was the right patina and the rafter took the stain darker, but still undecided about painting the rafters white. The ceiling in Bo Atabey's upper level will be a focal point at a soaring 17-1/2 feet.
April 11th- This week Roy e-mails pictures of the cypress ceiling going up. We are VERY excited!
April 15th- Roy sends more pictures of the cypress ceiling. Monday the ceiling is completely finished.
The "RED" metal roof we ordered is ready for shipping and should be at Tropical Miami Monday the 23rd.
April 17th- Tuesday the excavator is back on site to grade the back for the drain, the upper driveway, septic area and to dig the hole for the gray water tank.
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All of Seagrape will eventually need electrical power. Any and All property is more valuable with utility poles, even if the property is only purchased for it to be flipped. Emails are sent back, very few Fellow Seagrapers need nor want to pay for utility poles for electricity! Oh well!!



Picture above: (left and center) Cypress ceiling back of house. (right) The facia looks crisp and clean!
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Picture below: (left) East bedroom and front ceiling. (center) Front and west bedroom ceiling. (right) The Greatroom ceiling, will be a focal point at a soaring 17-1/2 feet.



NOTICE THE SCAFFOLDING: We purchased 200 2x4x20's for perlins, but before they are to be used for perlins they were used for ALL the scaffolding you see in the pictures. We are on "Island Time" but everything has a multi-use and is re-cycled! (except when it comes to nails... I could have had a part time job picking up virgin nails and selling them!)
We have exhausted the house equity line of credit and business loan. It is time to tap into our construction loan from First Bank. This loan is given out using a formula, based on percentage of how complete the house is.
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Lets talk about windows.... We are way past due ordering them and have agonized over windows since We first met Michael in July of 2003. I have 5'6" Andersen windows here in Connecticut and LOVE them and though that my mind was already made up. All the rough openings in Bo Atabey are made to the size of Andersen's specks.....end of the debate...but ...We were advised by everyone NOT to use Andersen windows in the tropics...Our concerns are, the salt air and the U.V. (being 13 to 14) what will they do to the vinyl clad, will it dry out, get chalky and crack, then be replaced? The only other option at this point is to have the windows custom made, with indigenous wood, this can take three to four months.... We decide to purchase our windows from Plantation View, a company out of St Croix. We like the simplicity of the windows and simplistic mechanism for the hardware. Wednesday We officially order the windows.........on to the next.....
April 18th- The appraisers from First Bank are at the site today, originally they had cancelled because of rain. Roy says they were VERY impressed with the cypress ceiling. We also receive the window proposal from Plantation View.
April 19th- Receive proposal from Plantation View for the double door entry for kitchen. Proposal from Roy for interior walls. The cypress for the upper level veranda ceiling is finished.




Picture above: (left) Plantation View window.
(center and right) Plantation View doors
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Picture below: (left, center and right) Upper level covered veranda (shed roof) with cypress ceiling.



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PICTURE BELOW:
Yes Virginia, not only is there a Santa Claus, it even rains in PARADISE!!!



April 22nd & 23rd- The sky opens up on St Johnians, WHY? Because we had the excavator on the property last week for three days disturbing the soil that has been baking in the sun since August, thats why!
April 23rd- Today We receive the construction inspection report for Bo Atabey complete with pictures from Dennis Dore via e-mail. In the report was written "The ceiling finish is remarkable. The stain makes it appear like tigerwood on more expensive jobs"..... our pressure treated rafters looked like expensive "tiger wood" WOW!! We thought Roy was exaggerating last week when he told us how impressed the inspectors were with our ceiling but here it is in the report!! Today We place the order for the windows from Plantation View. The back of the roof is covered with the Grace ice and water sheild while the front is covered with a tarp.
April 27th- Roy's mission today is to order the durarock (cement board) for the interior walls of Bo Atabey but Paradise Lumber is closed for CARNIVALE, I guess it will have to wait for Monday!
April 30th- Roy orders the durarock today, Eric from Paradise Lumber will deliver it this afternoon unless it is raining. More and more progress is being made daily at Bo Atabey. Roy calls us up today to let us know that it isn't raining but...... the column and footing for the east outside shower (that C.C.C. poured) is in the wrong place....We think we have heard the last of Caribbean Custom Concrete yet they still are haunting us........





Inspection report pictures.....ABOVE: (left) looking toward the east bedroom. (middle) Does this house look West Indian or what??? I absolutely LOVE....LOVE....LOVE it!! I can picture the "RED" metal roof, awsome!! (right) Uh, what happened to my beautiful driveway?
BELOW: (left) The north-west corner where the the outdoor shower will be. (middle) This picture is taken from the bottom of the driveway. (right) This picture somehow looks fake to me......It looks like a Doll House and a Toy Excavator sitting on a pile of dirt and the Toy Excavator is getting ready to plow over the ..... Oh... my.... snap out if it...


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ATABEY
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