This is the story so far…

Swing and a Miss

We started seriously discussing the option of buying land in Saba, with a view towards building on it in the years to come. Up until that point, we had always looked at the island with the eyes of visitors, so in April of 2019, we flew there and put on the lens of entrepreneurs instead. We were shown many beautiful properties but we hesitated to take the next steps and lost a prime opportunity. We needed to make a plan and discuss the future with our family and friends for perspective, so that we would be better prepared in the future.

Considering Options

Part of the problem we faced, was finding a location that ticked all of our boxes: proximity to our chosen village of Windwardside, an ocean view, a land view, and a buildable lot. Because of where we had vacationed on Saba, we loved the area in and around Booby Hill, but land there was seldom available. Sooner than give up, we flew back to the island again in November, to explore other options and see if sites we had previously visited could captivate us, or if we were destined to remain tourists on Saba.

What the Heck

There is no doubt that 2020 will go down in history as a horrible year, fraught with a global pandemic, travel restrictions, and social distancing. Nothing much good to say about it, at all. Except in the midst of all these difficulties, we took a chance and put an offer in on a 1525 square metre (0.4 acre) parcel of land on Mount Scenery Road in Windwardside. Ironically, this was a property we had already viewed and walked upon in April of 2019 and took a closer look at seven months later. Who would buy land while they were confined thousands of miles away?

Sold

Imagine trying to obtain a piece of land in one country, with a buyer in a second country, the seller in a third country and the notary to make it all legal in a fourth country. It sounds like an episode of “Mission Impossible”, but when you factor in appraisals, surveys, money transfers, powers of attorney, land transfer, deeds, and taxes - you soon realize there are many moving parts in between October and January. Finally, on January 18th, 2021 everything came together and it was ours!

Planning

What do you do after you buy a property 3,000 km away during a pandemic? Get vaccinated and start planning! With a potential return date in November 2021, the task ahead becomes choosing a location on the property for a home that affords a view, preserves as much nature as possible, maintains privacy from neighboring homes and has easy access to Mount Scenery Road. With the land sloping both south and east, the challenge will be to create a placement that ticks all the boxes at once.

First Visit

Standing on the land for the first time was surreal. We had actually purchased the property with a recollection from a year before, so there was some nervousness, seeing it through the lens of ownership. The slope was far more gentle than we anticipated, the land was already terraced from its history as farmland. Best of all - between all the thick foliage the deep blue of the Atlantic Ocean was visible to the east.

January 2022

Land Utilization

Given the terrain of the property, with a southeast slope from Mount Scenery Road, we decided to build in the top portion of the lot (marked in yellow) to maximize the view. Leaving a buffer of natural growth (marked in orange) preserves the secondary rainforest, and provides privacy from the street and from the public trail (marked in light blue). We also identified a number of huge boulders and interesting trees worth preserving for when our home is built. Next steps when travel is possible again, clear the underbrush and obtain a proper topographic survey so we can correctly situate a house.

April 2022

Surveying

Deciding where to build is only half the equation in Saba. While in most locations the architect gets to design on a geometrically shaped flat lot, in Saba, everything has a slope, and lot sizes are based upon the terrain and historical land divisions. Through the use of highly technical GPS and laser measuring systems, the contours of the property were measured by directly plotting hundreds of points across the chosen build area to illustrate a canvas upon which the architect could design something perfect.

October 2022

Preliminary Design

Knowing where to build is a great start. Figuring out what to build, how big, and functional adjacencies, becomes an interesting balancing act between wants and needs. We decided on a design that looks traditionally Saban from the front but upon passing the threshold opened up to a modern, three-bedroom, home split over two levels. We wanted to have separate areas for sleeping, entertaining and of course storage and utility. Click on the image above for more information on the preliminary design.

February 2023

Definite Design

Once the generalities were known, the task became to define everything down to the finest detail. Window locations, doorways, outlets, switches, plumbing and lighting - everything down to the kitchen sink (and beyond). This stage took a lot of back and forth with the architect and a considerable amount of head scratching on our part. Fortunately, when you are utilizing the skills of an internationally renown professional like Lyongo Juliana, you emerge with something you can’t wait to build!

April 2023

Building Permit

Find the island - check. Buy the property - check. Decide to build something - check. Hire an architect and design something beautiful - check. Get permission to actually build it….

Check!

August 2023

Land Clearing

Although we took great care to preserve as much nature as possible, some trees had to be removed in preparation for construction. After our first visit to the property, we erected a yellow nylon rope to safeguard as much of the trees and plant life as we could. The skilled excavator operator was able to climb over the wall with his machine and remove only what was necessary.

January 2024

Cistern & Pool

Forms are in place for The Tower. Our design creates an above-ground cistern that climbs up from the hillside to support the pool. This concrete structure will be over five meters high from the lowest point and will serve as the anchor point for the deck. The house will be built in front, just slightly below the level of the road.

April 2024

Flat Land

Building a retaining wall allows for the creation of an area of flat ground. This is a rare commodity on Saba and particularly on The Mountain, where our home will be. This parcel of land will serve as the base for the ground floor, which includes a bedroom and ensuite, a laundry room, a storage room, and also a room for all the technical installations, including pumps, heaters and electrical. The main entrance will be built one floor above, to capitalize on the sloped land.

June 2024

Ground Floor

Once the ground was flat, it was time to frame in for pouring the ground floor. The usual assortment of rebar was added but this time it was necessary to consider where the water supply, drains for grey water and sanitary systems, electrical, internet, and security systems would be run. Many things to consider before the concrete is added. Nowhere to go but up now!

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