Jamaica: (Was - Re: Money, Taxes, and Rebates)

You can find Nov 2006 pictures of the outside at

www.pyrotom.com/album/CharlieNov06/

Take a look at

www.pyrotom.com and look at any albums that have spiegel in them.  Hell, when you are bnot risking life and limb, you have lots of time - look at them all.
For perspective, the interior of the house measures 50 x 20 feet and consists of three major rooms, two 15 x 20 bedrooms and an 20 x 20 common room.

Each bedroom has a shower/sink/toilet set up that is around 5.5 ft by 10 feet and a walk in closet that is hurrican proof that measures 5.5 x 6.

At this moment, everything is hooked up and the interior lacks cooking facilities, the kitchen sink fridge and furniture.  I plan on going down in March or April accompanied with around 4 grand to do all that plus finish the outside railing and porch.  Its good that it will be done, as I am just about out of discretionary income for a while.  Might have to sell my 1/1200 WWI ships.

Last trip I was able to do the three Ss.

After we got the road and electricity, things went smoother.  Not smoothly overall, because this is Jamaica.  Like when I designed the big  common room to be 20 feet across.  Understand i could have made it any width I wanted, which is the beauty of steel reinforced concrete.  I obtrained a price on some 2 x 10 x 22 feet long pieces to use as the span/ridge pole.  I ordered all the wood after for delivery after finishing the interior walls, only to find there were no 22 long pices of lumber in Jamaica - period.
"But you quoted it to me."
"Yes, that is the correct price for 22 foot long material."

"Then sell me two pieces."

"We don't have any."

"When will you?"

"Never, we never had any/"

SCREAMING "Then how in all that is holy could you quote me on it?"

"Well, Mr Spiegel, if we had them, that is whay they would cost."

Choices - 
1 build another interior wall, in effect making one of them twice as thick
2 Have a support in the middle of the room (so unesthetic)
3 Kill the guy who quoted me the price, which would make me feel better momentarily, but would not solve anything.
4 Come up with a brilliant save (If I say so myself - which I do).  Someplace there is a picture, but what I did was to design something that would protrude for three inches upon which the beams would rest.  It looks great and works wonderfully.  I still wanted to incorporate 3 above into the final solution, but my partners persuaded me to take a different approach.


When  construction began, it was apparant that it would have to be done in stages:

1 - Foundation, which includes all the upright steel work.

2 - Pouring the slab.

3 - Walls, with openings for windows and doors. Normally they build with block and later knock out the openings with sledges

4 - Roof - oh, what an adventure

5 - Interior tile

6 - Windows and bars
More later

-andy

I don't know why that is so funny to me, but I just burst out laughing at the office.

Andy rules.

And we at the office, were just talking about the differnt things you can do to monkies......i mean with monkies...or nevermind you get my drift.

So Charlie,
I went looking at costa rica, and doing some research in the down time while at work. I dont know how jamaica compares, but the prices for some lots were low, lowers then in the states, but for more land. Now, the questions I have. what helped you decide on your location?  and I understand you have several people involved in this, if I wanted to do it alone, or with family...the question I have is do you have someone watching your lands while you are not there? or is there always someone there?  reason im asking is it seems costa rica has a bad streak of vandlism and robberys to un watched homes. and alot of people have lost money on it. what would you advise?

anyway continue on my friend, I am listening.

I wrote a huge [post on the flight to FL, but they only have two computers in the whole joint that have net access so I cannot send it until I return.  Last night, had dinner with three men, total age of them was over 280.  My dad was the youngster at 83.

To answer your questions, Rob:

In the early 80's a group of us vacationed in Jamaica for one to two weeks a year, starting in the first weekend of February.  Our BoD nmeeting is still held then, on the beach, with alcohol and ganja being provided by the corporation.  We are very laid back.  This year's meeting was last weekend.
Everyone speaks English after a fashion, the climate is nice even during the rainy season, food is inexpensive and fresh, and services cheap.  Elaboration may follow

Vandalism is always a problem.  You don't think a guy with 5 stripes is wealthy, but by their standards you are.  If a couple owns a dwelling, social security provides enough to live comfortably.  Add a 20-25 year pension and you will do fine, in either place.

Eventually you will come to the photo album, which hopefully my DS&WW will upload, that has photos of our "burglar bars."  These were designed in suggestion by us, and wonderfully executed by Daniel, who designed a metal sculpture garden called Jurrasic Park.  The bars function to keep people out, which is a sad necessity, as all are convinced that we are rich.

We decided on our remote location as three of the four couples live in romote locations, and having an average holding of around 10 acres appealed to us.  Plus, by the time we move in we imagined that some others would be starting as well.  Probably can and will whore myself out as a construction supervisor, now that I have either done or seen it all done.  Plus I can read blueprints.

We have a full time caretaker, who works hard while someone is in residence, but not so hard when we are away.  Jamaica.  We pay him middle class wages, around $3000 a year.  We need to open communications better, because his concept of what yes means and mine differ somewhat, as well as the word finished.

I like living with some friends nearby, as that way, one is hardly ever alone unless one wants to be, and thee is usually someone to share an expeerience.  For instance, Tina is a birder.  So is Estelle, and to lesser degrees Diane and JC.  Diane and Estelle are Mater Gardeners, I am a gifted amateur, and helped set up the compost system (interesting explaining that to Garnett, or caretaker) as well as the terracing system.

Tom loves to tinker.  Jeff and I like to work on systems.  Dwarf is a mean bartender.  If I want to go to a soccer game, someone will want to go as well.  If not - its rare.  In our future are plans to build a communtity kitchen, a serious kitchen, as those of you who saw Casa Spiegel can attest, is important.  Of the 8 of us, there are several who are really good preparers of food.  Cannot wait until JC bakes somepies.  She did win blue ribbons in Tomkins county....Mmmm - pie.

It took us quite a whjile to settle on Garnett as our caretaker, and we are having him go through a serious trial now.  HJonesty, while of major importance, is not sufficient.  Naturally, we had to go to his house to bring back some of our tools.  Long story, which is being played out literally at this moment in Negril forduring his yearly evaluation.  Then I get to negotiate salary - maybe, because we are at loggerheads after 6 years. 

More later

COMBO BREAKER!