Author's new St. John project 'up in the air'

I just tore through Mike Mullen's saga of building a McMansion villa on St. John, 'Keep Left'. One day on the Caneel beach, with time out for that $40 hamburger, and the book was done. 

I remembered that Mike told me the experience hadn't soured him on construction projects here.  In fact, he had another one in the works.  Turns out it's at Maria Bluff, right next door to a house we used to own.  It's also just around the corner from Blue Tang, where we are staying until mid-March.

So, we walked up there this afternoon - homing in on the loud Spanish music radio we heard blaring from the workers' truck.  Maybe half a dozen guys were on the site, after 4 p.m. (Donna said, 'Wow, they're working late!)  The foundation is in, the cistern is poured, a dipping pool is formed in and it looks like the guys are working the first of what will be a two-floor house. 

The land, as I remember it, may be half an acre or more.  But, honest to God, 50% of it is air.  There's land on one side, where our former house is, then straight down to the ocean, then some more land.  Mike's managed to get an architect to find a way to build a reasonably-sized house (I think he said it's two bedrooms) that won't fall down the hill. 

In his book, Mullen said, I remember, several other architects had taken a swipe at doing plans.

Quite an adventure.

ne

Comments

[Mindie]

I run by this property several times a week and recently a guy was swearing like crazy so I stopped and asked what was wrong. He told me he was trying to put in plumbing but no allowance for pipes had been made in the construction. They had totally ignored "roughing in" for any plumbing. He apologized for his language and continued to "carry on". Sounds like one tough job!