THE
PLACE: VIEQUES
Development
of real estate projects in Vieques offers unique challenges.
(Photos, descriptions,
& thoughts)
Permits
The process
of developing a home site or commercial building in Vieques is very
similar to in principle to the way it is done up north on the mainland.
Zoning codes are patterned after typical stateside versions. The UBC
has been adopted as the building code. Although the codes are similar,
the process is not.
In the “old days”, a wild-west mentality on the island saw many homes
built without drawings, permits, or inspections. After the Navy left
the island, the Puerto Rican government from offices on the main island
took a more aggressive role. We are in a transition period as attempts
are being made to have these approval and inspection processes brought
to an office in Vieques.
Currently, the system is in total flux, and time frames are unpredictable.
This process is heavily bureaucratic and requires a minimum of three
weeks (if no ante proyecto is required) to four months, but usually
runs longer.
Logistics
Almost everything on the island must be shipped in. The amount of
effort and energy required to bring a slab of granite from Italy versus
a local slab of granite can be very significant. While small, light
weight items such a faucet can be sent through the mail, heavy and
bulky items must be shipped via boat. After items arrive on the main
island they must pass through customs. Subsequently, they are transferred
or stored one or more times and then aggregated with other items going
to Vieques. Whether local or imported, the goods are loaded into trucks
that come from the main island to Vieques on a cargo ferry.
The logistics are cumbersome, increase the cost of construction, and
extend the schedule. When considering any specified item or material
in the structure, local versus imported must be weighed realizing
the full ramifications of such a decision.
Labor
The quality of labor on the island varies greatly. The demand for
construction workers has outstripped the supply of well trained labor.
Labor from the mainland and the States is both trained and untrained.
While there are plenty of excellent tradesmen, one must exercise due
diligence in the selection process. Many of the skilled craftsmen
that have grown up here have learned their trades from years of experience,
and while competent in traditional methods, are not about to conform
to new or improved procedures. There is a lack of licensed plumbers
and electricians which means that unlicensed individuals with mixed
backgrounds offer these services and pay a licensed professional to
sign off for them.
Reading drawings and interpreting intensions are not skills that many
tradesmen anywhere possess, but in Vieques, they are totally non-existent.
The appliances, lighting, plumbing, and other items selected for high
end homes have no precedence here, so it is unfair to expect the local
tradesman to be sensitive to such issues at this time. Constant supervision
is a must.
Work hours and work ethics vary by individuals, but the everyday tradesman
comes early (on the days that he shows up) and leaves early 2:00 PM.
There are many holidays in Puerto Rico, more than twice the number
as on the mainland, and many of the celebrations (or recovery periods)
spill over onto what would otherwise be a workday. On the other hand,
there are many for whom construction is a second job. These individuals
can be very aggressive workers showing up at 3:00 PM and working full
weekends.
There is no substitute for a savvy, hands-on contractor. Infrastructure
Water, telephone, and electrical
services are available to parcels in almost all developed neighborhoods
and in many more remote locations as well. DSL is available in areas
close to Isabel II. Wireless broadband is available to buildings that
have lines of sight to the transmitters.
Sewer systems extend throughout both town centers but are not available
to rural homes or many neighborhoods. Most use septic tanks for the
toilet systems and recycle (watering landscape) the gray water from
the sinks and showers.
Roads are obvious: what you see, is what you have. Maintenance of
these is spotty. Depending on funds, they are fixed or not. Some wait
in disrepair for the next hurricane so that the municipality will
get repair funding from FEMA.
The sources of water and electrical services are both on the main
island. Pumps and backup electrical generation facilities are located
here in Vieques. Interruptions of service occur whenever there are
major storms or other calamities on the main island or on Vieques.
The island is vulnerable. It makes good sense to account for these
eventualities in the design and construction of any project. Water
collection and storage, recycling, solar energy, wind power, and other
conservation techniques are most appropriate in places like Vieques.
At $.27 per KWH, payback is relatively quick compared to other areas
of the country. Remodel
Remodeling and adding to
existing structures is typically more green and sustainable than demolishing
the existing structures and hauling the construction debris to the
landfill. Vieques houses, however, often tend to make this task Herculean.
The most common desire of the homeowner is to add a second story.
The reasons for this are generally valid:
1. Pop up and gain a better view;
2. Lot size limitations favor up rather than expansion outward;
3.
Adding a whole new floor lends itself to the creation of an additional
apartment for rent, caretaker, guests, etc.; and,
4. If the first
floor has been properly constructed, building a second floor above
can be quite cost effective.
The reality of existing buildings in
Vieques is not as it first seems. Typical houses have reinforcing
steel sticking out of the roof implying that the builder designed
the house for multiple stories but only accomplished the first phase.
Furthermore, local builders may opine that there would be no problem
adding a second story. This is the outline for disaster.
A quick examination
of most houses here will uncover one or more of the following issues:
1. Inadequate (or no) footings to support the weight of an added floor;
2. Insufficient wall thickness for a second floor - hollow 6" block
isn't allowed by itself; and,
3. Lack of "shear" walls to resist earthquake.
(Yes, we are in a very active seismic zone. Note that reinforced walls
can be used to brace the structure from the lateral motion that will
knock down buildings primarily supported by columns.)
A detailed examination
is seldom conducted because the data are too difficult to gather for
reasons such as:
1. There are no existing drawings of the house;
2.
There were no permits and no inspection reports;
3. Standard procedures
here for block walls often fail to include concrete or steel in the
block cavities;
4. The equipment to image (x-ray or sonogram) steel
in walls, beams, slabs, and columns is not available to us at any
reasonable price; and
5. Beach sand was (historically) used instead
of river sand in the concrete which leads to a shortened life with
less strength.
In summary, most houses were built without the use
of professionals. For a single level house on grade, this is generally
not a problem. For more complex structures (hills, columns, water)
even single level houses may not be solid, but without a heavy earthquake,
everyone is complacent. Second story additions are almost always possible,
but because of known and unknown existing conditions, considerable
additional structure, mess, and money are necessary.
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