At last we have the red card, the approval from the Building Control Unit, which means that our technical drawings have been approved and we can begin construction. Alan Veeran, our project manager, is now putting the various elements of the construction out to bid. It is a good time to be doing this as the construction industry is going through a lean time and we are likely to get very competitive bids. The first element is the foundations and we hope to break ground in late August, and that would mean completion in September 2011 if there are no unforeseen problems. We will be having bi-monthly meetings with Alan, and taking photographs which will make this blog more interesting.

The renewable energy aspects, particularly solar, remain unresolved. It is more complex than we had expected, especially as there is so little experience of PV solar in Cayman. Of course one is trying to balance the capital cost against savings in the utility bill in order to design the most cost efficient system. The situation is complicated by the fact that CUC, the utility company does not offer net metering, allowing the meter to run forward when we use CUC power in the night and back when we feed them excess power we generate during the day. Without this we have to invest in a large and expensive battery system to store the energy we need at night. The government wants them to do it, but we don’t know when this might happen. We have time on our side though as our final decisions and design for these systems can come later in the construction plan.

For now we can look to physical manifestations of the design and planning that has been done. No doubt we will meet unforeseen problems as we did in the design stage, but feel confident that it will be exciting and rewarding, with the final goal coming ever closer.

Alan Veeran, project manager and Tom, landscape gardener

Cuba is a country of extremes and it can come as something of a culture shock. At the airport we had a hint of what was to come when we picked up our Skoda taxi from the State run ‘Cubataxi’. The two drivers (we couldn’t understand why there were two), were trying to open the hatch back door to put our bags in. It wouldn’t open. They pressed, they banged, they pushed from inside, but it wouldn’t budge. We smiled and thought ‘welcome to Cuba’. The driver kicked the rear mudguard in disgust and the door magically opened. As we drove down the wide well built roads we saw vintage American cars from the fifties as well as rusting Russian Ladas and motorbikes with sidecars. The wing mirror on the passenger side had fallen off and as we joined a new road coming in from the right the passenger driver leaned out of his window, looked back, and shouted to the driver that it was all clear. Now we understood why there were two drivers!

Driving into Havana is like driving into a war zone. In the outer suburbs the Soviet style apartment buildings are grey concrete, blackened with dirt and decorated with washing hanging from the windows. Central Havana has gone beyond the faded glory of colonial days in a city like Lisbon. The poverty here may not be worse than a Caribbean town like Soufriere in St Lucia, but it is all the more shocking because the crumbling colonnades and decrepit buildings are a reminder of the splendour that had once been. It was hard to believe that people were living in them. The stench from an antiquated sewerage system was sometimes overpowering. The sense of depression was made worse by the fact that we’d arrived on the weekend of 26 July, the 51st anniversary of the Revolution, and the streets were largely empty. There were no signs of celebration. Our overall feeling was one of sadness that a country so rich in history, education, culture and natural resources should have come to this. As our guide said later: “Of course, before the revolution there were many poor. Now everyone is poor.”

Cuba has had a long history of fighting for independence and now the country looks tired. For four hundred years it existed under Spanish colonial rule, and just as the North Americans resented the English, they resented the Spanish who ruled autocratically only for the economic benefits for Spain. They bought cheap and sold dear. Many attempts to free themselves ended in glorious failure until 1898 when the Americans joined with them to defeat the Spanish and gain independence. But the help came with a treaty which established a strong American economic presence for them in Cuba, and they supported a Cuban dictatorship, latterly under Batista. In 1959 a young Fidel Castro, with the help of Che Guevara, led an uprising which became the socialist Revolution which destroyed the Batista regime and evolved into a Communist state. Fifty one years later it’s still there with absolute control; having survived the US supported Bay of Pigs invasion attempt and the complete withdrawal of Russian support after the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union.

But there have been some changes in recent years. Castro has invested in a bid to bring tourism to Cuba to boost an economy that is on its knees. Habana Vieja, the old city, has been substantially and beautifully restored as a tourist attraction. There are wide tree lined boulevards, the narrow and picturesque Obispo shopping street, and the broad plazas such as the famous Plaza de San Francisco de Asis. The bar that Hemingway frequented is a popular lunch time haunt for tourists enjoying his signature daiquiris and mojitos. In the Hotel Ambos where he lived his room has been preserved, complete with desk, type writer, photographs and letters, a shrine to the American who made Havana famous. But there is no sign of the commercial life that was there in the American boom years of the fifties. A large bank building is now a hospital, an office building is now a school, some are museums and art galleries, but many stand empty, glorious facades with empty interiors. It seems sad that they cannot have a functional use within the State system, none more so than the imposing Capitol Building—a replica of the Capitol in Washington DC. It symbolizes the era of capitalism and so it stands empty, but at least Castro has not pulled it down.

Hotels have been restored to modern international standards for tourists, they are State owned, as are the best restaurants like Café del Oriente, but even here the food is good but not excellent. It would not be wise to eat anywhere the hotel did not recommend. This is not a ‘When in Rome’ city. However, the Hotel Saratoga, where we stayed, was 49% owned by foreign entrepreneurs, signs that there are small changes in the ubiquitous grip of State control. In the hotel piano bar the pianist came to ask us if there was a particular song that we would like him to play. His dinner jacket was taped together from many years of wear and cleaning. His white dress shirt had shrunk so that it was too small to fasten at the neck and his black-tie had faded. We asked him what job he did during the day. “I fix things” he replied, “It is the only work there is. In the evening I play here or I practice the piano.” He played beautifully. It was very sad.

Not speaking Spanish in Cuba is a major disadvantage because outside of the primary tourist locations it is not possible to speak to ordinary people and understand life in Cuba. We were very lucky to have a young university educated guide for a walking tour around the old city. He not only spoke excellent English but we found that he was prepared to talk openly to us. It was a surprise because we had expected to have state tour guides who would only give us the official party line. Like almost everyone else in Cuba, he had never been abroad. It is not permitted. All the media is state-owned, there is no Internet and there are no external newspapers. Bookshops sell only literature glorifying the State. Somehow though, he seemed to be well informed and had an intelligent and independent view of the world. When I asked him delicately what the people thought about life in Cuba, he replied quietly and cautiously, “They are tired.”

There is an acute shortage of housing, and it is accepted that any couple getting married will go to live with their in-laws, as he had, and several generations of families are crowded together in cramped and poor accommodation. The only time in their life when they will stay in a hotel will be when the state pays for it on their wedding night! Due to a lack of investment in infrastructure there is a shortage of water and the sewerage system is inadequate. There are very few shops and they carry only a limited range of products. Meat and other food is rationed in a country which has vast agricultural resources. The average wage is only 400 pesos (about 400 Euros) a month, even for doctors. It doesn’t buy very much and there is a black market. But they do have a highly regarded free education system with many universities and an excellent health service that is free to all. Cars are a visible sign of how little money people have and their import is tightly controlled by the government. The vast majority of cars are either vintage American cars or Russian Ladas. The American cars from the fifties are truly amazing. They have by now been rebuilt so many times there are is probably nothing original left, and of course none of the parts come from America. The Ladas and Skoda’s are truly rust buckets held together by filler. You need to be a mechanic and a fixer to drive a car in Cuba. Some new cars, like Peugeot, are imported for the tourist rental market. When they are too old to be used by tourists they are passed down free to deserving government workers like doctors. There are only twenty Mercedes in the whole of Habana and they are taxis that are attached to the splendid National Hotel—Fidel’s hotel.

To prevent the massive outflow of currency, Castro introduced the CUC peso, which has no value outside of Cuba. Credit cards rarely work because the connection time is too slow. We brought Euros in cash and changed them to CUC at Havana airport, making sure that we spent them before we left. Our guide did not agree with the impression that most foreigners seem to have: that change is coming to Cuba. He would welcome change; he would like to travel, but after the mystery of how Castro and eighty two rebels on the yacht Granma landed in Cuba, triumphed in the Revolution, and then maintained state control for fifty one years, why should he believe that change is coming now? Yes, Fidel is ill, he is rarely seen in public and he did not attend the public celebrations for the 51st anniversary of the revolution. There are rumours that Raoul too is ill, and although he was in Revolutionary Square for the celebration he did not speak. But even his death might not be enough to change the regime.

Driving around Havana in a 1956 white Dodge convertible we became aware of the number of police on every street corner, in particular in the once exclusive Miramar area. I asked our driver why so many police were needed in such a friendly and crime free city. He looked at me wryly and replied curtly “Many people are against the government”. Later we took a ride in one of the many pedal bicyclettes that carry two passengers. The young driver was stopped by the police and taken away. We didn’t know why and were left to get out and walk back to the hotel.

But the people we met were pleasant, friendly, and eager to help. For the tourist, Havana is a fascinating and pleasant experience. The magnificent opera house stages opera and ballet but was out of season for our visit. The Tropicana Show at the National Hotel was a cabaret which would match anything that Paris can offer. The Buena Vista Social Club lives on, with its ten piece band and singers producing the famous salsa music and songs of the fifties: for tourist and locals alike they embody the ethnic mix and vibrant spirit of Cuba. The splendid Fine Art Gallery houses much of its cultural history, and the magnificent Cuban Modern Art Gallery is a vivid insight into the creative imagination of Cuban art in the 20th century.

Cuba is an enigma, a country of extremes with more questions than answers, but a country that one would want to come back to.

It is over a month since the last blog but there has been little to report until now. However, last week, our planning application was approved, which is a welcome milestone. Now we are moving on to the next important hurdle which is getting the building permit. The architect has now had the technical drawings back from the structural engineer and the MEP consultant, and will submit the plans to the Building Control Unit around the end of this week. We believe that we could have the all important red card—strange that it isn’t a green card! — that will allow us to start building by the end of June.

Meanwhile Alan, our project manager, will be able to use the final drawings to cost the building and then put all the different trades out to bid, so that we will have a firm budget cost before a spade is turned. Of course if his number is not acceptable to us we will have to sit down with Alan and see how and where we can trim back. That is not an unusual part of the process but we will await his number with baited breath.

This week Jeff Demme, our geothermal (GSHP) contractor from Florida, was in Cayman. We met him to agree the details for him to make his final costed proposal for the ground source heat pump system (GSHP). We have also asked Big Frog Mountain to go ahead wither design of the PV solar system.

I was asked to write an article for a Caribbean magazine called Real Life for an issue with the theme “the economy of green.” I was pleased to do it because it helps to spread the word about the benefits of renewable energy. I have copied the article, which has been accepted, below.

THE ECONOMY OF GREEN – IS IT TIME TO POWER YOUR HOME WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY?

Driven by increasing concerns for the environment home owners all over the world are turning to green technologies to produce their own clean energy, reduce their carbon footprint and save themselves money. It is something that we can all benefit from and in this article we will explain the most popular and practical green energy options available.

Here in the Caribbean electricity is our main source of energy and prices are very high compared with other parts of the world. This is because we are particularly dependent on imports of foreign oil needed to power utility company’s diesel generators, making us vulnerable to the threat of reduced oil supplies and rising prices. But fortunately we have alternative sources of renewable energy which any home owner can take advantage of.

Given the plentiful hours of daily sunshine that we enjoy solar is the most practical sustainable energy for most Caribbean homes. There are two ways to use solar energy, solar photovoltaic (PV) to generate electricity or solar thermal to produce hot water.

A solar PV system uses panels, or modules, often placed on the roof, which convert the sun’s rays into DC electricity and inverters turn this into the AC current we use. These panels are now available in three formats: flat panels, thin film and roof tiles, so owners can decide which option best suits their home’s aesthetically. New bi-facial panels can be integrated into a trellis design around a pool for example. No longer an eyesore, solar panels are rather the proud stamp of a forward thinking individual who has chosen to invest in clean energy and dispense with utility bills for ever. The system can be stand alone, in which case it must have a large battery bank to store electricity made in the day which is used at night, or connected to the grid to supply night time power. Although many people feel that a PV solar system can only be done with a new home build it can just as easily be retrofitted to an existing home.

The capital cost of a solar PV system needed to generate electricity depends on several variables – how much power your home uses and whether you want to generate all the power you use or just part of it. Although the initial outlay can be significant, on average a system pays for itself in ten years. In addition a well-designed PV system adds to the resale value of the house, and having a source of electricity that is independent of the grid can also come in handy after natural disasters such as a hurricane.

Solar thermal, which is used to produce hot water, has a much lower capital cost—the average price of a residential unit costs around US $4-5,000—and the payback period is only three to four years and consequently there has been a much higher uptake of this green energy. Solar thermal units are easy to install, maintenance free and, best of all, provide significant energy savings and positive cash flow whilst reducing one’s carbon footprint.

Another source of clean renewable energy, often referred to as ‘a perfect green energy source in the Caribbean’, is wind. Unlike solar units, a wind turbine can generate power during the night as well as the day. Sleek in design, they are no more obtrusive than a street lamp and as quiet as the leaves rustling in the trees. They do need a consistently windy location (on average of 12/15 mph) and a large piece of unobstructed land, so they won’t be for everyone, but most Caribbean Islands are going to see a lot more of commercial wind farms producing clean renewable energy.

James Post, who has installed a wind turbine to supply all the power for his eco-resort, Paradise Bay in Grenada—green initiatives are particularly helpful in attracting tourism in the Caribbean— reckons that wind turbines make electricity cheaper than the utility company when oil is between US$48 to US$80 per barrel. With oil prices forecast to rise yet again to US$140 per barrel, the financial case for wind turbines becomes even stronger.

Geothermal energy is probably the least well-known renewable energy source in the Caribbean but it provides an energy efficient and environmentally friendly cooling and water heating system. Ground source heat pumps (GSHP’s) are electrically powered systems that tap the stored energy of the greatest solar collector in existence: the earth. These systems use the earth’s relatively constant temperatures to provide heating, cooling, and hot water for homes and commercial buildings. Although widely used for heating in colder climates like the USA and Canada, in hot climates the system is reversed to cool the building by pulling heat from the building, carrying it through the system and placing it in the ground, and it creates all your hot water in the process! It is significantly more efficient than traditional A/C systems, saves money in operating and maintenance costs, energy savings usually exceed the cost of the system and the GSHP is a quiet unit like a refrigerator that sits inside your house. Of course if you use in conjunction with PV solar panels then the electricity it uses is free.

It is true that a house that is totally powered by renewable energy can be a major capital investment, but governments in most Caribbean countries, recognizing the need to move to clean renewable energy, are providing consumer incentives such as duty waivers on imported equipment. But the biggest boost to uptake of green technology will come from net metering. A single meter runs forwards when you are using grid power and backwards when you are putting power into the grid. At the end of the month your utility account is in debit or credit. The attraction of this is that it eliminates the need for a bulky and expensive battery storage system, making the capital cost much lower and the pay back much quicker. Although widely used in the USA net metering is now being introduced in the Caribbean. Grenada and the US Virgin Islands already have it and it is expected to be introduced in the Cayman Islands this year with other countries following as governments realize the benefits of encouraging homes and business to generate their own clean, renewable energy.

The initial outlay is high, but viewed as a long term investment the returns are very attractive. In fact some Caribbean banks now offer mortgages on renewable energy equipment, subject to normal lending conditions, because they can see an immediate positive cash flow, with the monthly mortgage repayment costing a lot less that the monthly utility bill would have been.

The early adaptors have shown that the technology works and proved that they have made a sound investment that is saving them money. They have the satisfaction of owning a zero carbon emission home. As government incentives kick in and the cost of oil rises, the economic case will become even stronger and the economy of green will become the norm in our Caribbean island so abundantly blessed with sunshine and wind.

Our architect has responded to the questions raised by planning and we are hoping that the two big issues—the 130 ft setback and the right of way— have been successfully dealt with. Other questions relating to the solar and geo thermal installations have been put to one side as we have decoupled the renewable energy (RE) elements from the planning application. We can go back for approval for these at later date. So, no we have to wait an unspecified time to get the planning approval, but hopefully it will only be a few weeks.

We will also leave the RE parts out of the application for a building permit. This will give us the all important red card which will allow us to start the building process. This is a much more detailed submission than the planning approval, but we are well on the way and hope it can be submitted in the next couple of weeks. That might take six weeks to get the go ahead. However we cannot answer the question everyone is asking—when will you break ground?

We have left out the RE parts out of the planning submissions because we still have a long way to go until we can agree a proposal and specification, let alone do designs. Big Frog Mountain came back with an initial budget for the solar installation which is way over what we want to pay—which was a bit of a shock. I think Thomas has designed a system which is over sophisticated and we have probably been too ambitious in how much power we want to generate. Making 1500 gallons of water each day for the garden will take 40% of our energy. So, a big rethink needed there. But now that we have the permission of planning to decouple the solar and geo thermal (A/C) we can take months if necessary to get this properly worked out while we get on with building the house.

At a micro level we have been puzzling over drainpipes. Should they run down the outside of the house or should they run inside? At first blush it would seem to be a very minor issue, but it is not so simple:

-It outside is it unsightly and insecure in a storm?
-If inside does it hamper access if blocked?

We like the inside idea, which is common in Cayman, but if we do that the columns supporting the verandah will have to be 10” wide to take the down pipe. Will that be unsightly?

This just one example of the many minor decisions which exercise our waking time!
Much more fun has been the garden design! Janet had a first meeting with Tom, our landscape designer, and discussed a detailed plan. She is in seventh heaven and has been spending hours in her gardening books and on the internet looking up the plants and trees he has suggested. Although of course she is an experienced gardener, tropical plants, especially those that will thrive in a dry environment and next to the sea are something quite different from anything she has done before.

What an exhausting week end! Thomas Tripp from the Big Frog Mountain Co. arrived at lunchtime on Saturday and left at midday on Tuesday. We were in nonstop meetings with him. Murray, our MEP man joined us on Monday, along with Jay Easterbrook—who used Thomas to build his own solar system—Frank, our structural engineer, and Alan our construction manager.

The ‘pretty pictures’ fun phase of designing the house is over and now we are into the serious technical detail. For our PV solar system to do all the things we want it is far more complex than we had imagined, and our minds were buzzing with watts, amps and volts. Our brains went into overdrive coping with charge controllers, inverters and battery banks!

On Sunday we had a worry that all the solar panels we needed would not fit on the roof, but by Tuesday the architect had slotted them in. We will have 110 x 175 watt panels in total. The co-ordination with other consultants worked well and everyone went away happy with what Thomas is doing.

We even found time to take Thomas out to the plot, which gave him a personal feel for what we are doing. I took a photo of him there. He is from Chattanooga, Tennessee—a good ole mountain boy—but he really knows his stuff and is fun to work with.

We do not have an answer on the planning issues, but are more relaxed that they will be resolved. No doubt there will be many more like that to come. As we get deeper into the project it becomes more and more detailed and we realize that the potential for mistakes is scary. It is tough for us as newcomers but no doubt it will all turn out right in the end.

Why did I think that planning approval was going to be a breeze? Out of the blue we have had disturbing comments back from the planning officer, a Mr. Egbert Jackson. He has decreed that the house should be set back 130 feet from the high water mark (the back half of the plot), and, as the beach frontage is 200 feet, there must be a public right of way to the beach through our land, and it has to be six feet wide!

He did suggest that John Doak, our architect, could write a letter of variance, which we hope would allow us to have the house in our chosen position, so it appears that we might overcome that obstacle. The second objection is more worrying. I have suggested to John that our case against the ruling can be based on two strong arguments.

Firstly that there is an excellent public access only 200 feet further up the beach, with a boat launching ramp, a pier, and ample car parking. Second the exact measurement of our beachfront is 199.88 feet. Watch this space!

It seems extraordinary that neither our lawyer nor our architect warned us about these statutory rules. I have asked the question, but it’s water under the bridge now.

Easter in Cayman has a great camping tradition. The world and his wife take to the beaches with their tents for the week end. It is healthy harmless fun by and large. Our beach is one of many spots that are used. Our worry is that they may cut down trees for the camp or start fires and leave a mess. There is not much we can do, but tomorrow we are going to put up signs saying, “Private Property-No Trespassing.” We will also pop up and keep an eye on things at the outset. We have been advised to be diplomatic. Caymanians tend to think they have a right by birth to roam anywhere.

This week end will be busy. Thomas Tripp (Big Frog Mountain) will be here at midday on Saturday, and we will spend all the week end and Monday with him going through his proposals for our PV solar system, along with our team here. It should be interesting.

I can’t believe its three weeks since the last posting. It seems to have been a frustrating time with not much happening but at last we have some good news. Today our design drawings went off to the planning department for approval. John Doak, our architect says that with luck that might only take three weeks. As the economy is on its backside they don’t have much to do!

At the same time these drawings have been sent to our structural engineer and the MEP consultant who designs the A/C, electrical and plumbing systems. When John gets all these back (say 2/3 weeks) he incorporates them into his final submission which goes to the BCU (Building Control Unit). They give the all important red card which means you can begin construction. That can take 6-12 weeks. We have given up setting target dates, but maybe we could break ground in June.

More good news is that we had our budget review meeting with Alan, our construction/project manager, and it looks as if we are on budget at this stage. The real test comes when we have the final specification done and go out to bid on all the work to get real prices. The very weak state of the construction industry here should work in our favour though.

On the RE (renewable energy) front we are also making progress. This is the part I worry about the most because it is all very new in Cayman, we are using suppliers from outside Cayman, and of course technically it is hard for us to understand. Our photo voltaic solar power system is being designed and supplied by a company called, wait for it, Big Frog Mountain in Chattananooga, Tennesse. They have already installed a system for some green friends here, Nancy and Jay Easterbrook. Their president, Thomas Tripp (very strong southern drawl) is coming here next week to discuss his proposals with us and our team.

We are also making progress on the SWRO (desalinator) system and Murray, our MEP man, is working with our supplier in Trinidad to design the system. The issue this week has been does it meet the Cayman regulations, but it seems that it does.

Having seen the final drawings, the reality of the house comes closer and it looks lovely. We are still very excited.

G

Well we had two more meetings on the site to determine the precise footings of the house, and in the end it was Janet and our landscape gardener who had the final say. It will move back six feet from the position on the plan and the pool will be two feet wider with a further two feet between the pool and the house—not spoiling natural trees and bush was the key factor. The pool will now butt into the rocky knoll, making it an attractive feature.
We gave up trying to identify reasons for the difference in opinions on the cooling load needed for the air conditioning—it could be so many things— and we are proceeding with the higher number to be safe. Now we are looking into whether we can use a different pump for the desalinator which will use a lot less energy and only run during day time hours when we have the sun to generate electricity. This may help in reducing the power we need.
This week we are having the budget meeting. Alan, our construction manager has been pulling all the costs together. Then there will be a moment of truth when we see how we stack up against our budget. It is a really good idea, because it allows you to change things before you begin building. Once this is agreed we will pass the specifications to the architect so that he can complete the drawings that go to the BCU, the planning authority that give building permission.

Frank, John, Alan and Tom all came up to Frank Sound so that we could establish exactly where the house is going to be on the plot. Every time we go up to the plot we love it! Although the house build project is fun we can’t wait to be living up there.

See more photos in the Photo Gallery

Sunday 31 January 2010
Well, two weeks after our last blog entry it seems that we have taken one step forward and two back. No doubt that is the nature of the beast.
Our trip to Miami was very productive. It is of course a huge city with home building and fitting resources of every kind. One of the most memorable was Farrers, a giant Alladin’s Cave of endless rooms with lighting fixtures and bathroom fittings. We also looked at kitchens, doors, exterior and interior, and plantation shutters for the inside window treatments. Amazingly we were on the go for five days, but we did find time to see Kris, Steve and Roman. Between Miami and Cayman we now have made choices and got estimates on all the FF&E (fixtures, fittings and equipment) that have to be decided on to be included in the construction drawings that have to be submitted to the BPU ( planning approval). Next week we plan to have a first budget review meeting with Alan , our construction manager, which should be interesting!
The major road block this week has been a large discrepancy in the estimate of how much power we will need to run our high tech geo thermal A/C system. Our MEP consultant has calculated double what the contractor supplying it estimated. This matters because it has a huge impact on the size of the photovoltaic solar system that generates our electricity, and design of the system can’t begin until the total energy needs of the house have been finalized. We are checking that they are both working with the same data and they are recalculating.
Another visit to the site is planned for Tuesday to discuss exactly where the house sits on the plot. Stakes were put in the ground to show the corners of the house and the pool and it encroaches into a rocky knoll on the SE corner. It may be a feature or we may need to re orientate the house. The team of our architect, construction manager, structural engineer, and even our landscape gardener will be there to discuss it and advise us.