Wooden houses vs. masonry in STT?

islandlola,

Shibui (I know I am spelling that incorrectly), a Japanese style conglomerate of homes on STT over looking the airport has survived many storms and even hurricanes. The base is built out of concrete for the cistern (a must I understand since nothing else can hold that much water), and the entire upper floor is built out of wood. It is nice to actually live in a wood house as the concrete made me feel like I was in a tomb or bunker. I have also seen many homes built out of the concrete and than covered in wood slats. I often thought brick would be nice on the exterior, but it may be impossible to get on island. You can make the concrete look like stucco with some artistic flair with the last layer of concrete. Oh, I hope someone else jumps in that has lived in a wooden house or has built a house recently. Anyway, my comments are food for thought, hopefully. Good luck on your research.

Teresa

The only thing I know about wooden houses is you are going to have a hard time financing one.

To the best of my knowledge you will not be able to find an insurance policy for a non-masonry house. At least that's what I was told by every local insurance company I called.

Do you know what they call wooden houses in a hurricane? Kites.
One would have to look at the VI Building codes etc and probably have to do some creative financing and self insurance. Interesting topic tho.

I own a house constructed with wood on STT. It survived Marilyn with minimal damage. I believe this had alot to do with location....such as not being on top of a hill that can be a wind tunnel when the hurricanes come.

I also have insurance on it, but it is very expensive.

My personal belief is that all the hoopla and bad press on wood construction is overkill. I would prefer a concrete house, but you will pay more for it. Not sure the value assigned to concrete construction vs wood is appropriate. I think the insurance companies get their panties in a wad unnecessarily and do not use data to assign rates. My personal belief is that everyone reacts to the headlines on this and not the real data.

Thanks for the opinions!

I-lo

We built a combination concrete and wood house. Cistern and first living floor were concrete and the top floor was wood A-frame. No problem with financing or insurance. The insurance was high, but the house was on the oceanfront, so that was figured in too. We have sold that house, and the new owner didn't have any problem with financing or insurance either. For the insurance companies, maybe the problem is not the wood, but the condition of the property. Problems with financing could be that the property doesn't appraise for the amount of the purchase price. Could be lots of things. That's just a couple of ideas.

But, I would take concrete, all the way, if I had a choice. (The house we built was already framed in, etc. when we bought it.),

Contact CJ @ Cilcia Builders, 340-998-9677, cj@caribbeanroundhouse.com. He just finished two Deltech homes on STT. They are a round house ( actually made of 8' panels that form a hex type shape ) that is said to hold up really well in hurricanes due to the fact that there is no large flat surfaces for the wind to catch on.
There is an older one on STX that went thru Marylin with only some window damage ( no shutters ) and deck damage. This house is on the side of a hill in a location that I would not consider very sheltered.
The Deltec company claims that they have NEVER lost a house in a hurricane. There were several that went through Katirina in the area that was hit the hardest. The owners claim the worst they suffered was some lost shingles while their neighbors were totally wiped out.
The wood is pressure treated for termites.
He has a Insurance company on STT that will insure it at a mixed rate, about 2% more than all masonary.

We are looking very seriously at building this type of home in a couple of years.
Tell CJ that Terry from AZ gave you the tip. We went over to STT in March and he went out of his way to show us the house that was under construction, even though he doesn't do work on STX.

Hi Terry:

Thanks for the reply. This sounds *really* interesting. I have heard about round concrete houses, but my preliminary research suggested that they might, at least initially, cost as much as a standard masonry house. I'll check out the info you sent, and will be sure to mention your name.

I-lo

I've always heard wooden houses cost more to insure because of fires.

I have heard that about fires as well. I have a wooden house - concrete on first two levels and wooden on top. I have no problem obtaining insurance and I am able to go thru AARP so it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg. I am selling a home that is wooden and suffered no damage in Marilyn (probably due to location).

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS CANT BE WRONG?

Yeah, I must confess to thinking a lot about the 3 little pigs as I consider wooden houses...some look amazingly sturdy, others look much less so.

Ilo

I have also heard that a good wooden house is better in a small earthquake, as it will give a little and not have as much damage.
????

Ric and I have not been here through a hurricane, but we did go through Tropical Storm Jeanne a couple of years ago. Even with those winds, I was very glad of my concrete house.

You raise a good point. I have been on island in very high winds (not hurricanes) and I sometimes felt a little insecure even in a concrete house.

Ilo

can somebody supply me with builders on ST John that would build a combination concrete and wood we hope to start building next year

Ask Cj at the top of this post. he might do work on STJ as well.