building costs

Check on insurance costs for wood frame - you may be surprised.

since you will need a cistern - usually concrete - and possibly footings - usually concrete - you may want to reconsider the costs.

http://seasthedaystj.com/ -------- this is a newer blog about building their 1st house here ----- $875 a yard for delivered concrete.

Termites - maintenence - paint,varnish, fastenings, mold,rot mildew -- rusty screws and nails ------------------------------- consider the structural use of wooden components - some things are very workable no question -- overall though the more concrete the more durable the structure over time.

Talk to David with FORCE10 houses. Find info on line. Prefab and designed to take hurricane winds and no wood.

there are a few wood frame houses here. not many. can not imagine why though

My homeowners insurance co will not insure a stick built house here

There are companies that actually will insure a wood frame home but it'll cost about $10K (and up, in some cases) to do so.
I wouldn't be without windstorm insurance here. Yes, it's expensive but having the peace of mind, if we were to have another Hugo or Marilyn devastate us, is worth it, IMO.

Jackaroo - Seas the Day is our house that is going up on STJ. Shoot me a PM or an email from the site and I'll help you out from what we have learned. If you're going the masonry route figure at a minimum $500 sqft of finished space. You could probably bring it down to maybe $450 for bare-bones and mediocre finishes/windows/doors/cabinets, etc. Our house is not a high end home, and is small... but we are putting in quality elements... which cost more.

$875 a yard is for formed and finished concrete - that includes all the steal and labor. Concrete deceived to the site in the truck comes to about $270 a yard, and the price goes up the further you are from Cruz.

Looking at the MLS listings, the majority of listings under 1,000,000.00 are wood framed houses, many built 10-20 years ago as well as many new. I have seen St John hurricane pics, and have not seen any houses on ST John that were completely leveled? could be wrong, but there are many for sale that clearly survived, hence my continued confusion. Im sure that a 2500 sf wood framed house with many upgrades may be expensive to insure at complete replacement. My question would involve a small, 500-750sf cottage, which I see several for sale.......does anyone actually know how much something like that may cost per sf

Sorry to bust your bubble but the majority of homes under $1M are not wood frame. Some may be mixed construction but there is small percentage that are wood. Hurricane Marilyn took care of what was not durable.

Interview a couple of contractors or ask your architect who is drawing your plans for estimated cost then double it to be safe.
Ericw gave some good advice tho I would say $350 per sq. ft. but it depends on the finishes you wish and again building on STJ has
it's own unique challenges which include getting supplies via the barge from STT to RH then up to your building site. Ultimately, what
you have to spend is what it will cost. 500-750 sq. ft. is pretty small, IMO. 1500 sq. ft. at least gives you many more options for additional bedroom/bathroom and storage which is important for eventual resale as well as comfortable living.

You'll need to check with the bank re: construction loan and/or insurance required if you are not fully financing it on your own.

jackaroo, I sent a couple pm's with some info of our experience and friends of ours, if it helps!

Just got back from looking at homes to purchase, there are PLENTY of wood framed homes for sale, many of them built before, and survived Marylin, they are insurable at a rate of 2.5% of their replacement cost/year, many have been built since Marylin

Yes, there are plenty of wood homes in inventory because people tend to want concrete homes, hence the surplus. Not saying that there is anything wrong with wood homes. Just keep in mind the additional upkeep and maintenance you will have to do/factor into your yearly budget. For comparison sake, my insurance for replacement value of our concrete home is about 1%. Good luck! Very exciting 🙂

If you do decide on a wood house, consider a concrete pier construction with integral concrete bond beam with treated wood 2 x 8" infill framing. You then finish it with Durrock or 3/4" lateral treated plywood with a Hardi Plank siding. Typically mortar plaster on the interior.
Wood homes are a good alternative if, and only IF, it is constructed properly. It is too easy to shoddily construct a wood home.

Or better yet. Go with a Force10 prefab and be done with it.

Y'all must have a lot more wood homes in STX for sale than STT.

There are many wood frame homes scattered throughout these islands. Many have survived Hugo and Marilyn. Lots of homes were damaged or destroyed whether they were concrete, wood, or mixed construction. If a home is designed and built to wind load it will survive at least that amount of wind. One thing I've learned from the years spent living here, some people are very opinionated and cannot see past their own opinions. There is a lot that can be learned from this board, however it is always good to think for yourself. One thing that could be considered is the prediction of a moderate earthquake. Will wood structures fair better? Who knows? I've heard many views regarding the subject. After that what type of construction will be cheaper to insure? Insurance costs are very reactionary.

My mostly wood construction home on STX did very well during Hurricane Hugo.

My all wood on STX came through Hugo undamaged.

Just because a wood frame structure survived this or that hurricane, does not mean the same will happen again the next time.

All it takes is one embedded tornado to hit your house directly and then it might not matter what type of structure you have if that tornado is strong enough.

There are no guarantees when it comes to weather.

That's what insurance is for. All $6000 dollars a year worth!

Thanks Gumbo, its difficult to get clear answers sometimes