usvi-on-line
Progress at Plumeria (longish)
Progress at Plumeria (longish)
Some of you may recall my post ("Doubling Down; http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... j8JDRCzmk0) back in March, announcing our unplanned purchase of Plumeria, the villa adjacent to Coconuts on Gifft Hill. I lack the patience to maintain a blog, so please bear with me on this one long post.
We have been able to get down to Plumeria twice since the closing, each time for two weeks, and have made lots of progress. These visits were the polar opposite of laid-back vacations; they were non-stop villa renovation chaos, with up to ten contractors on hand on any given day, and plenty of personal projects. Here's a summary of what has been accomplished to date, as well as what's (literally) on deck in the coming month.
The biggest project, which we knew we would have to tackle when we bought the property, was a major deck rebuild. The original deck boards were severely weathered and splinter prone, with nail heads sticking up here and there. Upon pulling the deck boards off, what we had thought to be relatively new ledgers up against the foundation proved to be new boards nailed over the black rotted original ledgers, which was structurally unsound. As a result, two-thirds of the deck had to be totally replaced down to the ground. We spaced the new ledgers off the concrete with 3/4" thick plastic bars, which allows free air movement behind them, and avoids trapping water in a crevice between the wood and the concrete. We also applied felt (asphalt) paper over all the joists before the new deck boards were installed, preventing any direct wood to wood contact. These were all tricks that we applied when we re-did the old decks next door at Coconuts. A third of the deck, creating the outdoor living room and garage, was a relatively recent addition. The structural lumber there was in excellent condition, so we kept it, but all the aging deck boards were replaced. I've never been a fan of composite plastic decking, so we used what we did at Coconuts: pressure-treated 2x6's, which were individually bleached, sanded, primed, and stained. Stainless-steel "Camo" fasteners were used to secure the deck boards. This is a great system; it involves a jig, and drives the fasteners in at a 45 degree angle in the gaps between deck boards. The result is that no deck fasteners are visible, and they will never creep back up to snag a toe, as nails are prone to do.
We then shipped down and installed a number of the following nice amenities that have proven popular at Coconuts:
Solar pool heaters over the covered walkways, with guest temperature control
Whisper-quiet programmable pool pump
LED pool light, with five fixed colors and seven color programs
Professional massage table
High-end telescope and binoculars
The highest speed available wireless internet
Flat screen TVs (40", 32", and 22")
Expanded cable with HD channels, HBO, and an HD-DVR to record shows
Cordless phones with unlimited free calling to the US mainland
Blu-ray players
Photo jigsaw puzzles of Trunk Bay and a Cruz Bay sunset
Villa-wide UV / activated charcoal water purification system
Bedroom iPod/iPhone music player alarms
Outdoor dual docking (iPhone and Galaxy) sound system
Complete set of Penzeys' spices
Hot-air popcorn popper, waffle iron, and other nice kitchen gear
Repainted all interiors
Weatherstripping and jambs for the French doors
Replaced all incandescent bulbs with LED lights
Beaded Sunbrella pool/beach float
Umbrellas
Cistern water level gauge
Suntan/insect spray share bin
Books on marine life and St. John
Complementary hiking map
Labeled all switches
Ramp to front entrance
Rebuilt all storm shutters
New Galvalume roofing in the garage
Expanded AC wall outlets
3D map of St. John
Roku 3, Netflix, and Pandora One for free unlimited movie and music streaming
Numerous plant labels
New bedspreads and linens
The previous owners had used a single turquoise paint for ALL interior and exterior surfaces; we chose a nice warm yellow for the interiors, providing a welcome relief from what had been an overwhelmingly blue theme. The bedspreads were ornate floral patterns, and we replaced these with simple textured white ones.
Guests rate a spa as important in their decision making, but there wasn't any obvious place to put one. As a result, over the last two months, we added a new lower deck on the west (view) side, which also serves (as at Coconuts) to drop the railing down out of the view. A large spa arrived recently, and was set into its niche in the new deck. It will be wired and filled with water early next week.
Over the next few weeks, a granite outdoor kitchen will be added adjacent to the dining gazebo, with its own hip roof should a tropical shower spring up. The kitchen will include a large built-in grill with an infrared back burner and rotisserie, a Teppanyaki cooking surface, hot and cold water sink, mini-fridge, drawers with all necessary utensils and tableware, and a roll-out waste bin. It is nip and tuck as to whether the kitchen will be complete in time for our next guest, who arrives on October 10th. The gas grill sailed from Miami on Friday, the Teppanyaki is inbound from Germany, and the granite drawings are complete, but fabrication hasn't yet begun.
We have been very gratified with the growth in bookings at Coconuts; when we first rented it back in 2010, the rental managers tried to talk us into choosing another villa, as the three squabbling owners had allowed the villa to run down. Coconuts now has 45 weeks of continuous rentals (OK, four of those weeks are us), with no more than a few two-day gaps, and its first open week is in August, 2014! We are pretty sure that this makes it the highest occupancy villa on St. John. We have been seeing a nice trend in bookings at Plumeria as well, and hope that our recent renovations will keep this going. I recently created a simple one-page web site (http://www.cocoplum.vi) that serves as a portal to our two VRBO pages, and this will be the focus of our forward marketing.
We are grateful for the positive reception to our efforts at both villas, and encourage forum members to consider Coconuts and Plumeria for their future vacations.
All the best,
Kevin
We have been able to get down to Plumeria twice since the closing, each time for two weeks, and have made lots of progress. These visits were the polar opposite of laid-back vacations; they were non-stop villa renovation chaos, with up to ten contractors on hand on any given day, and plenty of personal projects. Here's a summary of what has been accomplished to date, as well as what's (literally) on deck in the coming month.
The biggest project, which we knew we would have to tackle when we bought the property, was a major deck rebuild. The original deck boards were severely weathered and splinter prone, with nail heads sticking up here and there. Upon pulling the deck boards off, what we had thought to be relatively new ledgers up against the foundation proved to be new boards nailed over the black rotted original ledgers, which was structurally unsound. As a result, two-thirds of the deck had to be totally replaced down to the ground. We spaced the new ledgers off the concrete with 3/4" thick plastic bars, which allows free air movement behind them, and avoids trapping water in a crevice between the wood and the concrete. We also applied felt (asphalt) paper over all the joists before the new deck boards were installed, preventing any direct wood to wood contact. These were all tricks that we applied when we re-did the old decks next door at Coconuts. A third of the deck, creating the outdoor living room and garage, was a relatively recent addition. The structural lumber there was in excellent condition, so we kept it, but all the aging deck boards were replaced. I've never been a fan of composite plastic decking, so we used what we did at Coconuts: pressure-treated 2x6's, which were individually bleached, sanded, primed, and stained. Stainless-steel "Camo" fasteners were used to secure the deck boards. This is a great system; it involves a jig, and drives the fasteners in at a 45 degree angle in the gaps between deck boards. The result is that no deck fasteners are visible, and they will never creep back up to snag a toe, as nails are prone to do.
We then shipped down and installed a number of the following nice amenities that have proven popular at Coconuts:
Solar pool heaters over the covered walkways, with guest temperature control
Whisper-quiet programmable pool pump
LED pool light, with five fixed colors and seven color programs
Professional massage table
High-end telescope and binoculars
The highest speed available wireless internet
Flat screen TVs (40", 32", and 22")
Expanded cable with HD channels, HBO, and an HD-DVR to record shows
Cordless phones with unlimited free calling to the US mainland
Blu-ray players
Photo jigsaw puzzles of Trunk Bay and a Cruz Bay sunset
Villa-wide UV / activated charcoal water purification system
Bedroom iPod/iPhone music player alarms
Outdoor dual docking (iPhone and Galaxy) sound system
Complete set of Penzeys' spices
Hot-air popcorn popper, waffle iron, and other nice kitchen gear
Repainted all interiors
Weatherstripping and jambs for the French doors
Replaced all incandescent bulbs with LED lights
Beaded Sunbrella pool/beach float
Umbrellas
Cistern water level gauge
Suntan/insect spray share bin
Books on marine life and St. John
Complementary hiking map
Labeled all switches
Ramp to front entrance
Rebuilt all storm shutters
New Galvalume roofing in the garage
Expanded AC wall outlets
3D map of St. John
Roku 3, Netflix, and Pandora One for free unlimited movie and music streaming
Numerous plant labels
New bedspreads and linens
The previous owners had used a single turquoise paint for ALL interior and exterior surfaces; we chose a nice warm yellow for the interiors, providing a welcome relief from what had been an overwhelmingly blue theme. The bedspreads were ornate floral patterns, and we replaced these with simple textured white ones.
Guests rate a spa as important in their decision making, but there wasn't any obvious place to put one. As a result, over the last two months, we added a new lower deck on the west (view) side, which also serves (as at Coconuts) to drop the railing down out of the view. A large spa arrived recently, and was set into its niche in the new deck. It will be wired and filled with water early next week.
Over the next few weeks, a granite outdoor kitchen will be added adjacent to the dining gazebo, with its own hip roof should a tropical shower spring up. The kitchen will include a large built-in grill with an infrared back burner and rotisserie, a Teppanyaki cooking surface, hot and cold water sink, mini-fridge, drawers with all necessary utensils and tableware, and a roll-out waste bin. It is nip and tuck as to whether the kitchen will be complete in time for our next guest, who arrives on October 10th. The gas grill sailed from Miami on Friday, the Teppanyaki is inbound from Germany, and the granite drawings are complete, but fabrication hasn't yet begun.
We have been very gratified with the growth in bookings at Coconuts; when we first rented it back in 2010, the rental managers tried to talk us into choosing another villa, as the three squabbling owners had allowed the villa to run down. Coconuts now has 45 weeks of continuous rentals (OK, four of those weeks are us), with no more than a few two-day gaps, and its first open week is in August, 2014! We are pretty sure that this makes it the highest occupancy villa on St. John. We have been seeing a nice trend in bookings at Plumeria as well, and hope that our recent renovations will keep this going. I recently created a simple one-page web site (http://www.cocoplum.vi) that serves as a portal to our two VRBO pages, and this will be the focus of our forward marketing.
We are grateful for the positive reception to our efforts at both villas, and encourage forum members to consider Coconuts and Plumeria for their future vacations.
All the best,
Kevin
- Deck rebuild
- The new deck
- New lower deck
- The new spa
- Coconuts' calendar
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GotToGetAway
- Posts: 396
- Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:55 pm
- Location: FL
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
Love to hear about the progress at both of your villas!
I think you offer such a valuable insight into owning a home on St. John and how to maintain it properly and cater to your guests. It definitely shows in your bookings!
Wish you all the best in this doubling down adventure
I think you offer such a valuable insight into owning a home on St. John and how to maintain it properly and cater to your guests. It definitely shows in your bookings!
Wish you all the best in this doubling down adventure
Tickerless 
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
I am very interested in that outdoor kitchen, please report back as it progresses. We looked at Coconuts for our next visit but we ended up needing a bigger house.
We are adding a deck to our vacation house and are endlessly debating real versus composite decking. I am going to share your method with my husband.
We are adding a deck to our vacation house and are endlessly debating real versus composite decking. I am going to share your method with my husband.
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
Many congratulations - looks fabulous 
PA Girl - you might be interested in our decking that we used at our home - you can check it out on our building blog - we LOVE it still after almost 2 years installed - one of the best decisions made
Pia
PA Girl - you might be interested in our decking that we used at our home - you can check it out on our building blog - we LOVE it still after almost 2 years installed - one of the best decisions made
Pia
Realtor - St John Properties
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
Composite decking is the only way to go all I do to to keep it clean is to use a sprayer with bleach just before or during a rainstorm. I've had mine now for 12 years and love itPA Girl wrote:I am very interested in that outdoor kitchen, please report back as it progresses. We looked at Coconuts for our next visit but we ended up needing a bigger house.
We are adding a deck to our vacation house and are endlessly debating real versus composite decking. I am going to share your method with my husband.
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
PA Girl - I forgot to add the link to our blog and mention that we used Azek Decking (comes in many colors) http://onawhimstjohn.wordpress.com/2012 ... ve-a-deck/
Pia
Pia
Realtor - St John Properties
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Myheart'sinSTJ
- Posts: 363
- Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 7:02 pm
- Location: New London, PA
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
Kevin, as you know I stayed at Plumeria almost a year ago now, it was very nice then, it sounds like it is fabulous now, you should have great booking success ( will have to check out the calendar )
Best-
Terry
)Best-
Terry
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
I hope all the hundreds of villas on STJ don't decide to post a long list of all their improvements and amenities on the Forum unless Anthony decides to start a whole new section.
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Bonny in CA
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Thu Aug 25, 2011 4:30 pm
- Location: SF Bay Area
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
I can't wait to see all the improvements at Plumeria!! We'll be checking in on October 28th and it sounds like we're going to have a hard time dragging ourselves away from the villa!! 5 weeks from this very moment, we'll be on our way to the airport!!Kevin, I will forward you a copy of our airline itinerary, so you'll have a better idea of our arrival time!
Plumeria is looking great!! I can't wait to post a trip report with lots of pictures!
Bonny
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
Oh, good to know. Azek was recommended to us as well. I like your railing. We also want to "go light" on the railing.Pia wrote:PA Girl - I forgot to add the link to our blog and mention that we used Azek Decking (comes in many colors) http://onawhimstjohn.wordpress.com/2012 ... ve-a-deck/
Pia
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Bluestreak12
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:32 pm
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
I think it would be a great idea to have a separate section for villa feedback. I am currently researching villas and one in particular has negative reviews about upkeep, but the reviews are several years old. If we could have a thread for each villa (not in the general area of course), each person could post positives or negatives on it without doing an extensive review.Exit Zero wrote:I hope all the hundreds of villas on STJ don't decide to post a long list of all their improvements and amenities on the Forum unless Anthony decides to start a whole new section.
If I was considering Coconuts, or any other villa for that matter, I would be happy to know that the owner is committed to providing an experience worthy of the rental being paid.
I would also love to see a sub-forum for snorkeling tips for each beach. One thread per beach where all the information for that beach would be in one thread.
This of course could be expanded so that there would be categories such as General Topics/Villas/Beaches or Snorkeling/Dining/Rental Cars/Travel Tips etc.
Probably too much work and maybe people like everything in one place, but I would prefer the above if possible.
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
"I hope all the hundreds of villas on STJ don't decide to post a long list of all their improvements and amenities on the Forum unless Anthony decides to start a whole new section."
You needn't worry about "All the hundreds of villas on St. John" posting here about their improvements, as that right is limited to the much smaller subset of VIOL advertisers, ourselves included, the income from which makes this forum possible. We have been in discussions with Anthony for some time now about upgrading our marketing program with VIOL to cover both Coconuts and Plumeria, and a banner ad is being designed that should be up in a few days. All villa owners who advertise on VIOL are encouraged to provide monthly updates of news and improvements; very few do, and my own posts regarding our villas are few and far between.
All the best,
Kevin
You needn't worry about "All the hundreds of villas on St. John" posting here about their improvements, as that right is limited to the much smaller subset of VIOL advertisers, ourselves included, the income from which makes this forum possible. We have been in discussions with Anthony for some time now about upgrading our marketing program with VIOL to cover both Coconuts and Plumeria, and a banner ad is being designed that should be up in a few days. All villa owners who advertise on VIOL are encouraged to provide monthly updates of news and improvements; very few do, and my own posts regarding our villas are few and far between.
All the best,
Kevin
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
Kev, nice job replying. I enjoy all your posts. You add a lot of positive info to this forum. I don't have a lot of time to jump around to different sites. Afterall, I am retired.. 
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
I enjoyed reading about the updates to your villas..the title explained what the topic was about so if you don't want to read it don't! Kevin, thank you for your many useful posts.
Re: Progress at Plumeria (longish)
EZ I do allow current sponsors more leeway in their posts - which maybe is not clear unless you are a sponsor. I am thinking about a way to handle this better in the future.Exit Zero wrote:I hope all the hundreds of villas on STJ don't decide to post a long list of all their improvements and amenities on the Forum unless Anthony decides to start a whole new section.
Anthony for Virgin Islands On Line