Development: Building your dream resort
Cheyenne Morrison, in his "Developing Your Own Private Island" article, said, "When considering the purchase of an island you have to not only consider the price of the island, but how much it's going to cost to bring it up to liveable standards if it's not already liveable." Does the island have a pre-built home, running water, and electricity? Or will all of the necessary components of living need to be added? Morrison noted "construction costs will run about thirty-percent or more over land-based homes." Before developing, and even before buying, a private island, one must research the climate of the area. If the location of the island is known for hurricanes or tidal waves, the development plans must change in order to prepare for these natural disasters. If these preparations are not made, thousands if not millions of dollars could be lost in a day of bad weather.
Accessibility will also be an issue when preparing for development. Everything needed to complete the project will need to be brought in from somewhere else. The ideal situation would be one trip with all the needed supplies on one boat but most of the islands Morrison sells don't have it that easy. Affordable supplies are often going to be more remote than you have prepared for. They will need to be transported by boat, helicopter or seaplane and multiple trips will most likely be necessary. Because of the tides, swimming back and forth is not recommended.
Providing services to your island is another issue at hand. When developing an island, everything starts from scratch. An island will need access to a supply of fresh water, electricity, communication, waste management, transportation within the island, and transportation to and from the mainland for regular supplies such as food and toiletries. Fortunately, we live in a technologically advanced society where most of these issues can be conquered with ease. Communication, for example, can be added by simply installing a satellite for television, radio, and internet access. Most islands are not close enough to the mainland for water or sewage pipes. Water collection and purification machines can be installed to collect and purify rainfall. Sewage tanks can be installed to collect and store waste from the island's facilities. Both of these are cost effective ways to provide the services needed to live comfortably on an island. After all services have been accounted for, the next step is making plans and getting government permission.
With all the improvements in mind, one must start drawing and writing out all of the plans for the development project. These plans are then taken to the government offices where permit documents are filled out and signed and the plans are shown and explained to the government officials. In Doug Ingersoll's case, he went to Belize's capital city, Belmopan, and filled out the permit applications. During this process, he gave them copies of the development plans and paid the necessary fees. At that point, an appointment was scheduled for an inspection of the property to determine the feasibility of the project. If the condition of the island is acceptable and the project is feasible, the permits are issued. One can choose to hire a contractor to do this process but the costs will be higher and contractors, at least in Belize, are not as reliable and motivated as those in the U.S. Another difference between the development process in Belize compared to the United States is the leniency of the government. In the U.S., every stage of the development process has at least one inspection. A project cannot proceed unless each inspection is passed. If there is a two-foot difference in height between the plans of a deck and the actual result, the inspection will fail and changes must be made to make up for this difference. In Belize, the government is not as strict. If there is a reasonable explanation and they do not feel like they are being deceived, a two-foot difference is no matter.
After all permits are issued, you are ready to have at it. If you chose to hire a contractor, most of the next stages will be taken care of. If you took the path Doug Ingersoll chose with Tranquility Caye in Belize, the building stages will be stressful and time consuming. Time consuming not because the workers are slow but stages can only take place while he is in Belize monitoring the progress. If a contractor is hired, you can depend on the contractor to get the job done. Though, as I said before, contractors in Belize may not be as trustworthy or excited and motivated to get things moving as you will be. "Take it easy, mon. It's okay," chuckled Doug Ingersoll as he described the attitude of the Belizeans.