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Cayo district off grid advice?

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Adrian93
  4/13/2014 23:50 EST

Hi! Im 30 and want to move to the cayo district in belize. I want to live off the grid, and im willing to build my own structures. I have experience in off grid living. Anyone done this? Advice? Anecdotes, etc would be awesome!

EktunHa
  4/14/2014 10:19 EST

We get about 875 watt per square metre per hour, have fun!

The problem is storing the power after it's generated, as in...

The marine batteries are hella expensive and disposal of them is a problem without damaging the environment, so... I will look forward to hear your updates on the above...

pm me if you want to connect on facebook!

Best regards,

Paul

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jsuits
  4/15/2014 10:54 EST

We live completely off-grid between San Ignacio and Spanish Lookout in a new and growing community called Carmelia Gardens. Living in Cayo is great and living completely off-grid has exceeded our expectations. We moved into our new home this past January. If you want to know more about building here and such send me a private email and we'll talk or get together. Jim

lorreann
  4/17/2014 16:33 EST

Is there a website for your community? (Since you are off grid that may be a dumb question, but thought I would ask)

snakeoildoc
  4/17/2014 17:03 EST

Carmelita Gardens

ralphp652
  4/18/2014 01:27 EST

if you google it you will find: www.carmelitagardens.com

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alleghenystringband
  4/18/2014 03:32 EST

WOW! that is beautiful! Now that really sparks my interest... Thanks for posting.
Pete and Jackie

jsuits
  4/18/2014 12:54 EST

I'm just now catching up on posts and emails from the last few days. My wife and I are the first full-time, permanent residents in Carmelita Gardens (ours is the blue house called Bella Vida). For those who wonder if you can really (really) live on solar energy in a larger home the answer is absolutely YES. Carmelita Gardens as a development is stunning. It's quiet, peaceful, has lots of wildlife (birds mostly) and is situated on the Belize River. The whole idea is to live independently, together.

This would be attractive to people who want to live their lives as they wish without having others tell them what they should and shouldn't do - within the confines of affecting the value of others investments in their property. We get our water from a cistern which is filled by the rain. It does need to be filtered but that is easy and cheap. Should we run low on water we can simply pump water from the river (or have it delivered for a very reasonable price). Planting and gardening in Belize is awesome. For the most part just stick whatever it is in the ground and it will probably grow. Carmelita Gardens is situated on what used to be Carmelita Farms which has had horses and cattle for decades. The result is very fertile soil. Is Carmelita Gardens for everyone? No. But if you like country living it is great. San Ignacio (2nd largest city in Belize) is just 7 miles out the front gate to the left. Spanish Lookout (a Mennonite farming community with great food and shopping) is just 7 miles out the front gate to the right. If any of this tweaks your interest you owe it to yourself to check it out. Oh, I'm not on the payroll. I just live here.

jtinker101
  4/18/2014 15:15 EST

Will make it a point to come visit in feb.

jT

melvilles
  4/21/2014 02:04 EST

Are there developments with larger lots -- 1 acre to 5 acres in the cayo district?

belizelenny
  4/21/2014 11:14 EST

We are Off-Grid but on the sea in Corozal. Close to Mexico for Medical Care and Shopping. www.cerrossands.com

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Adrian93
  4/21/2014 16:54 EST

Thanks for all the replies! Anyone have experience buying a piece of property and putting in the housing themselves? Planned communities are nice, but im more frontiersy, and like being further away from neighbors! Im looking to buy a larger tract of land further out, ten acres or more, and build or a put a prefab on it, while living off grid. (Ive lived off grid a few years now in america, but i would love to hear some stories from someone who has done this in belize!)

tdavidt
  4/23/2014 11:44 EST

For acreage to build on, you might have a look at www.mayaspringbelize.com.

jsuits
  4/23/2014 14:00 EST

Maya Springs is an absolutely stunning place. You really should check it out. You would have the option of being on or off the grid. If you want to see it send me a private message and I'll show it to you when you're here. (I'm not and agent and have no financial interest in the development/property) Just offering to help. Jim

sbush1551
  4/23/2014 18:18 EST

Jim: I have talked to you online years ago. Since that time, my husand and I have purchased land in the Cayo District near Spanish Lookout. We would like to see the Maya Springs community and also your place off the grid. We will be coming to Belize again in a few weeks. How can we reach you other than on the blog?

lorreann
  4/24/2014 03:21 EST

Thank you for sharing this. I checked out the web sight and I'm really impressed with the set up. Do you find it difficult to live without electricity?

jsuits
  4/24/2014 20:06 EST

I believe you might have meant "Do you find it difficult to live using solar power for electricity?" as we most certainly do have electricity. :)

We live in a large house with many major appliances (separate freezer and refrigerator, 2 dishwashers, ice maker, 3 a/c units, convection oven and 4 tv's) including a swim pool. Our system is 13kw. And as I type this reply I'm sitting in our air conditioned office. Later tonight, when we go to bed, we'll run the a/c in there for a couple of hours to get the room really cool and then turn it off (or not). I'm not saying all this to be trite - rather it is to illustrate that, yes, one can live on solar power very comfortably. It will change your lifestyle a little though because you will find yourself constantly checking the battery charge "just to be sure" you aren't using too much power for the weather situation. On cloudy days we look to cut back on what we use. On sunny days, like today, it's a "use it or lose it" situation and so we do whatever we want until the sun goes down. If someone wants to live completely off-grid my advice is to not cut corners on the solar system - if you do you'll probably regret it and wind up spending more to upgrade the system. I'm also a big fan of using 2 volt batteries versus the 6 volt batteries. They are more expensive and you'll need more of them but last about 3 times longer (up to 15 years) and hold a charge longer which is critical for cloudy days. Hope this helps!!! If you decide to build in Cayo feel free to contact me. I can help. Jim

scubacarbi54
  4/30/2014 11:52 EST

What solar system do you recommend? I am planning on relocating to Caye Caulker in 2015 unless I find another area I like better. My plans are to build and live off gird and as cheap as possible. Thanks for help.

chiowner
  4/30/2014 12:44 EST

Living off grid on Caye Caulker should be easy. I am looking into the same thing. Best bet is to look on the North side of the island. There is no power there.I will be moving there in about 2 years.

jsuits
  4/30/2014 14:23 EST

I'm living completely off-grid in Cayo and love it!

I'd recommend a couple of things from my experience:

1. Get your system sized to meet all your needs - and then add just a little more, for comfort

2. Pay extra and get 2 volt batteries.

There's 2 reasons for this:

1. The charge lasts longer than for a 6 volt battery

2. The 6 volt batteries last a lot longer. In the long term they are cheaper.

Our panels are situated so that we start charging almost immediately when the sun comes up in the east. Then, when the sun is overhead the bulk of the panels are at work. Finally, we have some panels facing west that capture the sun until sundown. It works great.

I'm sure you'll want a/c at least in your bedroom. There are times when the breeze seems to go away. If you do get a/c try turning it on just before you go to bed and get the room really cool. Then run it for about 2-3 hours and turn it off. Keep the overhead fan on and you'd be surprised at how comfortable you should be.

I'd also recommend that you get a self-starting generator. Ours is set to come on when the charge gets down to 65% and turn off at 85%. Normally, the generator comes on just before sunrise so it doesn't need to charge the system all the way up - that is, if it comes on at all which ours very rarely does. Generac makes a very good generator. Outback makes really good inverters.

What size system will you need? There are calculators online that will guide you through that. I suggest using 2-3 of them to "proof" the calculation.

Hopes this helps!

Jim

jsuits
  4/30/2014 14:25 EST

Check out Maya Springs Estates. It's great and not really a development.

ezeebe
  5/16/2014 11:20 EST

Hi :
thanks for the info, we are planning to go to the monkey river, the electricity pass through our land but we understand its expensive to run all appliances, the water line also passes through our property, my question is how expensive is it to put solar power through the house? of the top of your head what do you think the overall cost would be? thanks
Bee

LLTV19
  5/29/2015 18:20 EST

Hello forum!

I am a tv producer looking to connect with people who live off the grid in Belize for a potential documentary series.

I would love to connect with the people of this thread and your communities.

If you're interested, please email [email protected] your name, contact info, and brief bio of you and your lifestyle.

FredAr
  6/10/2015 09:27 EST

Solar power is available in Belize and works no different than the US. I live on an island. May I recommend, learn about it first and then consult people like Pro Solar in Belmopan, among others. Marcos there is good for a free eductation, before you buy. Good luck.

bobbyveee
  6/10/2015 09:57 EST

The only thing I would add is , in Belize you need the batteries to store your generated electricity and BEL doesn't buy your surplus. In many US states, theres no need for expensive batteries and over production can be sold back to the local supplier. Not needing batteries makes a very big difference to cost, and being able to sell back surplus can mean zero bills or even better.

sheilaca
  6/10/2015 10:59 EST

We just moved from Carmelita Gardens. Living there was a very unpleasant experience. As of yesterday (6/9/15), your house, Jim Suits, is FOR SALE. Seems like you don’t like it there as much as you would have people believe.
As for solar – if your electrical needs are minimal, it is probably OK. If not, then a properly designed solar system is very expensive. The solar contractor at Carmelita Gardens said the batteries alone are $900 USD, and would last only about 4 years. Our system had 8 batteries. We also had a back up generator. If there is more than a day of clouds and rain, the generator will be your only source of electricity. And it runs on butane. Every time our water pump ran, my UPS (for my computer) would flash a message saying not enough electricity for the computer.
We do think our system was underpowered. But that is typical of Carmelita Gardens. If you have a house built there, beware of paying for and being promised good quality materials. If you don’t have a mortgage where the bank inspects the quality, you will get really second-hand and low quality materials. This will happen if you allow the developer to be in charge of the construction.
As far as cows and horses – if you want to grow anything on your lot, be prepared for the cows to eat it and crap all over your lawn. And yes, the cows do not discriminate – they have also crapped all over Jim Suits’ lawn.
Carmelita Gardens has been in existence since around 2011 (possibly before that), and at this point has 6 completed houses, 2 under construction and 1 unfinished and largely abandoned house (the owner died). Of the 6 completed houses, one has a permanent resident, 1 is for sale, 1 has a part-time resident, 1 is empty, and 2 are rentals. Doesn’t sound like an up and coming community to me.
Lastly, the promises of community gardens, retail artisan businesses, a pool, etc. are nothing more than just that – promises. None of that is there, nor is there any sign that any of it will ever be there.
I don’t know if jim Suits is on the payroll of Carmelita Gardens now, but he is selling real estate. We live in Maya Spring now, and I know that they are desperately trying to sell the lots there. They have engaged a realtor (John Acott from Re/Max), and there is at least a finder’s fee if someone gets a sale there. I have personally been told that by the agent. So not being on a payroll is not what it sounds like.
Maya Spring is a very nice development whose main problem is the developer of Carmelita Gardens is the “cousin” of the developer of Maya Spring and is involved in trying to sell lots there. In fact, more than just sell lots, he tries to insinuate himself into the construction process there. In fact, early on in the building of our house there, he tried to prevent our contractor (who is excellent, by the way – Linda Hunter) from bringing in the trucks who were doing the site work.
This development has also been around for a number of years, and there are exactly 3 houses under construction here – ours and 2 others. We are living in ours, which is not yet completed, but it is worth the hassle to be able to get away from Carmelita Gardens.
To anyone seriously considering Carmelita Gardens, take a trip out there and see for yourself.

hannakenney
  6/10/2015 14:51 EST

So you jumped from the pan into the fire? I don't understand if you got ripped off by one guy you buy for the other one? You guys just never stop coming…lol..This development is like most in Belize…Mirrors and smoke screen but most of the time you dreamers just wont lesson you get made at people telling you your dream is nothing but bull…why is that?

FredAr
  6/10/2015 21:29 EST

Only thing to add:
1. Word Backwards. Make the home in the first place very low energy needy vs a power hog. Eliminate the high-consumption items first. For example: eliminate all high-watt bulbs and go LEDs in the order of 1w,3w and 6watts bulbs. There are many alternatives to things that do not make power sense, as in electric coffee makers (go French Press). Propane Generator, of course, etc etc.
2. The solar system should never allow the batteries to go below 50%. They should be fully charged the batteries by 10am-11am on sunny days roughly speaking; by 3pm on semi-sunny days, and so on. You should have 3 days 'spare' in case of 3+ of nothing but solid clouds.
3.Btw. Panels should be pointing south at 13%.
4.Yes 2V (x6) batteries are best approach in the long run as others have said, but VERY costly at first.
5. Always get a controller that you can expand with by adding more panels and batteries.as needed.
Again learn everything you can about solar, so then you can make the best conceptual and informed decision for your need, no one else.
As to installation, it is not rocket scientry (is that a word?), at all.
Good luck.

FredAr
  6/10/2015 21:33 EST

Correction: meant propane refrigerator, not generator. As to that, I do use a Honda 3000 gas or propane generator as a backup. Rarely used.

jsuits
  6/12/2015 00:08 EST

Sheila and Bob Caim,
Let us be among the first to thank you for moving out of Carmelita Gardens! Since you moved about 14 days ago Carmelita Gardens has already become a more positive and pleasant environment. We even seem to have more birds singing in the morning! We had hoped that when you moved you would take your drama, negativity, innuendos, and lies about Carmelita Gardens and put them to rest. But, true to form, that is simply not your style.
I wouldn’t normally take the time to respond to your latest rant except for the blatant lies in your post where you’ve chosen to publicly call me out by name. If this is the route you want to take, that’s fine – just get your facts straight first.
For the record:
- We haven’t spoken in over a year, except for a quick, non-controversial and literal “Hello” at a Maya Springs event we both happened to be at. You could have come to us with your perceived/continued issues with us but, again, you’d rather take it to the internet and air your claims and dirty laundry to the world instead of addressing things head-on as an adult.
- Since we haven’t actually talked, you only have rumors to substantiate your claims, so let me give you the “straight scoop” from the original source - me.
- I haven’t posted anything about Carmelita Gardens, or you, for at least 9 months and probably longer. So, your rant literally comes from nowhere.
Your rant opens with “As of yesterday (6/9/15), your house, Jim Suits, is FOR SALE. Seems like you don’t like it there as much as you would have people believe.” Yes, we’ve put our house up for sale – thanks for telling us but we knew that already (the date was actually Feb 2015 versus your stated date of Jun 9, 2015). This was done in large part due to your negativity, and absolute refusal to compromise on anything and control everything within Carmelita Gardens – and even outside the development (like crop dusting and the Belizeans burning). The incredible drama you created for everyone and the black cloud that currently hangs over Carmelita Gardens is due in large part to you (and to a lesser extent your current contractor) . With your departure this will eventually go away. During your entire time at Carmelita Gardens you insisted that everything be your way and consistently expressed yourself with the standard “on this we will not compromise” line. You sought every opportunity to tear down Carmelita Gardens as a community/development to anyone who would listen. And when you couldn’t find anyone to listen anymore – you resorted to the internet (again and again). You are also partly responsible for devaluing our property. How can I say this? Simply from watching the value of your own house go from $145,000 to $109,500 (plus you had to pay a real estate commission) after turning down a $135,000 cash sale with no agent involvement. I love your marketing plan, it’s brilliant. Run down the development and everything about it – then sell your house for less than you were offered. Never, in my 65 years on this planet, have I ever known anyone as negative, impossible, and spiteful as you.
It’s dangerous to make assumptions. We know why we listed our house and you can only guess since we never discussed it with you. The other reason we have put our house on the market is that we have decided to move to a location with fewer people, i.e. not a development. We owned 15 acres in the states and thought we were ready to downsize into a development. We were wrong – we need the privacy and space afforded by acreage. This is not a criticism of Carmelita Gardens but more of a self-realization about ourselves. So, no, you weren’t the sole reason we decided to move although getting away from your non-stop negativity and drama would have been (and might still be) a nice side benefit.
Yes, you had extreme problems with your house and the way it was built. I’ve seen the emails – one has to wonder though, why were you so pleased with your “adorable little house” just 3 weeks before it was finished and then for the next year you’ve done nothing but complain. You didn’t know about the problems you say? Why not, you were renting the house immediately next door to your house. And the contractor that is building your current house that is so excellent . . . how many times did they have to replace doors in your house? 4, 5, 6 . . . times, until you were happy?
Continuing with your house, yes the materials used were not first rate or acceptable nor was much of the actual work. However, there are 2 things you failed to mention:
- The contractor that built your house, the only house he built at Carmelita Gardens, was fired immediately and banned from the development when the problems surfaced. He was a one and out. It’s truly too bad it was your house, but he is gone. That shouldn’t taint the entire community.
- None of the other houses at Carmelita Gardens had or have the problems to the extent you did.
- The developer did what needed to be done. He eliminated the problem going forward.
Our house, The Bella Vida (aka: The Blue House) turned out very nicely and, with 1 exception, we are pleased with the materials used and the workmanship that went into it. The 1 exception (who happens to be your current contractor – discussed below) is not something the prime contractor or the developer were responsible for – it was all on us, we chose her.
Living Off-Grid is wonderful. We would choose being off-grid versus on-grid any time. Your problems with water are understandable. I’ve never seen anyone else water their plants – while it was raining! You even needed water delivered for the cistern during the rainy season! Now that’s an accomplishment.
No one else who has stayed in the Serafina (where you lived while your cottage was being built) has ever had a problem with having enough water – including the current full-time renters who have been there for almost a year. And then, in your house you had the same problem. The cistern isn’t undersized for the house – but I will admit it was certainly undersized for you and your individual lifestyle.
Solar Power is great! But, just like the cistern, you need to invest in a system sized to your particular needs. Just as you can’t take a Volkswagon Beetle and race it against a Corvette and expect to win – you can’t put a solar system in that’s designed for a 1,000sqft rental cottage and then cart in everything you use in normal everyday life. How good is solar power? Our house is almost 4,000sqft total. We have a 15,000 gal swimming pool, a 36” refrigerator, a separate 36” freezer w/ice maker, 2 dishwashers, a convection oven, 2 bar coolers, an ice maker for the bar, 3 air conditioners, 4 televisions, 2 computer systems, a guest house with a refrigerator and microwave, LOTS of security equipment, and an outdoor kitchen w/refrigerator. We live a great life entirely on solar power and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants dependable electricity. You don’t have to give up anything to live on solar energy, but you do need to get a system that meets your demands. You don’t like replacing your batteries every 4-5 years? Upgrade them!!!! Ours are rated to last 15-20 years. With anything there are items that are good, better and then best. If you want the best – suck it up and pay for it.
Construction continued. Yes, building quality houses on time and on budget has been a challenge in the past. However, you fail to mention that the last house completed, The Bellita (aka: The Yellow House) is, by all accounts, the best quality house built in Carmelita Gardens and the ONLY one in the development that has ever come in on-time and on-budget. How do I know? My company (Cayo Custom Homes Ltd) built it. Through our companies we have provided jobs to 10-12 local families. When The Bellita was completed we had a party for all the workers where we cooked for them, played games and invited them to all jump in the pool and have a good time. We also gave every one of them bonuses from our own pocket to show our appreciation for their outstanding work. (We did the same for our own house). Despite personal and business setbacks, we have worked to build a community not just within Carmelita Gardens but with the neighboring communities of Santa Familia and Bullet Tree Village. What have you done for the community and local villages?
You moved into your uncompleted house because “it is worth the hassle to get away from Carmelita Gardens”? That’s not true. The truth is you sold your house and had to leave to turn it over to the new owners. And why isn’t your house complete? That’s the real issue. The turnover date was coordinated with your “excellent” contractor to coincide with the completion date. The real reason you’re living in an unfinished house (active construction site) is because your excellent contractor is behind schedule. This is the same contractor that we finally let go after taking over 6 months to install completed cabinets and doors in our home – and still wasn’t finished. Plus, we’ve had to hire others to repair some of the work. Yet you state that your contractor “is excellent, by the way – Linda Hunter”. Really? You thought your previous contractor was doing a good job less than 3 weeks prior to your moving in. How long will your new contractor remain “excellent”? Living in Carmelita Gardens was a hassle? NO ONE would talk to you or deal with you. EVERYONE just ignored you. What hassle could there be?
My working and selling real estate: You state “I don’t know if Jim Suits is on the payroll of Carmelita Gardens now, but he is selling real estate”. Again you lie. Like you, I retired here on the Qualified Retired Persons (QRP) program and, unlike you, I follow the rules (see further below). For the record, I have never been on the payroll or worked for Carmelita Gardens in any capacity. Nor am I now or have ever been engaged or affiliated with Maya Springs in any way. Yes, I own 3 companies that I manage (allowed under the QRP program). No I don’t work in any of them. Nor do I sell real estate. (But if I was, what difference would it make to you personally? Why would that be any of your business?) I do however have a sizeable investment in Carmelita Gardens through my house and in Belize that I want to protect. So we are making every effort to make Carmelita Gardens a better place to live (who knows, we might just decide to stay here now that you are gone!) I don’t have a written agreement with John Acott or Re/Max. Nor is there any desperation on my part to sell lots – why would there be, I’m not the developer at Carmelita Gardens. A “finders-fee” is being offered???? Really??? Guess what, that’s standard practice throughout Belize to ANYONE who finds a buyer for a property. You are way over-reaching on this. However, I do want to build quality houses (I like being the only builder that can build a quality house, on-time and on-budget) and for that lots do need to be sold. There is a desire for sales but it is long from being desperate. Understand, I have options. I can continue to try and sell my house and go anywhere I like, or I can stay here in Carmelita Gardens.
Part of our effort to make Carmelita Gardens a better place to live in involved security for the community. For a long time there was a security guard hired first by one of our companies then by the developer. We offered our house as the home base for the guard, provided him with water and soda and made sure he got paid every week. When funds ran out I made myself available to check out things that were “not normal” and keep a watch on things in general. In short, I’ve provided armed security for Carmelita Gardens, without charge, in one form or another for the past year. Again, what have you contributed?
Another effort on our part was to improve and enhance the front gate area while increasing security. This was a community project where everyone was invited to participate – except you. Given your past record of negativity we simply voted for you as being against whatever was suggested, then we out voted you and moved on. What did you do? You negated all the security improvements by taking it upon yourselves to cut the chain when the key was missing – instead of calling us, in accordance with the plan, to come open the gate with the reserve key. You chose personal pettiness over community security. Now that you’ve moved out we can return to better securing the development. We also have several community projects that we can proceed with. They were put “on-hold” after the security gate incident, but now we can move forward with them.
There are several major efforts being put in place to begin the immediate transformation of the development. Things are being quietly worked by many people to create the gardens, orchards, community center and more. Nothing happens overnight but things are moving in the right direction. Just because you haven’t been a part of these things or heard about them doesn’t mean they aren’t happening – they are. And again, what did you do to help make Carmelita Gardens a better community for everyone? What was your contribution to the development?
About Maya Springs . . . I know the people who are developing and selling the land/lots. They are without a doubt two of the nicest, most honest, straight forward people I know. We’ve talked many times about the Maya Springs project. Their position has been, and remains, simple. They have put in the infrastructure (roads, electricity, palapa) and are selling lots. They are strictly out of anything to do with construction. Lot owners are on their own to build or not build. They didn’t want that headache – and I think they made a very good decision in that respect. So, what difference does it make to you if there are 3 houses under construction or 20? What difference does it make to you whether or not the lots are listed with John Acott or Re/Max? Besides, you’ve situated yourself in the most private corner of the development and want to put up a 10ft concrete wall around your property. Why would you care what others do on their 5-10 acre lots? Is this your contribution to your new community?
Finally, let’s talk about who’s really working in Belize, since you seem so keen on keeping up with my affairs. You too are here on the QRP program. As such you do not have a work permit and are not allowed to work. Yet, I and others, have seen you selling your artwork at the San Ignacio Market, at art shows and other venues. We’ve all seen you taking money and handing the art work to the customer. Is this not working???? Yet, I hear you’ve taken it upon yourself to report others for their perceived work. People who live in glass houses . . .
Finally, please just go away and leave those of us who want to make Carmelita Gardens a positive and better place to live alone! Just mind your own business for a change.
And to those who’ve suffered through this most unfortunate exchange I apologize for its public nature. However, when attacked publicly, any person of character needs to have the strength to set the record straight to maintain their own good name.
Sheila states “To anyone seriously considering Carmelita Gardens, take a trip out there and see for yourself”. YES, absolutely come on out!!! We’d love to show you the new improved Carmelita Gardens where the black clouds have moved away, the birds again sing, and the sun is now shining. I can be contacted at 651-2154. Jim Suits

JohnyD
  6/12/2015 15:03 EST

Hello there,

we are moving to Belize & interested to find out about your of-the grid living and Robinson experiences

Cheers

best regards

John D
[email protected]
Canada

sheilaca
  6/12/2015 17:09 EST

I’m so glad to get a reply from my old neighbor Jim Suits. When we lived in Carmelita Gardens (henceforth referred to as CG), and I politely asked him to keep his dog on a leash, or behind his fence, or when I politely asked him not to burn trash so that the smoke wouldn’t trigger breathing problems because of my wife’s asthma, his curt response was a sneered, “I’ll think about it!” So it’s a pleasure to hear from him at length-even if the sneer is still there. BTW, those politely worded requests (see, I really did try to talk to him directly about neighborhood problems) were only based on the very Homeowner’s Covenants (part of the deed) that all purchasers at CG signed: no burning of trash; all pets shall be restrained on a leash or behind fences. Our cats didn’t seem to be a problem for anyone (at least no one asked us to put them on leashes) and we rescued one poor feline who came to us one night with a broken back and tail. But the Suits’ dog (though initially restrained) ran free throughout CG-including the time it chased one of our cats on our property into our rental house (not my idea of neighborliness). And we never burned trash. We tried to be good neighbors, even bringing the Suits a housewarming present when they finally moved in after many delays. Their “friendly” response to our gift and good wishes was another sneer: “We had a bet that you two wouldn’t last two weeks in Belize,” said Jim. His wife said, “He’s having a Jim Beam night.” They were both very upset about the condition of their house and the troubles they were having with the developer. The final product , of course is a beautiful house, thanks to the same general contractor and interior designer that we engaged for Maya Springs. And our house is coming along, albeit behind schedule-as is every building project we’ve ever been involved in or heard of (including the “Yellow House”-but more of that later.
So much for those evil, nasty Caims who never talked to anyone! The only “black cloud over CG is coming from the Suits’ trash dump.
The rest of Jim’s diatribe is similarly a pile of distortions, weasel words (a term used by advertising and marketing professionals to refer to words that are so slippery you can’t pin down their meaning). To whit----
BLAME THE VICTIM:
We were specifically told by the general contractor NOT to talk to the construction crew about any problems we noticed, and many surfaced only after a few weeks actually in the house.
The design of the house was attractive, but as we learned, almost criminally negligent. The solar system and water pump were located right at ground level. Any flooding at CG, which happened last in about 2008, would destroy the batteries and water system. Oh yes, subsequent house designs “improved” on this. The yellow house Jim brags about supervising has its water pump (an electrical device) placed out in the open with no rain protection whatsoever. Drop in to CG and see for yourself but don’t stand close to the pump if it’s raining!
The contractor who was fired was only the latest in a string of five or six people who built shoddy houses in CG at expensive prices. Again, it takes time to discover, for instance, that the so-called electrician who wired our house, (nicknamed “the Cramp” by local folks) installed outlets with reversed polarity, and cut off the ground wires throughout the house, posing lethal shock hazards to both people and electronic devices. It takes time to discover that the solar batteries and other equipment chosen by the contractor, not us, were inadequate at the get-go. BTW, the relatively successful completion of the Suits house was aided and abetted by the scrutiny of Atlantic International Bank. Since the bank had issued a mortgage for the project, it had a fiduciary responsibility to see that construction proceeded properly. We had no such third party helping us out in CG. In Maya Springs, Atlantic International has been suitably pleased with our project as well. Which leads me directly to my last point---
LET THE BUYER BEWARE:
We love living in Belize. Our new house has the right balance of elbow room and community. Anyone who is interested in the details of our experiences here is welcome to contact us directly. We moved to Belize as an alternative to the increasingly harsh winters of our home (of 38 years) in rural West Virginia. The marketing of CG led us to believe that it would be a community with a congenial approach to living in Belize. The reality was that there was no concern for the environment by the developer, that the site is considered a potential wetland, that most of the properties seem destined for rental or only part-time use so that all the talk about “being independent together” is smoke and mirrors. Perhaps as Jim insists, plans are being hatched that we are unaware of to make the “marketing” talk come true. We doubt it. We learned, sadly, that the words of an executive of Orchid Bay are only too true: “Buy what you see, not what you’re promised!” We hope anyone reading this posting can learn from our mistake.
When people leave the states for different reasons, they have different dreams of what they want in Belize. If you’re fleeing the States because you feel overregulated, be forewarned that the lack of regulation in Belize that you find so attractive cuts both ways: you may be free to be a nuisance to your neighbors, but you won’t find agencies like the FDA, HUD, or the EPA on your side when a business or private individual operates in an unhealthy or dangerous fashion. In Belize, we’ve discovered the buyer has to really beware. And all the weasel words and marketing slogans don’t change that sad fact.
A FINAL NOTE:
Thanks Jim, for the time and effort you put into your latest attempt to “market” CG. Of course it’s in your best interests financially to do so. In our case,we put a small fortune into fixing the shoddy and downright dangerous work done to our house so that any new owner would have a safer and more attractive home than we had after the contractor fired the crew (sorry they didn’t get an invitation to use your pool, Jim!) We didn’t feel right about handing off our misfortune to anyone else. BTW, regarding that locked gate incident you allude to (in a very misleading way, I might add), we found ourselves locked in one fine morning without benefit of a key or the combination to the key cache. So I called the owner of the property, Dan Silva and asked permission to cut the chain so we could get out of the property. He said to go right ahead-it was the prudent thing to do. Jim, I imagined (based on your past performance) that if I called you to request help, you’d sneer at me “I’ll think about it!”and we would have never gotten out of CG.
I want to compliment you on your way with words. Your posting really deserves a prize, but I’m afraid it would have to be for fiction!
Bob Caim

jsuits
  6/12/2015 22:47 EST

Bob Caim,

You’re out of Carmelita Gardens now so you might want to try and let your anger and frustrations go and try enjoying life. It’s sad that you’ve waited a full year to begin waging this war of words – and chose to do it on the world stage instead of privately. I feel for you both that your lives are seemingly so full of negativity and revenge on perceived wrongs.

Facts, are stubborn things to get around but I’m not going to continue to waste any more of my time setting the record straight for every real or imagined wrong you think you’ve suffered. I can fully support everything I wrote and stand by every word.

Clearly, you have your own ideas about what the truth is and no one is going to change what you think - certainly not me. So be it. It serves no purpose to continue to set the record straight when only more drama is introduced and created.

Somehow, I also doubt that the readers of this blog really want to wade through all of your claims innuendos and accusations. This really should have been a private matter but that’s not your style. So, I’m going to spare them continued postings responding to your attacks. People who know us know who we are and our character so I’m not concerned with what you think.

There is 1 fact however that you can’t change – no matter what you say or write that simply must be corrected. The Bellita (the yellow house) was indeed a quality house completed on time and on budget in full accordance with the plans (I don’t design houses – I build them). I have the plans, the contract and applicable change orders – I know what the details are and can fully support them.

I wish everyone in Maya Springs the very best life has to offer – even you and Sheila. I hope you can finally look to the future in a positive way.

Now, I again request that you just go away and leave the Carmelita Gardens community alone – we have work to do here to build a better community.

Jim Suits

hannakenney
  6/13/2015 12:22 EST

these two are what you will meet of most belize expats no life losers who live for drama..mix in drinking for sun up to sun down and this is belize expats…great group..NOT!

bobbyveee
  6/13/2015 15:19 EST

Sounds like the sun got to you HK

FredAr
  6/14/2015 09:35 EST

Hanna..easy there with the wild statistics. I have noticed however in the 5 years I been here, the expats in Belize do fall into different categories ranging from great people very involved with the communities and making big differences for the better to, the group you describe, pure lushes. That is one group I certainly don't belong in nor come close,; its easy to do, don't waste your life in the local bars.
Another is the ruthless 'conquistadors' who come to economically prey usually on their fellow expats, make or steal a fortune, and leave. Another type to stay clear away from.

hannakenney
  6/18/2015 02:45 EST

The good ones never stay and the bad ones are stuck and never leave

Conmurphy
  6/30/2015 17:26 EST

Social Media is so easily abused, and there are a lot of people talking about Carmelita Gardens who either don’t have the facts, or are intentionally obfuscating them.

While being a friend of the Developer I have never worked for Carmelita Gardens.

Here are the facts as I know them.

The Developer has never built any houses in Carmelita Gardens.

He founded a company which built four very high quality homes in Carmelita Gardens and hired managers to run it.
Some of these homes had issues with cost and timeline over-runs, but he sucked it up and made it right out of his own pocket, but never was quality of the finished product an issue.

Three other houses have been built in Carmelita Gardens, in which the Developer used independent contractors.

One by Gutierrez and Associates, owned by the Founding President of the Architects Association of Belize, who did a sterling job until the homeowner requested that the cabinet maker take over. Due to unethical business practices and significant time over-runs that cabinet maker / “builder” is now banned from Carmelita Gardens.

One o f the houses completed was built to impeccable standards by Cayo Custom Homes, a company that the Developer founded, vetted the foremen and workers, and then handed over to the current owners, so he would not have a conflict of interest that being involved in both building and developing brought.

The owners and crew of Cayo Custom Homes deserve much credit for the well managed cottage they completed.

The 3rd / other house completed in Carmelita Gardens was built by Maya Vista Partners. This was the Caims house, which had some issues in its construction.
Some of the issue was that the Caims went onto the job site most days and countermanded the directions that had been given by the contractor, changed details without consulting an engineer and then blamed someone else when something went wrong.

For example, they paid for B grade panelling inside and out of the house as they were going to paint the entire house, then ordered it varnished inside and complained when the wood filler putty on the B grade lumber showed.

Regarding the Crew that is building the Caims new house in Santa Familia.
The best of the Developers Crew were retained by Cayo Custom Homes and continue to build in Carmelita Gardens; and the rest went to Linda Hunters New Hope/Artisan Woodworks who is now building for the Caims.

To illustrate how cantankerous the Caims are; when it became obvious that they were never going to be satisfied, and were only interested in complaining, the developer arranged for the house to be bought from them in “AS IS” condition, for the money they had into it at the time.
They refused, only to sell the cottage to someone else months later for nearly US$20,000 LESS than they had been previously offered, they seem to epitomize biting off their nose to spite their own face.

So, when the Developer had sorted out the construction issues in Carmelita Gardens, and arranged for the malcontents to be bought out a 2nd time, to ensure smooth running in the future, the developer brought in 2 great contractors, Cayo Custom Homes, as mentioned earlier, and Better Homes – Belize, which is owned by a builder with experience on 2 continents and he is also the Treasurer of the Rotary Club in San Ignacio.

These are facts as I know them, and the only vested interest I have is in telling the truth, when so many people seem to want to spread unfounded gossip.

My email address is [email protected] if anyone wants to speak to me about this or any other matter,

Con Murphy

SKeener
  7/14/2015 14:32 EST

We built at Carmelita Gardens and live here, and we love it! It is great being off the grid and independent.

As to water, we had to have a water truck come once this last March during the dry season, but that was because we were doing cement work which takes a lot of water. It was part of construction, but we probably didn't need it. Water has not been a problem and we even take showers twice a day if it is a hot, sticky day.

About solar power, we had a few glitches when we did not understand the system and ran it down using the air conditioner. We since only had to use the propane back up and that was a simple problem that was fixed by the company that put it in. Otherwise, we have not had any problems. We are conservative in how we live, but still have two air conditioners besides other appliances. Having been in San Ignacio when the power went off for 10 hours, I really like being independent.

I love watching the cows, and hadn't realized that the calves play like dogs do. There has not been a problem with smell, imho, and they fertilized my lawn a few times. Since there was a discussion with Daniel Silva about the cows, the folks in charge of them have done a much, much better job of keeping them contained or being around to keep them from our property. A few times, a newborn calf and mom have been in the corral next to our yard, and this city girl enjoys that. The horses are gorgeous, and we like sitting on our balcony watching them run full tilt in the pasture.

Living at Carmelita Gardens has been peaceful. We live sitting on the balcony with a drink in the evening. It is quieter than in town. We are putting in a garden now and are looking forward to eating the food we grow, and eating the fruit from our trees (bananas, mangoes, papaya, dragon fruit). A composting system was started and hopefully works out - but that is something we are responsible for and not the Carmelita Gardens.

We eat much better here - real food and not processed. It has been pleasant to have the time (being retired) to learn to make our food from scratch, though we can get most all of what we need at the Farmers Trade center in Spanish Lookout. We like getting our bread from the bakery, our vegetables and fruit from the farmer's market and our meat from Pete's meat market (grass fed). Recently I was in the US for 6 weeks staying with my mother, then one daughter and then the other, and by the end of that, felt sick. It is the processed food. We would go to a restaurant, and to me the food was....not so good. Eating real food does that.

The only thing I really can't find here and love is Chai tea. However, there are recipes online for chai tea latte mixes, and spices here are reasonable. I make my own chai tea latte mix.

Our house had its issues. Luckily, the one really bad contractor was wooed away to build another house (and is now banned here) and a wonderful group came in a fixed up any problems and finished the house. The developer, who has been maligned in this thread,, has made every effort to fix any problems.

I expect that in time, the amenities will all be here. In the meantime, I enjoy it as it is.

SKeener
  7/14/2015 14:46 EST

I meant to say that we only had to use the back generator once since understanding the system better.

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