There’s a new home being built in San Fuego, Aruba. The home will feature a large swimming pool with a nice view out over the island. Here’s a photo of the current status of construction.

San Fuego is centrally located on the island. It’s also an elevated area. From the second story of homes here, you can see the Caribbean sea to the west. To the east, there is the Arikok National Park. The builder tells me there will be a covered pavilion at the end of the pool to offer some shade. In the foreground is the porch that surrounds the house.

There are a number of pleasant areas to build a new home or buy an existing one here in Aruba. If you’re looking for a vacation home or another place to hang your hat, think about one here.

Bon dia.

Many homes in Aruba do not have running hot water. Some use small, point of use units to heat water used in the shower. These are typically electrically powered and draw quite a bit of current. However, the other day I spotted this solar hot water unit.

This unit is actually quite sophisticated. It has a flat collector plate that captures the sun’s rays, transferring the heat to water piped through the collector area. Then the hot water is stored in an insulated tank you see at the top left of the unit. This way, even after the sun goes down, you have hot water on demand. Here in Aruba, where the sun is very strong, this unit can deliver enough hot water for a typical family of four. The best part is, after the initial investment of purchasing and installing it, there are no additional costs. This one is mounted at ground level for easy maintenance but they can also be mounted on top of the roof.

If you’re considering a home in Aruba, I strongly suggest a system like the one pictured above. It will save you money in the long run and thereby make your island home that much more affordable.

Bon dia from Aruba.

Win Tung Home Center sells everything from complete sets of furniture to common household items to tools to T-shirts. This is a zany place, one of those businesses here in Aruba that never disappoints. You may go here looking for something as innocuous as a plastic laundry basket and come out an hour later with a three frying pans, half a dozen screw drivers, and a lamp. Here’s a look at their building.

It’s tons of fun to check out this place on a regular basis because every time a ship calls at the port it’s possible Win Tung received another container of “stuff.” Upstairs is where you find the furniture, everything from living/dining room sets to complete office arrangements. Much of it is the high-lacquer style popular in Asian countries but they do have a variety of choices. Prices here are usually quite good but it always pays to shop around this island. Sometimes one item is much cheaper than the same item somewhere else.

Finally, check out the lion statue closely. You’ll see a small lion atop the foot of the big lion. Both are roaring and that’s sure to chase the evil spirits away. Right?

Bon dia from Aruba.

After several delays, I’ve finally got my grill together and supplied with copious amounts of liquid propane fuel. This is a nice unit, one I shipped to Aruba last year. Take a look.

I set it up in the little courtyard outside my house. I’ll be adding some seating, a table, a few tiki lights and be ready to go. Nothing like cooking over a flame. Takes you right back to caveman days and tastes good, too.

Bon dia from Aruba.

Until recently there were very few good maps of Aruba. Yes, it is a small island. Nonetheless, you can get lost here, which can be fun or annoying depending upon your purpose. Well, I was in the Samsom Bookstore the other day and found this Guia di Caya, or street guide as it is known in English.

This is quite a good resource. For example: If you’re looking for your friend’s house, especially that friend who has invited you to visit his home in Aruba but told you it was EASY to find. He might have said, turn left at the Divi tree, right at the big rock, go about half a mile then turn right again by the third cactus on the left. If this is the case, you definitely want this book.

Seriously… let’s say you would like to buy a home on the island and you’ve been looking through the listings. You’ll be able to see individual neighborhoods, whether or not the roads are paved or packed dirt, and how they fit into the larger scheme of the island.

The page above shows the De Bruynewijk area of Savaneta. The red line in the center of the right page is the main highway. The gray lines are paved secondary roads and the yellow lines are dirt roads. As you can see, some house numbers are listed, but not all of them. You’ll also note that house numbers are not sequential. It is my quest to convince the powers that be in Aruba to name all the streets and assign sequential numbers. The lack of them plays havoc with deliveries. It’s quaint until you spend half a day waiting for something that could have arrived in mere minutes.

Once again, I found this book at the Samsom Book Store on L.G. Smith Boulevard, across from the container port. The book was situated on a series of shelves under the heading “Aruba History.” Cost was rather expensive, $25.00 US. Given the price of gasoline, it is probably well worth it.

Bon dia from Aruba.

San Fuego Residence in Aruba is a small development located near the center of the island. It is also at one of the highest points on the island. The houses being built here have the advantage of fronting a brand new concrete road as well. Lot sizes range from 1,000 square meters to over 3,000 square meters (about 1/4 to nearly a full acre.) I made this short video to show three houses under construction. You’ll see the foundation of one, roof details of another, and a complete roof on the final one. People ask me about home construction here in Aruba and I hope this video answers some questions.

The fortunate owners of these homes will soon be enjoying the steady breeze and beautiful views that can be found in San Fuego. I would build a two-story home here because from the second floor it is possible to see all the way to the Caribbean. Similarly, this would be a great place to have an amateur telescope to view the stars and planets. Many nights are clear and given that there aren’t many houses in this area, there is very little light to ruin your star gazing.

Having a home in Aruba is a wonderful thing, especially if you find a place like San Fuego which is more “authentic” than a huge development in other spots. Here things are quiet, casual, and welcoming as opposed noisy and hectic. Choose your vacation home wisely, don’t compromise your goals, and do frequent inspections during construction.

Bon dia from Aruba.

This post shows a modern apartment building that is under construction in Oranjestaad, Aruba. In other posts, I showed cunucu houses, ruins, and things of that nature. It’s only right to show something a bit out of the ordinary. This structure is built directly across the street from the Caribbean Sea. There isn’t really a beach there, but at some points you could clamber down to the water.

The sign above gives you an idea of the finished product. There is to be one apartment per floor, with parking at ground level, two spots per apartment. Some people don’t like this sort of thing cropping up on the island. They think it is out of character or too large. I don’t have no opinion with regards to that. Progress is inevitable. Without progress, you’ll have decline. It is impossible to remain in a constant state. Here’s a look at the conceptual drawings of each apartment.

One way or another, those five apartments will be occupied. The location isn’t bad. It’s on the far side of town in relation to the new shopping mall and many new restaurants. However, that may appeal to someone who wants to live there as opposed to vacation on the island. It is also more accessible to the airport, a benefit to a local business person with off-island dealings.

Whatever your preference, the good thing about Aruba is that there are plenty of options.

Some regular readers of this blog have asked me to photograph a housing development in Aruba that is more integrated with the island, as opposed to the large timeshare and condo projects. There is a small housing development called Rooi Koochi Residence, which is located about eight miles south of the airport, just past the town of Savaneta. This project is inland. However, from some of the homes on the upper side, it is possible to see down to the ocean.

The homes that are being constructed here are of good quality, at least as far as I can tell. Here is a photo of one under construction.

They’re getting ready to pour the ring beam and the front columns that I mentioned in previous posts regarding construction. Let me say here, I do not know the developers of this project, nor do I have any ownership interest in it. I have simply photographed it and placed these pictures on the blog to show a project that I believe is not only typical, but of good quality. The homes along the upper ridge of this development have been there for at least 4 years that I know and are lived in by people who keep them in very good condition. Here’s a look at one of them.

And then, looking down the cross street, you’ll see a home that was only finished about six months ago and beyond it is the ocean.

Whatever your choice for housing in Aruba, always use qualified professionals to help. Talk to as many people as you can, ask every question you can think of, and don’t be afraid to keep looking for what you truly want. There are many nice homes in a wide range of prices. These days there are plenty of real estate agents, most all of them with good reputations. Take your time. Paradise will be here.

My home in Aruba needed a new bathroom. There was only one bath for the entire house and it worked fine, but I decided to add a second one so that there would be a convenient alternative. Fortunately, the house had a large, walk-in closet off the master bedroom. This became the new bathroom. The tile and fixtures came from a place called BanjoLux, which is located on Schotlandstraat in Oranjestaad. Here’s a photo of their shop.

This place sells tons of beautiful items. Their selection is quite modern but not over the top. They also have qualified staff to help with making your selections. There are other places on the island and in later posts I’ll get to them. So, I took the closet and installed a glass block wall for the shower area as shown here.

 This worked out great, except for one thing: I should have used a darker cement between the blocks. No doubt that white will be difficult to keep clean. Anyway, the wall came out great, as did the glass block in the back, which replaces a window. I like glass block because it lets the light in, keeps the peepers out, and is a higher level of security than a window. The other advantage is that the glass block doesn’t get nasty the way a shower curtain does. You can wipe it down and you’re finished.

For hot water, I installed this simple, point of use hot water heater. The water in Aruba is already warm so you only need to raise the temperature a little to have a nice hot shower. The unit shown below has three settings and I rarely use more than the lowest.

In the middle of the room, I built a sink feature from the ground up. The basin and faucet came from BanjoLux; the granite slab came from Acero, another great store here in Aruba. Acero will cut and drill the granite to your specs. As long as you order by Tuesday afternoon, it’s usually ready by Saturday at noon. So, here’s a look at that sink.

I had to install a temporary plastic drain beneath the basin until I get a chrome one cut to order. No big deal. It works fine. I’ll install a pair of wooden doors beneath the granite, too. On the far wall, closest to the final drain to the septic, sits the toilet as shown here.

 The room does have a bit of the “corridor” feel, but I had to use what was there and did the best I could. Above the toilet I installed a new window to get some more light into the room.

My wife has picked out some great furniture pieces: an armoire-like unit for towels and things, a rack for toilet paper, and some clay pots and such to bring this bathroom up to snuff. Can’t wait to put them into place over the coming weeks.

Well, that’s a look at the finished product. I kept the horror photos out. Actually, there weren’t many problems with this project and I had the help of two very competent guys who can lay tile in surprisingly creative ways along crooked walls. I was impressed with their talent. The results speak for themselves.

Aruba’s drinking water is produced by a desalinization plant co-located with the electricity plant in an area known as Balashi. Since Aruba is a desert island, this facility became a necessity once the population grew beyond a certain point. You’ll still see old Cunucu houses with a rooftop collection system that gathered rain water and stored it in a cistern. There are also a few brackish wells left, but used only for small scale irrigation. Thus, water is a precious resource in this environment, and metered and invoiced accordingly. The drinking water in Aruba is completely pure and delicious thanks to the way it is produced. There is absolutely no need to buy bottled drinking water here. That which comes from the tap is fine.

Here’s a photo of a domestic water meter, the one at my home.

Exciting stuff, eh? It can be if you’re not careful. Notice the valve located on the right side. It features a hasp-like function so that you can place a lock on it in the “closed” position. Whenever I leave the island, I lock this meter in the closed position. It’s not that I’m worried about someone stealing the water. It prevents an unexpected leak from spinning the meter for days on end until my pal checks the house or I return. This happened to another friend of mine and he was stuck with a water bill in excess of US$3,000.

So, a word to the wise. If you own a home in Aruba, or are considering it, don’t forget small but important things like this. Inspect the plumbing systems from the meter all the way to the drains and septic. It’s not thrilling stuff like the wind surfing, bar hopping, and shopping, but it will put a damper on your good times if you’re not careful.

Okay, in the next post we’ll take a look at the bathroom I rebuilt, which is a little more interesting than the old water meter.