Building in Belize—What I Would have done Differently.
Build a Two Car Garage. Everyone tells you that most people only have one vehicle and we’re no different. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t want a two-car garage. Most of the homes are built with a one car garage. So between the house we bought and the other house plans, we too planned for a one-car garage, however, there is never enough storage! Part of the challenge is being on the beach, just about everything needs protection from the salt air. It also seems like there is a project—at least for us. This means we need a place to put lumber, tile, thin set, etc. that is out of the elements, like the garage, leaving no room for a vehicle.
Bathtub. One hardly sees them in Belize. Builders advise against it. Critics will claim that you won’t want to take a hot bath in this heat. About seven years passed and I said, “I still want a bathtub.” We remodeled the bathroom to include a jetted tub and I have not regretted it. Other people I know look forward to traveling to take a hot bath as they too miss their tubs.
Hot tub. The same argument as the bathtub, except that it’s nice to be outside.
Laundry Room. Build it bigger. Think about how it will be used—a single family home, a part-time owner, who will rent it out, or business that does laundry, such as accommodations. One may think laundry is not a big deal, but I bet they don’t live in Belize. Clothes get dirty. It’s hot. And some of us have multiple wardrobe changes a day. Most don’t let stinking, damp laundry lay around long because it’s undesirable and invites scorpions. Laundry just seems like it takes a lot of one’s time here. I am not alone. I know of several people that after a few years added a laundry addition and are happier for it.
If one has rentals, consider having a washer and dryer on the same floor as your bedroom and “locking it up” for your personal use. Have a different laundry space for housekeeping to do the laundry. Many people realize after a while that they don’t enjoy lugging laundry up and down stairs and sharing the laundry room with all the hotel/inn/guesthouse laundry. One may want to do their laundry when they want (and it may be in use for business.) Also, many Belizeans don’t use “North American” style washing machines, so sometimes staff are unmeaningful hard on them. Guests who have access to washing machines also may be tough on items they don’t own, similar to the way rental cars may be treated.
Have a Bigger Veranda. Most people live outside in Belize. Whatever size you are looking to build make it a little bigger. One of the first things we did when we purchased a property was to knock out the verandas on the cabanas and expand them. However, we thought the main house on the property was probably fine as it was pretty big veranda. But we were wrong. After a few years, we wanted a larger outdoor space. I regret not doing it in the first place as now, we’re experiencing all that dust again.
Consider an Outdoor Kitchen. Did I mention most people live outside in Belize? There is a reason locals have their kitchen outside. It doesn’t have to be big, but a space where one can chop vegetables and plug in a crock pot, or heat something up makes for a better quality of life. Consider designing a kitchen that can open up to the breeze. The place we purchased had an ill-designed kitchen. We knocked out the walls in the house and moved the kitchen from the north wall to the south wall and we’re pleased with the change. Although we enjoy cooking, we do less of it in Belize and we cook differently here. As a result we made the kitchen smaller, but added an outdoor component.
