Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. Thank you Lorraine H for the list of BP recommendations. Looking forward to delving into those when I come up for air.
My apologies on the late response. It's the rainy season here on the island and I'm rapidly learning lessons on the importance of geographically relevant data in the planning stages.
Lesson 1. Do not assume cost averages for the continental US apply to an island. Figure at least 50 - 75% markup.
Lesson 2. Pay attention to rainfall averages. The island had experienced 4 months of drought before I got here, perfect for exterior renovations...now it's almost monsoon like weather.
Lesson 3. Have at least 3 alternate contractors per task. My contractor oversold his availability to do the work and now I'm having to do it myself, thank goodness for Craigslist...got a bunch of tools on the cheap and it's going well.
Lesson 4. Material supply. Make sure that the materials you figure on paper are actually available in the area you're in if you venture out of your kneck of the woods...alternatives can wreak havoc on your budget.
That being said, all is well and I'm back on track. Disclaimer: I may be late with most responses, I've been putting out one "fire" after another.
Key lesson: pad your budget, be resourceful, frugal and stay the course...it's raining again.
