Retiring on a tropical island in the Pacific is a dream come true for anyone who lives in places where the warmest temperature is only just above freezing. But building a retirement home in these places also has its downside. The tropical climate may be a paradise for many people, but these areas are at extreme risk for rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
For instance, hurricanes or typhoons normally form over warm ocean waters such as the Pacific Ocean. To further illustrate this, an average of 20 typhoons visits the Philippines each year. This makes it necessary to build a disaster-resilient home if you plan to retire on a tropical island somewhere in the Pacific.
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To ensure your home can withstand these natural disasters, you should take into account the following things:
Check the Location
The first thing you should check is the location of your property. A beachfront property may be an ideal place to build your home, but you will have to deal with storm surges when a hurricane comes. With this in mind, you may want to consider building a home in the mountains. But these areas may be prone to landslides. And if you’re thinking of buying property beside a river, a flood may be one of the problems you’ll deal with in the future.
Due to this, you should check a geohazard map of the country you’re planning to retire in. If you’re planning to retire in Hawaii, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can provide you with the necessary information you need to know if an area is prone to landslides or floods.
Work With a Licensed Architect
Since building a retirement home is a major investment, you should work with a licensed professional architect. Architects have the ability to combine beauty, stability, and functionality in a single structure. They can use designs that effectively and efficiently use any available space in your property.
The effective and efficient use of space is incorporated into a sustainable design of a home. If you’re planning to retire in the Philippines, a skilled and talented architect can incorporate the concept of sustainable development into your home. These designs allow your home to have a minimal impact on the environment as well as reduce waste and energy consumption.
Use the Right Materials
To save on the cost of building your home, you may be tempted to use cheap materials for it. But using cheap materials may result in bigger expenses later on. Keep in mind that the Pacific Rim is prone to earthquakes due to hundreds of volcanoes in the area. It’s called the Ring of Fire because of this.
So, you should make sure your retirement home is made of earthquake-resilient materials. Using durable materials allows you to save on costly repairs in the future. Moreover, hurricanes and typhoons are also a way of life in the Pacific. This means your home should also be strong enough to withstand these brutal forces of nature.
Choose the Right Contractor
After choosing a good location, hiring a licensed architect, and getting the right materials, it’s time to work with a reputable contractor to build your home. While finding a good contractor may not be easy, you can ask for recommendations from your family and friends who may know one.
You can also check the previous work of these contractors and talk with them before hiring them. You can also talk to the contractor’s previous clients and ask if they’re pleased with the contractor’s work.
You shouldn’t leave the selection of a contractor to luck since it’s your retirement home that’s at stake. Make sure to look for the best one so you won’t have any regrets in the future.
Follow Government Regulations
This is probably self-explanatory since government regulations are meant to ensure the safety of everyone. For instance, the government may require you to build your home at a safe distance away from bodies of water.
Government regulations normally change to adjust to any changes in the environment. For instance, the National Building Code of the Philippines has gone through several revisions ever since it was created. Revisions came after several natural disasters affected the country in the past few decades.
With this in mind, government regulations were made to protect you and your property. While you may be tempted to skirt some provisions, it’s better to follow the regulations rather than pay for your mistakes later on.
Building a retirement home on a tropical island is a major investment for many people. Due to this, it’s important to consider the preceding factors to ensure your home will not easily crumble once a natural disaster comes.
