Dream Houses
Let’s say that working with the resources on these pages, you’ve gathered all the resources you need to build your dream home. But you lack the skills, time, and energy to then manage all this to job completion. Or let’s say you want someone to do all the spadework, literally and figuratively, of gathering resources and getting the job done? Such situations are especially common among those building for vacation or retirement who currently live in far-off countries. In such cases, you might want to contact Grenada Homes Limited, or GHL as it’s usually known. The company specializes in total project management, at whatever level you choose to involve them, up to and including the complete job from start to finish. The company was born, according to co-founders Michael Adams and Debbie George, when the pair identified what they term was a “massive gap” in the Grenadian market. “We heard the horror stories of people trying to build their dream home in the Caribbean, from primarily the UK and Europe, “ Debbie explains, “and the nightmare stories of their money just disappearing, or they arrived and see the house hasn’t been built to standards or sometimes not built at all. And we thought there’s an opportunity here to plug that gap.” Adams and George are uniquely qualified to do so. Though raised in London, both have Caribbean family backgrounds and a strong love of Grenada, so they feel they understand the culture and can work effectively with local people. Michael has extensive training in project management and marketing and a background in graphic design with a top European firm, which he says translates directly into working with home design. “The disciplines are very similar in as much as the decision-making process is that you’re always working with space,” he says. “Graphic designers work with space on a page and interior designers work with three-dimensional space.” Once clients have signed with GHL, they become eligible to receive the firm’s full range of services. The company employs a Grenada-born architect and uses extensive technology to keep clients appraised of what GHL is doing on their behalf. Debbie George explained how this worked recently when drawings were ready to show to a client in a remote location. “I’m here in Grenada,” she says, “[our architect] is in North Carolina, the client is in London but we were able to immediately show [the architect’s] screen to the client. I was able to take control of the screen portrait by Tony McQuilkin...Debbie George & Mike Adams here and the client was happy. It was like we were all in the same room.” “There were too many concrete walls,” Debbie explains. “We began GHL also provides video updates to clients, opening them, bringing the indoor out and vise versa.” Changing clients’ another facet of the high level of customer service and mindsets, when needed, is eased through the pervasive communication communication that Adams and George say is a key point of that flows among all parties. difference from others in the field. One important aspect of their service is providing highly professional Adams and George bring to their projects a design site inspections, a practice sometimes given short shrift on island philosophy that puts a premium on functionality projects. “Clients here very often don’t know if a good job has been done over aesthetics, and that focuses on what works best or not,” says Michael. “But after living in their home for six months, they in a Caribbean environment. One example is their know.” recommending the use of pocket doors and solar shingles In addition to construction-related activities, GHL offers design to cut maintenance costs. Another is advising clients services, including offering their own line of furniture. If fact, they to forgo the traditional style of building on the island. are willing to bring together other vendors if that will give clients a wider selection. The firm recently did a furniture show in which Design Solutions and Simone St. Rose Interior Design, both featured on these pages, were invited to exhibit their wares. GHL sees a side benefit to such efforts: They bring the talents of the wider Grenadian community needed exposure to world markets. “Let’s show what Grenada can bring,” says Debbie George. “I think by bringing the collaborative effort together, the whole island will improve. We believe in giving back, as part of our outlook, to do something for the local community.”
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#2 Grenada Homes Limited/GHL
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