When Ladesa and Ian Williams were looking for an investment property, Jolly Harbour ticked all of their boxes. With two young children, maximising their space was a key priority. The pair, who already have a first home in Antigua, took the plunge and embarked on a major refurbishment project to create their dream weekend retreat.
Sam Dyson met with the couple to find out more about the renovation process which saw a total overhaul of Villa 413C.
Why did you choose Jolly Harbour?
Ladesa: We love the beach and wanted to be close to the water. Jolly Harbour has two beaches, plus great restaurants like Al Porto and Curry House, sports facilities, a supermarket, and hiking. We live in Antigua but come here every weekend so it’s our weekend home. My daughter loves the beach; we go to North Beach to swim and generally we’re the only people there.
Ian: The kids love it here, especially the pool – our son is a competitive swimmer so he uses it a lot – and the fact that they can ride their bikes around.
Tell us about the renovation you undertook.
Ladesa: When we bought the villa it was in a dire state. We were initially going to keep the floors but, on the advice of the contractor, we decided we may as well go the whole way and do a full refurbishment. We wanted a beachy but modern feel, with an open concept. We have small children so we wanted to maximise the square footage. We converted the garage so that it has four uses: a mud room, pantry, beverage station, and laundry area. We also added a full deck to give more space.
Ian: With any construction work there will be challenges. One of the first hiccups was when the contractor ordered the wrong size glass door; it wasn’t tall enough. But for the most part, things went very smoothly.
Ladesa: We were hoping to complete the work in three months. Maybe that was ambitious; it took five. Much of the delay was waiting for approval to get the dock fitted.
What’s your favourite feature of the property?
Ladesa: I really do like the kitchen and laundry area. It took a lot of thought to create it. When you have kids you need space and storage. I like the house to look a certain way so it was important to me to have space to put lunchboxes and shoes away; there’s a space for everything.
Ian: I love the deck and patio space - and obviously the gorgeous TV wall I came up with.
How much did you spend in total?
Ladesa: We purchased the villa at the end of 2022 for US$250,000 and put in an additional US$125,000 for the renovation, new appliances and soft furnishings. We were able to do a full gut and end up with a property that we love, are proud of and enjoy.
Sam’s full interview with Ladesa and Ian.
