The "Orient Beach Update" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Checking out one of my favorite forums titled "Travel Talk Online" (http://www.traveltalkonline.com).  The forum deals with the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten.  On our most recent visit to the island this past April/May, Carol and I talked to Cheryl who runs Andy and Cheryl's Baywatch Restaurant on Orient Beach on the French side of the island.  Her restaurant is one of eight that were being demolished by the French Government and replaced with new structures farther back from the beach.  In a recent hurricane many of the establishments suffered massive damage and the French Government decided they were too close to the water and decided to tear them down.  Since they owned the property and were leasing the places to the restaurant owners, they had the right to do so.  But, the Caribbean flair and uniqueness of the old places will be sorely missed.  Cheryl was preparing to move out soon after we departed for the states and I tried to follow the demolition and new construction on Travel Talk (TTOL).  Well, the new places are coming along and from photos posted online I am getting a chance to see where I might be able to grab a bite to eat when I travel back to the island next year.  I thought I would post a few photos to show you what construction techniques are used in the Caribbean and then post some of the comments from people who visit TTOL.  Interesting to say the least.  I want to thank the following for allowing me to use their photos that were posted on TTOL: Bill9720, mprevo, R De Haan, gotaluvit, DonLinda and astropilot. 

A view of the restaurants that were damaged and to be demolished.

A favorite for Carol and me, Andy and Cheryl's Baywatch.

Renderings of what the new restaurants are to look like when finished.  All the restaurants that were demolished will be given first chance to take one of the newly created restaurants.

On site placard showing the restaurants and seawall that is being constructed.

Photo from the air showing the empty space created after demolition.

Demolition began shortly after we left in May.

All buildings have been removed and the land has been prepared.

Concrete pads have been poured for the new restaurants.

Beginnings of the sea wall are put in place.

Wooden construction is placed on the concrete pads.  Below you can see the OSB board being placed on the sides of the structures.  In the photo below that you can see the wall being put in place.

This photo and the next were added after I posted the original story.  They are updated photos showing more of the construction. 

The photos give you an idea of how well the construction is going.  It is hoped that the new places will be ready for the busy season which starts right around Christmas.  Now for the comments from others who have been following the construction on TTOL.

my educated guess is that those walls will NOT be concrete. First of all they are not using plywood.....using instead the particle board sheathing. Wet concrete would not cure well with that type of plywood..it soaks up too much water. second..if it was forms...it wouldnt have the header on top of the doors. most concrete structures are made of concrete block, and filled in... i would've thought that the concrete block would've been used to protect against storms....not a wooden based structure...but it is SXM.

Also agree with EdB that you don't form concrete walls that way. The weight of the mix would blow out those walls before you could even fill them.

One good storm and those have the potential to be history. 

There using particle board to build the buildings..what a joke..should have been steel and cinder blocks instead..will be gone with the 1st storm.

They're using OSB, or oriented strand board, which is actually stronger and more weather-resistant than plywood. Particle board is something else entirely, and is never used on any surface that might be exposed to moisture. I'm confident that there will also be siding over the OSB to further protect it. The structure itself is what will protect it from wind and rains, not necessarily the exterior sheathing.

Amazing how many construction experts we have here. I'm not one either, but I have built (literally) a house in a hurricane zone. It's the way the walls are attached to the foundation, and the nails used to attach the sheathing and shingles, that protect the structure from the hurricane-force winds. OSB is a perfectly acceptable sheathing material in a hurricane zone.

I'm sure that the people contracted for this project know what will work in that type of climate condition far more than someone sitting behind a computer screen in the states.

Regardless of what anyone thinks, these buildings are constructed better than the ones they are replacing.Yes, steel and cement would be less destructible, but then the rents would be sky high and they might be sitting there empty.I would like to see the totally finished product before making any judgement and looking forward to doing that soon.

The plans called for seawalls and you can see the trench for the first one in one of the photos. That will help but big wind is going to take them down along with most of the rest. It almost looks like they are planning for the above slab structures to be expendable and easy to replace???

I have been part of building a couple of houses and I don't personally like what I see so far. Not my property/building so not my problem.

you are correct.....that was my first thought last Friday.....who allowed this design and construction is laughing and walking away with a load of cash knowing that the rebuild will generate yet another cash cow....shame on the Collective for allowing this....are there any building codes on the French Side?…. 

In looking at the construction of these buildings, the contractors are not following basic construction rules. Notice, all the 'headers' above doors and windows are not supported with jack studs. They are simply tacked (nailed) to the king stud. Headers are installed on jack studs to properly support the weight above and transfer the weight to the foundation. In this case, the headers and anything above (roof) is supported by nails only. The headers are also single beams vs doubled beams. .Notice the header above the very wide entrance way, there is no supporting studs holding up that header! That headers job is to support the roof above. Anyone with basic framing experience would not do this. Rules may be different in SXM, but this is very shoddy construction and would never pass any inspections in the US.

Good pickup. In my view, it appears they have installed 4x4 posts in all corners and large openings. The walls appear to be fastened to the corner posts. The posts appears to be pressure treated lumber. I'm sure they have their reasons for the combination of pressure treated posts and untreated walls.

I'm pretty sure they comply with the French building code for SXM and structurally, I find these buildings better built than the houses of cards they're replacing. 

The first positive element being that they are erected on a concrete slab vs. piles, and the second being that they seem to be built in clusters, where each unit is attached to another. IIRC, the old ones were standalone buildings, no? 

They might not be built like Fort Knox but based on these 2 elements, they should withstand bad weather much better than the previous ones.

The roofs were nailed that way so that when hurricane winds sweep under them they will fly off and land upside down twenty feet behind the buildings. This will decrease the pressure on the walls and they will survive. After the storm has passed, the roofs can be easily reattached at minimum cost. This way the businesses will be up in no time at all keeping losses to a minimum.

These buildings SHOULD have been elevated at least five feet in the air, maybe more. I have built a home on the water and I am ten feet in the air. These building may survive a minor blow, but a real hurricane will leave nothing but the concrete slabs. Building in the air allows the tidal surge to pass under the structure, not beat it to toothpicks. If proper international hurricane standards are followed, raised structures can be built so survive 125 MPH winds. I hope hurricane straps, rafter and joist hangers, and metal roofs with proper fasteners are used on these buildings.

I know it is SXM, but building on a slab along the coast of the US would not be permitted nor could you get insurance. While I can see where the buildings will be stronger than the ones being replaced, they will not survive the rising ocean or a major hurricane.

I really preferred the more rustic look of the original structures. They had more of an "island feel." Too bad there wasn't some way that they could've recreated the original structures, using stronger materials. Oh, well. What's done is done, but feeling like I'm "off the beaten path" is what I like about certain beaches on the island. With these new buildings, that feeling is gone on this stretch of Orient.

Everyone has an opinion and a comment.  I'm hoping they have the same food as the old places did.  I refrained from commenting for fear someone might take my comment and place it in a blog story just as I have.  Hope you enjoyed reading the comments and the thoughts of those that call St. Martin/Sint Maarten their choice of vacation sites.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.