Treasure Island Construction

Roatan, Honduras

home construction

Incorporating The Island Into Your Custom Home

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Incorporating Roatan Into Your Custom Home

When visiting the Island for the first time, prospective homeowners are often impressed by the unique architecture of their hotels, restaurants, and other local establishments. This impression can be used as inspiration when designing their custom home. Whether that home is built on Roatan or back in the US/Canada. So how can you incorporate Roatan’s atmosphere into your home?

Remember What Island Living Is All About

Everything about tropical home style revolves around relaxed living and being far more connected to one’s local environment. Think windows for air flow, comfortable furniture for lazing, and warm, soft lighting. The accessories and overall style of your  home should evoke a feeling of casual luxury; whisking you away to an island in a warm climate.

Install Exposed Beams

Many tropical homes and buildings feature tall vaulted ceilings – often showcasing wooden beams beneath their palm ladden roofs. This aesthetic can be assimilated into your own custom home, with a contemporary twist. Maintain the high ceiling, but opt for a flat surface featuring exposed wooden beams built with Roatan Mahogany. You can even use Roatan’s Mahogany or Teak to fully Not only will this add depth and detail to your home, but will cause the interior to appear both spacious and serene.

Hard Flooring Is Essential

Whether you enjoy marble, tile, or hardwood – solid flooring is essential to the tropical home style. Accent or area rugs can be incorporated to add both design and comfort, while the flooring itself brings the surrounding nature inside. This integration of the indoor-outdoor environment is a pillar in tropical homes.

Other Details To Consider

If you are fully committed to enjoying Island vibes at home, there are plenty of other details you can include in your custom home. Enhance your backyard with a natural pool. Opt for a more open floor plan by removing barriers between the kitchen and living room. You can also take advantage of the natural light by using large windows and doorways. And the best part? All of these details not only benefit your home, but benefit you! 

Your custom home is a long term investment! If you are looking for more custom home building advice, feel free to contact us today at +504-9660-1679 or victor@treasureislandconstruction.com.

How To Decide On A Floor Plan

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Choosing A Floor Plan

It doesn’t matter if you’re constructing an apartment, a condo, or a two story house. Designing your home’s floor plan is one of the most significant choices you will make. After all – you’re going to LIVE here! Ultimately, the flow and layout of your rooms will depend on your lifestyle. And you will want the plan to take advantage of all the incredible things Roatan has to offer. We’ve put together 5 tips to help you decide on a plan right for your family.

Your Floor Plan Should Suit Your Lifestyle

Some people enjoy sprawling, open floor plans. Others prefer to have private spaces tucked away, with bedrooms on opposite sides of the home. Evaluate what your lifestyle and your overall needs are. Decide on both how these things may change over time, and what your non-negotiables are. 

Will You Be Entertaining?

Similar to lifestyle, you should consider how often you will be entertaining company. Perhaps you want to host craft nights, or plan to rent a portion of your property for additional income. These things will determine whether your foyer immediately welcomes and showcases others into your home, or if the halls usher them to a sitting room somewhere else. Leaving the rest of the property an intriguing mystery.

One Story or Two?

A single-story home enjoys a certain level of quietness two stories do not. Overhead foot traffic can be cumbersome for some. Aside from the noise, you may be thinking you don’t want to always walk up stairs. However, multi-story homes offer sprawling vistas of Roatan’s green hills and turquoise water. Plus, the second story offers the ability for more privacy with separated living areas.

Does Your Home Need To Be Accessible?

Perhaps you have a friend or family member who needs extra space or additions for maneuverability. Or you have children who need space to run around. Consider that any load-bearing wall will not be able to change in the future. Thinking ahead is essential.

How Much Living Space Is Outdoor Living Space?

A premier floor plan always includes a leisurely space for outdoor living. Especially on Roatan! Consider pergolas covered in climbing tropical vines. Sitting areas adjacent to the infinity pool overlooking the Caribbean. Outdoor amenities not only boost your home value, but do wonders for your quality of life.

Deciding on a floor plan can be fun and frustrating at the same time.  Assess your family’s lifestyle and your preferences to how you enjoy living.  With patience, your dream home floor plan will be easier to find than you think! Looking for more custom home building advice? Contact us today at +504-9660-1679 or victor@treasureislandconstruction.com.

Choosing A Façade For Your Custom Home

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Custom Home Facade

How do you want to feel when you are walking up to your newly constructed home? Believe it or not, your home’s façade sets the tone for how not only you, but others, will feel when they see it. It should be both a focal point, and a blended attribute within the surrounding landscape. For this reason, deciding on a façade for your custom home is extremely important. We’ve put together some expert advice to help you get started!

Things To Consider.

Location matters. If your custom home is being built in a coastal area, selecting a facade that complements the landscape is ideal. Think of attributes that represent vastness and flow, such as large windows. Whereas if you are building in a busy city or village, you may opt for a more contemporary and private facade. Think sharp lines and corners, simultaneously using cool neutrals to soften the hard edges. 

Maintenance is also an important element to consider. Ask yourself how much effort you are able to put in to ensuring your facade maintains its appearance. Some will simply require powerwashing now and then. Others require more laborious upkeep, with  landscaping or staining.

Your home should represent you. When it comes to adding your personal touches to your façade, think about the materials that particularly stand out to you. All the key elements involved – including the style, look, materials, colors, features, lighting and landscaping – should tie together with one another to create a story about who you are and how you love to live.

Lastly, you will want to consider the interior style of your home. The exterior should invite and ease people into your home; there should be some sense of consistency. If the two clash, details that would otherwise enchant may suddenly seem out of place. 

The Perfect Façade For Roatan.

Homes on Roatan require special consideration so that they not only blend in well with the environment, but also have the longevity to last when braced against the elements. Color palettes that bode well on West Bay’s Iron Shore consist of soft whites, taupes and beige. Paired with accents of natural wood and neutral colored texture. Another option features darker wood and other deep, natural tones to create a façade that truly echoes the look and feel of the landscape. If you are renovating, the addition of exposed stone can quickly and easily lift a traditional façade from dated to modern and clean!


We hope these tips help you create a home that looks relaxed and welcoming, while still evoking a feeling of timeless elegance. Looking for more custom home building advice? Contact us today at +504- 9660-1679 or victor@treasureislandconstruction.com.

Custom Home Building Tips

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casa bella

You have officially made the decision. It’s time to move to Roatan and upgrade your living space! While there are plenty of options to choose from, you have decided to build a luxurious customized home – offering you the freedom and flexibility to create a space that fits all your wants and needs. Treasure Island Construction is there to support you throughout this process. Which is why we have created a list of our top custom home building tips to help you along the way!

Select The Ideal Location

You’ve heard it before and you will certainly hear it again: location, location, location. While you certainly can’t go wrong with any of the beautiful places in Roatan, there are certain areas that boast more amenities and conveniences than others. We recommend spending some time on the island before committing to a certain area. Once you’ve decided on a lot, we also recommend taking the time to see which areas get more wind, sun exposure, shade, etc. After all, you will want to make sure your home plays to the strengths of the land.

Choose an Experienced Team

It goes without saying, but selecting the appropriate team of experienced architects and builders is vital to achieving your dream luxury custom home. You know your ideal design better than anyone else, so you should have individuals on your team who can bring it to life. Ask plenty of questions and research portfolios of previous work to gain a sense of the work your architect and builder have done before.

Be Involved in the Floor Plan Process

Though your team of custom home building experts is a trustworthy crew, you’ll still want to be a part of the blueprint design process so you can achieve your desired floor plan. Your architect and builder will be able to provide wonderful insight into the layout of your home based on the space you have, but you ultimately have the final say in any decision. This is your opportunity to create the elegant beach home of your dreams, so being involved in the planning process is key to ensuring you get everything you want. But also remember to heed their advice – after all, this is their area of expertise!

Tropical Solar Shading Strategies

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Tropical Solar Shading Strategies

Attention to detail, innovative techniques, and stellar communication are essential when it comes to constructing your tropical home. One important detail to consider and discuss with your Contractor, especially on Roatan, is how to keep the interior of your home at a comfortable ambient temperature without straining your AC unit. Incorporating these solar strategies into your floor plan will not only reduce your utility costs, but will also improve the interior living space for all. 

What Is Solar Shading?

Solar shading strategies include elements, devices, and systems that are designed to reduce heat from the sun entering a building. Today’s homes often include wide and high windows, encouraging as much natural light to enter the room as possible. And we love that! However, the heat from the sun can easily pass through the glass, and has a hard time getting back out. This heat remains in the room, often being absorbed by other elements such as concrete walls, before being radiated back into the room. Talk about turning up the heat! This increase in temperature not only creates an uncomfortable space, but also increases the load on your air conditioning unit. This is why an effective solar shading strategy is so important!

Solar Shading Strategies

Some solar shading strategies we recommend are:

  • Overhangs, Verandas, or Covered Patios: Large roof overhangs, verandas, or covered patios can all serve to protect walls and window openings from direct sunlight. This is effective on the north and south-facing walls because of the sun’s angle.
  • Horizontal Window Shading: Horizontal window shading devices can take many forms, and are often found in commercial applications. In traditional tropical homes, bell-shaped hoods were often used as a form of rain protection and solar shading. Today, a deeply recessed window or raised bands could be a more contemporary and aesthetically pleasing method.
  • Shutters And Screens: Shutters and screens are excellent for allowing natural ventilation as well as flexibility. For modern homes, slatted and louvred sliding or bi-fold options are used. These shutters can be open completely when the sun is not intruding into your interior, or can be closed when the sun has made its debut without sacrificing air flow.
  • Trees And Vegetation: Trees, vines and other vegetation are a great way to protect your home from solar heat gain. They reduce the glare from entering your home and provide cooler areas outside. All this while permitting natural breezes to flow through!

Tips For Energy Efficient Home Design

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Tips For Energy Efficient Home Design

When you move to Roatan, you will be surrounded by lush foliage and rare wild/marine life. Suddenly, you will become more aware of Earth’s limited resources, and how your consumption truly can make a difference in the immediate surroundings. One way to fully enjoy the luxuries of home while making a small impact on the environment is through building an energy efficient home. Not only does this come along with long term savings, but also contributes to less consumption and waste of resources. Making an overall minimum impact on Roatan’s delicate ecosystem!

Directional Design

The positioning of your home is critical to maximizing energy output. If your home is positioned in a way that absorbs maximum sunlight, or doesn’t allow for natural air flow, you will find yourself spending a lot on cooling costs.

Landscaping

Landscaping is a great way to enhance the natural environment, as well as save energy. Plant trees that will provide the necessary shade to keep your home cool, as well as prevent the soil from absorbing too much sun. This will lower cooling costs as well as water consumption.

Green Tip: Include an area for compost on your property!
Composting provides a natural alternative to chemical shedding fertilizers which can harm the reef. This will also contribute to less unnecessary trash being accumulated on the island.

Lighting

Make the most of natural lighting in your space to reduce energy costs. In areas that do require lighting, opt for an LED Bulb. LED lighting can reduce energy use between 40 and 80%.

Consider Solar Power

The ability to supplement your hot water and AC costs with a solar system ends up paying for itself. You can even store the excess power to use when there is an issue with the main power source.

Don’t Forget The Top And The Bottom!

Concrete or stone floors can help keep your home naturally cooler. And don’t neglect which material you choose to use for a roof! Metal roofs are a wonderful option for reflecting heat and withstanding Roatan’s salty air.

We are here to help you build your dream home – which both fulfills your desires and contributes to the conservation of Roatan’s natural beauty. Contact Victor today to discuss making those dreams an energy efficient reality. Call +504- 9660-1679 or victor@treasureislandconstruction.com.