Don’t trust contractors - Barbara kimbugwe

I am a strong believer in hard work and turning dreams into reality. My ambitions always pushed me into dreams of acquiring my own home and this started in my teenage years.
Reality kicked in when I ended my Miss Uganda contract. I left for USA where I furthered my education.
I knew since then that the beginning of my new life in a foreign country required me to have a safe roof over my head.
Thank God for I was raised in a good environment where I never lacked. This encouraged me to work hard and to never settle for less.
Although I was capable of getting financial help from my family to have a good start in the United States, my ego pushed me to start from scratch.
I preferred to do it all on my own. I was young and fearless at the age of 19 when I moved to Florida and started up a life of my own.

I am not going to say that it was easy because starting a new life in any foreign country is one hard nut to crack and I am sure many fellow Ugandans have gone through a similar experience.
Thank God for my brave soul and for good brains, I was accepted into school and I got myself a part-time job in a cosmetic dental office which gave me an income to pay for my housing, college and other bills.
In brief, I started up in a two bedroom apartment in Palm Beach Florida. It was more than enough for me.
I continued to perform excellently at my job which led to my new position as cosmetic dental manager and in terms of income, my pay check was looking good.

My office job was great. I did fashion modelling gigs too, which brought in extra cash but my focus was growing into a successful business woman who could have a home of my dreams and to have a family.
It has been a long time coming but I have made some accomplishments. I am happy with my current home. The location is premium. Palm Beach, Florida is famous for the most luxurious and expensive real estates.
The weather during winter seasons is close to perfection. We experience no heat waves and no cold waves. We worry not about heavy winters and this is what I call a blessing.

I have been residing in my permanent home for over five years but it is more common to buy houses here in the states than to construct.
Buying a home is the beginning of renovation and customising it to your own taste.
I grew up in a spacious home, with several bedrooms, all amenities and well fenced.
It was surrounded with a beautiful front and backyard (compound) and that’s the kind of house I wanted to have as my permanent home.
I chose a spacious, large home seated on three acres of land over a beautiful smaller waterfront condo because I love freedom and I don’t do so well with condominium rules.

THE PALM BEACH HOUSE
The house is located on Palm Beach Florida because it is where I spend most of my time as opposed to the waterfront beach condo on ocean drive or my residence in Uganda.
Originally, the house was under a $1m (about Shs3.4b) but the value increases with time according to demand for property in this zip code.

My home is located in an area where construction of any property is restricted.
The land in this location is highly valued by the city of Palm Beach which makes it impossible to buy or construct any houses in this residential area.
Due to such factors and the luxury improvements in this home, this house is valued at $3m (about Shs10b) and luckily, there is no such thing as mortgage on this house but only expenses of house maintenance to the property value.
I am not the best person at savings so I give this credit to my husband. There is joy in living under a roof which is fully paid for.

RENOVATIONS
Although the house was bought and not constructed from scratch, major renovations have been made. We just had to construct an extension to the existing house as a closet because there is no such thing as too much closet space when it comes to any woman who loves fashion and shopping. Whereas other people might love lavishing themselves with good alcohol, I reward myself through retail therapy and that calls for a spacious closet.
I grew up in a social community and with a close family which makes me appreciate a spacious living room and a family room and places to host my guests. I think these are understandable reasons for a house expansion.

Construction of this house expansion was in one phase. It took up the whole entire summer time (three months) but improvements have never stopped and especially with garage expansion because of our love for automobile collection and landscaping. It was originally a three-bedroom and three-bathroom house with a swimming pool with an indoor and an outdoor kitchen. The remodelling required passing the city inspections after every stage so it was hard to do it in one single shot regardless of whether finances are available.

RENOVATIONS
When it comes to supervising, I can tell you I am a lady with a clear vision of what I want. The plan is always to hire the best and professional team but to also double check their suggestions. Final decisions should always be made by the owner and when it comes to designing and materials, I am very hands on.
I go to every construction vendor to choose marble, tiles, wood, lights, fixtures, colours and whatever is needed to bring these big dreams to life. If you are making such a huge investment, never leave it to contractors. You must fully immerse yourself in the project to ensure quality and efficiency. I practically handpicked all the necessary materials without any comprise.

I experienced both pleasure and high stress levels because there were times when contractors could not deliver as promised and I am the kind of person who does not take no for an answer. I am all for solution-driven workers so I would move on to another contractor.

Her home in Uganda
Every Ugandan living in a foreign country ought to have a house in their home country. It is a place to come and rest and get in touch with your inner cultural spirit. I have a Ugandan home too, on Ggaba Road and it always makes me feel at home and gives me a sense of belonging.
It sits on a huge piece of land in a prime area with a smaller house. My interest was mostly in the land. The smaller existing house was remodelled and a bigger and brand new house built in addition to the small one. It was quite a project.

I love spicing up my home with newer and better material but also, I tend to run out of space but I thank God that this house also sits on three acres of land which gives me the luxury to expand as needed.
So I am always expanding walk-in closets and the garage to create space for more cars. Hopefully, this will be the last time for a closet expansion.

Price wise, the starting quote is $600,000 (about Shs2b) and mainly due to the addition of the roof and the mahogany wood floors and closet drawers for my walk in closet.
The number of rooms wasn’t the ideal but rather spacious bedrooms and large living rooms was the main goal. It is a five-bedroom house, each with a steam shower, toilet and walk through closet. It has living rooms, dining area, open indoor kitchen, sauna and gym.

LESSONS
Know what you want. I have picked a number of lessons through the experiences of building. One should have a clear vision of what kind of house they want. There should be a suitable budget and hire professional contractors who deliver at any cost. Do not take nonsense when it comes to such big investments.
Stay on top of things. I have also learnt that regardless of how great your contractors and vendors are, as a project owner, you should always stay on top of things. Always double check your orders for your building materials and stay on top of deadlines because human nature has tendencies in cutting corners after they have been given the contract. In simple language, be a hands-on boss.